Body as House: A Somatic Exploration of the Mind Body Relationship
June 23, 2018, Triyoga, London
The body feels thoughts and emotions before they are cognized by the mind. The body is also a store – house for thoughts and emotions unprocessed – especially those that were traumatic and uncomfortable. Tending to the body is imperative when working with trauma as the nervous system and tissues hold memory.
Acknowledging the role of the body when addressing trauma facilitates the releasing of the harm caused by PTSD. By addressing both mind and body, the ingrained, habitual patterns can be attended to with balanced respect and understanding for the roles they play separately and together.
Working with sensations to release traumatic memories also serves to disengage identification and the subsequent continued entangling of an ever evolving or story about the past. Titrating between body and mind, inner and outer awareness also lends itself to a safe container for someone to explore trauma without falling into its vortex.
Mindfulness of sensations, of emotions and of thoughts – held in a perspective of kindness can greatly reduce the continued harm of reliving a painful past. Skillfully opening and releasing areas of the body, through posture, breath and visualization add a host of skillful means to address the burden of trauma.