In The Flow

When was the last time you were completely in tune with your body?

I experienced this the other night as I got further into the bike ride I took through neighborhoods and up winding roads as dusk began to approach.

It was magical.

My thoughts and feelings couldn’t stick around, they only made passing appearances as my whole being was too engrossed as I directed quick turns along the smooth pavement.

Ironically this also allowed me to know and experience them more for what they were; just thoughts and feelings moving through my awareness.

It was magical because I was in sync. In the flow. Mind and body at one.

What is not so magical?

When the mind and body are at odds. Disconnected. Numbed.

When they are operating like they want nothing to do with each other.

This happens when we experience anything traumatic.

Anything from a severe car accident to getting laid off work to having a relationship end out of nowhere.

Anything that feels like too much to handle with the resources you had in that moment.

Anything that causes you to bury strong, difficult feelings within.

We often think we can disconnect our way out of those past experiences. But they typically don’t just go away. They play out in our bodies through aches and pains, numbness, lethargy or impulsive actions. They cause our mind to come up with really harsh things to say about ourselves.

Sometimes we can get through life without having to deal with these feelings. Sometimes our hobbies and friends and spiritual communities help us grieve and feel.

And sometimes we need to seek that extra bit of help from a therapist.

I practice a particular kind of therapy called EMDR which targets these past experiences in a way that keeps them in the past. I encourage you to get that extra resource you need if the past is still playing itself out and keeping you from achieving the beautiful state of harmony in your mind and body.