3 Aspects of Experience - Becoming More Embodied
I am of the belief that we, as humans, have three different aspects of experience in any given moment. There is our cognition (thoughts, memories, narratives and beliefs about ourselves or the world), our emotions, and our somatic, bodily experience.
Most of us have been conditioned since childhood to busy ourselves and push down uncomfortable or inconvenient feelings. Toughness, being “chill”, and being productive at all costs have become virtues in this culture.
But what is the cost of living in our heads and not being embodied? What do you imagine is lost by not feeling fully connected to ourselves?
In my work with the folks in therapy, we try to bridge those different aspects of their experience. When we are able to slow down and get curious we often can then hear the messages being communicated from our bodies and emotions. This can be a process similar to learning a new language and may take time.
In my experience, both personally and professionally, when we are able to slow down enough to listen to what is being communicated through our cognition, emotions, and sensations we often feel more connected to, understanding of, and compassionate towards ourselves.
For example, when you are venting to a friend and sharing about the passive-aggressive text from your co-worker (cognition)… maybe you take a moment to pause and see what else you are noticing. Are your shoulders tense? Maybe your heart is speeding up or you feel angry.
What are these feelings and sensations communicating to you right now about this interaction you had with your co-worker? Do you feel disrespected? Is there perhaps a need for a boundary to be set with this person? Is this a familiar feeling?
Some things to notice or reflect on: are there certain sensations in your body or emotions that often come up seemingly out of nowhere? This may be sudden spurts of anxiety or overwhelm, migraines, tension in your neck, etc… I invite you to begin to notice and track these feelings - how often do they come up? Do you feel this way more often around certain people/in certain settings? If this sensation or feeling could communicate with words instead of sensation, what would it be saying right now?
Currently:
Reading To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara which is a very long, but so far very captivating novel.
Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection by Deb Dana. This book was written specifically for therapists, but I feel like non-therapists would also understand and appreciate what Dana has to offer. She breaks down Polyvagal Theory in a simple way and offers prompts and exercises to learn more about yourself and your nervous system.
Listening Binaural Beats: Focus playlist. I listen to this playlist when I am writing or working on admin tasks. It is a boring playlist but I think that’s the point? I can be sensitive to sensory information (especially sound). This playlist (turned down to the lowest volume) has really helped me to get work done and feel like I am “in flow”.
Eating tomato open-faced sandwiches with mayonnaise, salt & pepper. Also lots of popsicles.
Feel free to check out my website here if you want to learn more about my work. Thanks for reading!