IGNORE YOUR BODY, SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES
The following excerpt is from the personal growth
psychology book, Be Your Own Therapist.
Do you routinely ignore your body and its signals, as you might
ignore a carcass alongside the highway? Is your body dull and
lifeless, like a carcass? If so, you may be like many
psychotherapy clients who have the mistaken impression that just
doing verbal psychotherapy will eventually make them happy. What
they overlook is that much of their emotional unhappiness stems
from a dysfunctional body which is itself struggling to overcome
the effects of smoking, drinking, being a couch potato, an
unhealthy diet, extra pounds, addictive food allergy, etc.
Because our emotional happiness is so interconnected with bodily
health, ease and comfort, few of us will experience emotional
happiness and contentment if we neglect our bodies.
| For most of us, reasonable fitness can be accomplished in 30 minutes a week.
|
Many of us are badly out of touch with our physical bodies.
When we were young, we made the unconscious choice not to feel
certain parts or all of our bodies. This was preferable to
feeling the pain associated with traumatic events in our lives.
What made it painful to have our bodies were all the parental
and societal messages that squelched us. They caused us (1)to
stuff our anger and hatred, (2)to conceal and deny our
sexuality, (3)to eat our words, (4)to overeat to please Mommy,
(5)to act like a big girl/boy by not crying, (6)to act invisible
to avoid abuse, (7)to feel badly about being small and weak and
(8)etc. It wasn't just the words and emotions that got stuffed.
Because we are interconnected organisms, if we shut down our
words and emotions, our bodies also shut down.* Numbness as a
child was preferable to pain.
Be in the Moment Exercise. Try for two minutes to be as fully
aware of your body as possible, (the feelings in your arm, your
torso, the itch {scratch it if you like}, the sensations in your
feet, etc. The purposes for such an exercise are (1)to regain
body awareness and (2)to live with more awareness in the present
moment. (We tend to be stuck worrying about the future or
ruminating about the past.) One common feature of those who are
happy is their ability to spend most of their time in the
present moment.* Therefore, it behooves us all to develop that
skill, feeling in the present moment, thinking about the present
moment and being in the present moment as fully as possible.
In verbal talk therapy so much energy is typically invested in
talking, thinking and emoting that the body is frequently
overlooked. Yet healing methods that focus primarily on the body
are sometimes easier and quicker than other means of healing.
Commonly too, they promote positive unexpected emotional
benefits. One particularly useful goal to have in life is to be
completely comfortable with your body. This may, of course,
require that you find some therapy.
Next Excerpt 
More Excerpts This Chapter
IGNORE YOUR BODY, SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES
BODYWORK THERAPY
BE YOUR OWN BODYWORKER
TOUCHING AND BEING TOUCHED
AVOIDING TOXINS
COUCH POTATO BENEFITS
PSYCHOLOGICAL REASONS WHY WE DON'T EXERCISE
FITNESS IN 30 MINUTES A WEEK?
AN EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR THOSE WHO HATE TO EXERCISE
AWAKENING AND REVITALIZING THE BODILY SENSES
IGNORE YOUR BODY, SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES © 1995-2004