What is Your Body Telling You?
When clients come to me with physical symptoms and manifestations, I start with a story:
There was once a time when our bodies and our beings were beautifully interconnected. A time when we were never alone, even in the darkest reaches of the night, as our bodies were our constant companions, whispering to us with loyalty and love.
Then a separation came about- some say when words came, some say when fire came, and for whatever reason, our unique connection with our bodies has been lost.
Now we have to learn the language of our bodies all over again. It speaks in tiny signals- like the gentle brushing of leaves on a branch against a window. If we fail to sense those subtle signals then the branch begins to tap gently against the glass, this then becomes a violent knocking, until the window eventually breaks. Should we ignore this then our bodies have no choice but knock our house down in an attempt to gain our attention.
Now, I confess, I’m a hypnotherapist and metaphor has always been a chosen medium for achieving understanding quickly. Metaphor is an incredibly efficient way of communicating with our unconscious mind, and therefore our bodies. After all, our bodies’ only way of communicating with us up to now is to manifest symptoms seemingly unconsciously. But what if we could learn to speak its language before we get to this stage?
Reading the Signs
When I first began the journey of setting up better communication with my body (and it’s an ongoing process!), I could only list what was ‘wrong’ with my body. It looked a little like this: my back hurts, I get hip pain when I walk long distances; I wake up tired every morning. And I wonder what your list would be? You may notice that there isn’t much space here for the miracle of our body showing up and performing complex functions every single minute and second of the day. It also means that I was constantly looking for ‘a tree falling on the house’ as my body’s voice.
In fact our bodies are amazing sensory organs, picking up information and relaying it to us constantly, infinitesimally and accurately. This can be practical information about touch: such as temperature, texture, resistance etc. It can also be information about what is comfortable or suitable for us both emotionally or physically. We’ve all heard the term ‘gut response’, in fact it turns out that our stomachs contain neurons and neurotransmitters that play a key role in our emotional state and our physical wellbeing. If we were to give our bodies’ smallest signals the same weight we give to our thinking mind, I wonder what information we could receive beyond anything we’ve considered up to now?
Information V Judgement
So how do we begin to receive the amazing information that’s mostly been locked up within our bodies up until now? When I really chose to look at the interaction between me and my body, I had to admit that most of it was judgement of one form or another. I was judging it for not working properly : BAD back, BAD sleep patterns, BAD digestion. I was also judging it positively for behaving as I would wish (and this wasn’t always too healthy!): GOOD appetite when I ate less or ate foods I judged as good for my body; GOOD when I could keep working late at night; GOOD when I could finish my third boxing class that week and push myself beyond the bounds of what I thought was possible.
I have to admit, it was also a struggle to find ways in which I judged my body as good at all. That’s not because I inherently hate my body but because that’s the way we’re wired up- to look for what’s wrong and to take for granted what works. There is a very real sense that if we can reach a point where our bodies feel nothing except ‘good stuff’ then that is the optimum of health. I’d like to suggest that there’s something possible for us and our bodies that goes beyond this.
If we stop judging our bodies’ signals as good or bad, right or wrong then signals become information and are far less likely to obligingly solidify into whatever illness we’ve decided it is. Remember, your point of view creates your reality. What if our bodies are always doing exactly what they are designed for, which is relaying information and moving energy? However, that information may not be delivered in a language you’ve ever spoken before so we judge it as bad and then stop receiving whatever it is offering.
Starting a Conversation
This really is quite a literal step. If we think about babies and how they learn to communicate, it’s highly recommended that we speak to them as if they did understand (which, energetically speaking, they do, but that’s a story for another day!). Bodies are no different from this; and just like learning a foreign language, the immersion method works quickest!
If all we’re looking for or noticing is a hammer-strength signal, then we’re going to miss subtleties. It’s all about recalibrating our awareness. A good place to start with this is asking questions and the answer (or awareness) is received energetically- the body doesn’t do answers on a postcard. You might begin by asking questions about things that directly relate to the body such as what to wear, what food to eat, whether to sleep or go for a walk.
For example, you might ask whether your body would like broccoli: now, just notice your body. You’re not looking for anything because you actually don’t know what you’re looking for. Just notice any shifts, gurgles, movements, relaxing or tensing. Does it feel pleasant?
Compare this now with another food you might like to eat, for example, chocolate. ASK! Always ask a question if you can. Body, would you like chocolate? Then notice what your body is doing and being. Which one feels more expansive and creates more space in your body?
Eventually, with gentle persistence, you will reach a critical mass where your lexicon of body ‘vocab’ begins to become more natural and to speak in energetic sentences.
A Loving Relationship
Learning something new and listening constantly can seem tiring at first, so why would you choose that level of presence repeatedly? Partly, it is about stepping into personal autonomy. Although it seems as if our bodies are roughly the same, energetically speaking we are all radically different; owning and acknowledging that no government guidelines can possibly supersede your own awareness is liberating.
You may also find as you tune in to the energetic murmurings of your body that you feel more and more grateful for the miracle that is you. You can begin to be aware of you in totality rather than distracting yourself by focusing on the ‘fat bits’ or the ‘wrong bits’. You might even begin to sense that you have a faithful friend in your body, one who has always endeavoured to carry out your wishes; even if they were uncomfortable and caused it pain. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have other friends quite as loyal as that.
And what else might you become aware of? That’s the miracle here; we aren’t even dimly cognisant of the limits of what the body can do and be for us. Energetic Access Consciousness®Body Process sessions are about unlocking the body’s physical and energetic capacities beyond anything we’ve even considered before, and it’s as individual as you are. Combine this with ‘Body Whispering’: using the tools of Access Consciousness® to facilitate greater awareness and relationship with your body. Freeing yourself of old patterns can be as easy as slipping off an old and tattered robe. Then life no longer becomes a litany of what needs fixing in your body, but becomes the energy of enthusiasm.
If you were no longer using your time and energy to judge your body, what magic could you and your body be that could change everything in a moment?
If you’d like to explore this further, I’m offering a free Body Activation Session to get the energy moving through every cell of your body and activate your body’s phenomenal awareness: