[skysblue]

That's ridiculous, isn't it? Aren't I already in my body? But, she tells me I live in my head too much - that I don't pay attention to my body nor to my surroundings much. She says this is the way to get grounded, to get connected.

I mostly have viewed my body as something I drag around just so my mind can be active and engaged and connected. But learning that I may be emotionally disabled in some way may give credence to her suggestions that I get back into my body.

One thing she does a lot during session is ask me what I'm feeling in my body. At first, that question irritated the hell out of me. I was thinking "who cares about my body? I have thoughts I want to share and whatever feelings are coming forth." So, I barely turned my attention to body and gave her a perfunctory answer. "yeah yeah, my body feels nervous.' and then I'd jump back into my discursive and analytical discussion of 'whatever'.

But after reading books like, "Molecules of Emotion", "The Power of Focusing" and various mindfulness books, it's becoming(slowly) a reality for me that I do need to pay more attention to body and physical surroundings.

But, I find them boring. I wonder who I'll be when I only am mindful of sensory stimulus. Then I'm no more than a piece of biology. I believe my T is right and I'm trying and I do see it helps in calming emotions but part of me still rebels. My 'mind' is still trying to figure it out.

[unaluna]

I noticed even just the past few weeks of sweaty hard de-hoarding have made me more emotional in session. Yesterday I was so late I speedwalked to T, then he wanted to watch some video, I was SO ANTSY I couldn't just sit there, I had to do some emotional talking! yes to bodies! gotta go.

[mcl6136]

yeah, I have worked on getting into my body for many many years.

The sad truth is that for longer than I would like to admit (let your imagination go), I would not go to the bathroom until I absolutely HAD TO because I was so cut off from my body.

Now that's a PROJECT!

This is a great suggestion...I would say GO FOR IT!

[mixedup_emotions]

I can very much relate to being "too much" in my mind and being disconnected from my body. It was a foreign concept to me to understand that our bodies communicate...other than the typical hunger pangs, sleepiness, etc.

I am very much closed off from my body, which is a result of trauma, etc. The brain is self-protective....so it makes sense to me. I am working on trying to listen to my body without letting my brain get in the way by rationalizing, judging, etc.

I still have a way to go....

[mcl6136]

Originally Posted by hankster

I noticed even just the past few weeks of sweaty hard de-hoarding have made me more emotional in session. Yesterday I was so late I speedwalked to T, then he wanted to watch some video, I was SO ANTSY I couldn't just sit there, I had to do some emotional talking! yes to bodies! gotta go.

did you say GOTTA GO???

[unaluna]

THAT TOO!!!
oh no the ghost chili is back! I don't LIKE the ghost chili!

I thought that the body's purpose was to carry the head from room to room.

SomeBODY says otherwise? Pshaw.

Anne

[rainbow8]

skysblue, you're not ashamed of your body, are you? It's just that you'd rather ignore it? Me, I don't like physiology. My T wants me out of my head, too, and into my feelings. But she knows I hate being asked where in my body I feel something! Yuck.

[skysblue]

Originally Posted by 3rdTimesTheCharm

I thought that the body's purpose was to carry the head from room to room.

SomeBODY says otherwise? Pshaw.

Anne

I know - years of education and nobody told us otherwise. Do you feel gypped?

[skysblue]

Originally Posted by rainbow8

skysblue, you're not ashamed of your body, are you? It's just that you'd rather ignore it? Me, I don't like physiology. My T wants me out of my head, too, and into my feelings. But she knows I hate being asked where in my body I feel something! Yuck.

No, it's not that. When T asks me to check in to body, it's the internal sensation to be noticed, not how my body looks. When you're feeling ashamed of your body, you're still in your head.

T talks about the 'felt sense'. By paying attention to the body, we slow down our wild and crazy minds. We become more attuned to our emotions. Otherwise, it's much too easy to ignore how we feel, try to get rid of how we feel, argue with how we feel instead of really and truly paying attention to how we feel.

According to T, our 'felt' senses communicate honest information to us. We just need to learn how to listen and to learn that language. By paying attention to what the body can tell us, we let go of analyzing, asking why and judging.

So, it has nothing much to do with our feelings of shame about our body, although that could be one issue to address while 'listening'.

I am slowly, ever so slowly attempting to put this kind of awareness into my daily life.

[rainbow8]

That's interesting. My T wants to know where I feel physical sensations when she asks, like if my stomach feels tight or if I have to go to the bathroom because I'm anxious. It's not about how my body looks as much as how it works.

We do meditation and I have to concentrate on my breathing. It always calms me down. Is that "getting into your body" or is that "getting out of your body"? So, is meditation in your body or your head?

[CantExplain]

Originally Posted by skysblue

That's ridiculous, isn't it? Aren't I already in my body? But, she tells me I live in my head too much - that I don't pay attention to my body nor to my surroundings much. She says this is the way to get grounded, to get connected.

I mostly have viewed my body as something I drag around just so my mind can be active and engaged and connected. But learning that I may be emotionally disabled in some way may give credence to her suggestions that I get back into my body.

One thing she does a lot during session is ask me what I'm feeling in my body. At first, that question irritated the hell out of me. I was thinking "who cares about my body? I have thoughts I want to share and whatever feelings are coming forth." So, I barely turned my attention to body and gave her a perfunctory answer. "yeah yeah, my body feels nervous.' and then I'd jump back into my discursive and analytical discussion of 'whatever'.

This is where I was eight years ago.

But now I know my body is more emotionally aware than my mind. Often we will talk about various ideas: if I get a physical reaction (generally heartbeat, but sometimes muscle tension or heavy breathing), I know we're getting close to the truth.