With our body we are able to change our thoughts, feelings and actions,
and these in ways that language cannot fully express.
feelings happen in the body
We feel emotions in our body.
From neuroscientific research we know that everything we evaluate emotionally is also "embodied" and finds itself somehow reflected in our body.
In other words, we could say:
every thought and every action expresses itself in the body. It changes for example our heartbeat, muscle tension, respiration, blood pressure or influences when we start sweating, how we perceive the cold, etc.
We cannot consciously control many of these changes, but we can
influence them indirectly.
Talking by itself does not always help!
feelings happen in the body
And vice versa we can influence our feelings through the body - really!
This was discovered by analyzing different body postures. If, for example, we let our shoulders hang and make a sad facial expression, then we actually feel sadder.
This means that we can use the body as a medium to change feelings. And in addition to our thoughts and conversations that help us to understand and grow, the body is a wonderful tool to use and it is ready at hand in the here and now.
stress and tensions in the body
In stressful situations our basic muscle tensions is higher than normal. Most people know this: we pull up our shoulders, have tension headaches, back pains or tense jaws.
When things get stressful the body is on high alert; this fight-or-flight response has its roots in our evolution and was aimed at helping to protect us from dangers. Our organism mobilizes enormous energy reserves and converts the entire metabolism to maximize muscle activity. In modern everyday life there is hardly any room for a reaction, or even the possibility to release this pent up energy again. The tension remains built-up, literally stuck in us; stiffness, pain and chronic complaints can be the result.
