024/100

"Embodiment is the practice of attending to your sensations. Awareness of your body serves as a guiding compass to help you feel more in charge of the course of your life. Somatic awareness provides a foundation for empathy, helps you make healthy decisions, and gives important feedback about your relationships with others. Embodiment in somatic psychology applies mindfulness and movement practices to awaken body awareness as a tool for healing." -Dr. Arielle Schwartz

When I first learned of somatic movement in 2014, I did not want to touch it. In my head-centric ways, I was focused on "moving on" from my past using both spiritual and mental bypassing. When I would meditate, I would initially ground my energy into the earth. But I also loved to explore the universe and astral realms. In yoga classes, I would grunt through the class, always self-conscious. I compared myself to the most flexible yogis in the room. I heavily identified with my inflated animus. At the time, feeling into the body felt very uncomfortable and unknown, so I didn't want to go there.

Several years later, I became pregnant. If you have ever been pregnant, then you know that you cannot escape your body. Everything that I had used to bypass feeling into my body was no longer an option. I had to start making peace with all the feelings and sensations my body had to offer. This turning point turned out to be a great gift. Over the years, my body had been trying to communicate with me, and I was ignoring the messages.

My initial experience with fully trusting my body was my home birth. I knew that I had to have a relationship with my body. I also knew that the baby wasn't just going to pop out without integration with my mind, body, heart, and gut. In my second trimester, I signed up for several online birthing classes. I became familiar with the intricacies of the birth process. I used my mind to map the experience mentally. I then used my meditation to begin simulating the experience. Throughout each mediation, I explored how my body felt throughout the experience. Were there any aches and pains, if so, where? If I noticed a trend, I would ensure I put together protocols to ease the pain. For instance, I saw my legs and lower back were tired from carrying the weigh. In response, I would take long, warm baths with Epsom salt and essential oils that helped with the pain. I would have my husband massage these areas before bedtime. I also had great herbal remedies that I used to make sure I was getting adequate nutrition to build a baby. The feedback I would get was in my daily excrements. Gross for some, but valuable bodily feedback from my microbiome nonetheless.

Another example was in my meditations. If I felt fear arise, I would sit and be with it. I would then write down all my concerns and go through them one by one. I would see what sensations would come in my body as I jotted them down. I wanted to make sure that when I was in labor, all my innermost fear would be at a place of contentment. When I knew I was going into labor, I mentally told my body that I surrendered to its great wisdom. In the weeks leading up to it, I had created 365 prayer ties filled with loving intention to help me through labor and the first year of my son's life. During the creation of these prayer ties, I called in my ancestors and guides. I ensured I was grounded and aligned with my heart and gut. I intended that the creation of my prayer ties were an embodied practice. It was those prayer ties that helped me through colicky nights, and baby's first illness, which felt like death, but stopped sort of it. I felt comfort in those dark moments. I sat up for long hours holding my son, making sure he could breathe. I thanked my body for its strength and for the deep love I felt for him and myself. I was so thankful for the antibodies in the breast milk that my body produced. At the same time, I was cranky, tired, and not feeling well myself. I did my best not to indulge in the frustration and took the experience minute by minute. After making peace with my body and the human experience, I was able to let it be what it was. Eventually, it passed, and I felt lighter and even more connected in my body.

The next step I took was booking a few sessions in somatic therapy. I took a few past traumas that I thought I had resolved mentally and felt each with my body in each session. A day after one session, someone shared a very triggering situation with me regarding a person close to me. At the moment, I thought I had handled it well. However, that night, I woke up and couldn't move my neck, and my body hurt in a way it had never hurt before. It took me two weeks of love and attention to restore the movement in my body through massage, baths, and ice, and cold therapy. It was also at this time where I started reading the following books: "When The Body Says No" by Gabor Mate, "The Practice of Pure Awareness by Reginald Ray, The Body keeps Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk and "Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors" by Janina Fisher. These books were helpful for me as I integrated my somatic experiences and therapy with my mental understanding of it all.

Embodiment is vital when we are looking to heal trauma within ourselves. During Covid-19, I have been listening to what messages my body, mind, gut, and heart have for me. We are not only dealing with our personal past traumas, but also our collective trauma. Every day is a good day to move, dance, and work through the day's tense energy.

Moving forward, I would suggest you try and read my "Be Curious Deep Dive Series" using your senses. How do the words make your body feel? What sensations are coming up? Is it stirring any emotions inside of you? If so, what? How about memories? I would also suggest you take a moment to practice this exercise and see what comes up for you. The next thing to do would be to move the energy. We got to get up and shake it all up and out of our bodies. If you are more interested in the topic, I would recommend the books I shared above, as they were eye-opening for me.

The visual I have of my energy field (mind, body, and soul) is that of a filter. I see energy continually moving through my body. I know that energy also gets stuck, so each day, I try and move out the energy manually through movement and self-care practices and rituals. If I need to feel emotions, I won't hold back or keep them in. Bottling it up causes more build-up, and it can burn me out, much like it did when I couldn't move my neck and felt pain through my spine. It was no good, so my lesson was no more bypassing. :) What is missing from this article, and what I hope to write about in the future is why we bypass, and bottle things up, and how the compound affects lead to living a mental life, rather than an embodied experience. Until next time, stay curious, my dear friend.

Contemplation:

How are you feeling right now?
What is coming up in your body as you digest this content?
What emotions are feelings are arising in your right now?

#the100dayproject #becuriousdeepdiveseries #day24 #embodiment #digest #movement #integration #diversity #collectiveunconscious #trauma #birth #labor #quarantine #contemplation #rebirth #transformation #mindfulness #psyche #psychology

Related Blogs:

Featured

Decoding the Meanings of Dream Symbols: Exploring the Depths of the Subconscious a Personal Tale

At the beginning of December 2013, I found myself at a breaking point. I had been feeling lost and stuck in my life, and the weight of my own confusion was starting to feel unbearable. I knew I needed to make a change, but I had no idea how to do it.

That's when I stumbled upon Meetup.com, a website that helps people find groups and events in their area. I started searching for courses and workshops that might help me deal with my existential crisis, and I found two that caught my eye: a Shamanic Drum Journey Class and a Rebirth and Renewal class. Both were being held in Oakland, California, which was a bit of a journey from my home in Redwood City.

Despite the distance, I felt drawn to both courses, and I decided to take a chance and sign up for both. The Shamanic Drum Journey Class was happening that weekend, so I packed a bag and headed to Oakland.

Peeling Away the Persona: Becoming Your Authentic Self According to Carl Jung

“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” Carl Jung

According to Carl Jung, the persona is the social face or role an individual presents to the world. The root of the word persona comes from the Greek word "actor's mask." When used under Carl Jung's model of the psyche, persona also means the social mask. Therefore our persona, much like a mask at a Masquerade, is designed to make an impression on others. It also conceals the authentic nature of the individual.

Understanding the Ego: Using it as a Tool, Not a Master"

"The ego is not a thing but a verb" - Alan Watts

The ego is a complex phenomenon that has fascinated psychologists and philosophers for centuries. It is a term that is often used in our everyday language, yet its function and importance are not fully understood. In this blog post, we will explore the concept of the ego and its role in our lives.

Carl Jung defined the ego as the center of our field of consciousness. Imagine an egg-shaped circle around our human body, and the ego is the yolk. The ego resides in our psyche and is part of our conscious awareness, although not all of the operations of the ego are conscious. Ego gives us our sense of identity and existence. The ego is the organized part of our personality and works as a command center performing defensive, perceptual, intellectual-cognitive, and executive functions. In layman's terms, the data organized by the ego comes in the form of sense, feelings, thoughts, intuition, and modulates our access to memories. The ego is the connection between the inner and outer world, which then sets the constructs on how we relate to the external world.

The Shadow: What It Is, Obstacles to Look Out For, and the Benefits of Doing Shadow Work

John Welwood coined the phrase "spiritual bypassing." In his words, it means "spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep personal, emotional 'unfinished business,' to shore up a shaky sense of self, or to belittle basic needs, feelings, and developmental tasks." I sheepishly admit I have done my fair share of spiritual bypassing in my day. It was always with good intentions, I promise. I wanted to focus on all the positive qualities within myself and shut out the rest. I thought it would lead me to be a better version of myself. However, just as the saying goes, "The road to hell is paved on good intentions."

It got to a point where I was living so high vibe that I found myself triggered by all that was opposite of that state. However, the time came when I had to sit with the dissonance growing in my heart. I had to face my shadow. The shadow is the repressed parts of ourselves that tend to show up in other people in present circumstances. However, if someone triggers you, it is not necessarily always your shadow. Regardless of what it is, the key is to explore the possibility that it might be your shadow. To better understand the trigger and what is happening within, inner reflection is required. The other intriguing thing about the shadow is that just like in real life, we don't see our own shadow well, but others around us can often clearly see it.

Exploring Carl Jung's Concept of the Collective Shadow: Moving Beyond "Us vs. Them" Mentality

"None of us stands outside humanity's black collective shadow," said Carl Jung.

These words ring true even today, as we continue to grapple with the deeply ingrained societal issues that plague us. We live in a world where it's all too easy to take sides, to see things in black and white, to label people as "us" or "them." But this divisive mindset only serves to further fuel the collective shadow that looms over us all.

The individual shadow, as we have previously discussed, is the repressed parts of our own selves. But what many fail to realize is that this individual shadow is but a small part of a larger, collective shadow that encompasses our entire society. This shadow is made up of the suppressed and repressed parts of our culture, the traumas we've experienced as a group, and the dark aspects of our collective psyche that we would rather ignore than confront.

Decoding the Meanings of Dream Symbols: Exploring the Depths of Your Subconscious

"Carl Jung once said that the dream is a small, hidden door in the deepest and most intimate sanctum of the soul, opening to a primeval cosmic night that was soul long before there was a conscious ego and will be soul far beyond what a conscious ego could ever reach.

Dreams have a way of bringing to the surface what is buried deep in the subconscious.

The Anima and Animus: Understanding the Inner Opposites

In the world of psychology, the concept of the anima and animus is an essential part of understanding the human psyche. These archetypes were first introduced by the famous Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, who believed that every individual has both masculine and feminine qualities within them, regardless of their gender identity.

The anima represents the feminine aspect within a man's psyche, while the animus represents the masculine aspect within a woman's psyche. These aspects of our psyche can manifest in various ways, depending on how well they are integrated into our conscious awareness. When these aspects are not well integrated, they can cause trouble in our relationships with others and ourselves.

Cultivating The Self: Practices for Self-Discovery and Personal Growth

Carl Jung once said, "The Self...might equally be called the 'God within us.'" In the depths of our being lies the Self, the totality of our conscious and unconscious, the place where we access our divinity. But how do we connect with this higher Self, and what happens when we do?

For some, the path to the Self may come through meditation, yoga, a vision quest, or even a near-death experience. For others, it may involve examining our shadows, integrating our anima/animus, and encountering the wise man/woman within us. Whatever the journey, the experience of connecting with the Self can be transformative and life-changing.

Archetypes: Unveiling the Mystic and Significance

Carl Jung once said, "The primordial image, or archetype, is a figure--be it a daemon, a human being, or a process--that constantly recurs in the course of history and appears wherever creative fantasy is freely expressed. Essentially, therefore, it is a mythological figure..." These archetypal images are symbols, motifs, and universal patterns that are buried deep in our collective unconscious and our primal nature. They have been present since the beginning of human history and can be found in religion, business, myths, and in the timeless characters we love.

Understanding archetypes and their significance can give us a better insight into our internal conflicts, the role society plays in our lives, and how we can use them to create meaningful change. Archetypes help us to understand ourselves and others, giving us a framework to work with in our everyday lives.

The Path of Individuation: Understanding Carl Jung's Model of the Psyche

Have you ever felt like there is something missing in your life, like you're not quite living up to your full potential or purpose? If so, you're not alone. Many of us feel this way at some point in our lives. Carl Jung, a renowned Swiss psychologist, believed that the path to living a fulfilling and meaningful life is through the process of individuation.

Individuation is the journey of becoming your true self. It's a process of self-discovery, growth, and transformation that leads to a deep sense of inner peace and fulfillment. It's the process of integrating all aspects of yourself, both the light and the dark, into a cohesive whole.

What is Synchronicity?

Have you ever experienced a moment where you randomly bumped into an old friend you were just thinking about? Or received a phone call from someone you were just thinking of calling? These types of events are often called coincidences or synchronicities, and they can have a profound impact on our lives.

Synchronicity is a concept that was first introduced by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. He defined it as a meaningful coincidence that occurs without any apparent cause. Essentially, it's when two or more events happen in a way that seems to defy the laws of probability and suggests a deeper connection.

Understanding Shadow Projection: How Our Unconscious Beliefs Shape Our Perception of Others

Projection is a complex psychological phenomenon that occurs when we unconsciously attribute to others the qualities or traits that we cannot or do not want to recognize in ourselves. This can happen in many areas of our lives, such as in our personal relationships, at work, in our communities, and even in our political views.

For example, if someone has an unconscious fear of being abandoned, they may project this fear onto their partner and perceive them as distant or uncaring, even if their partner is not behaving in that way. In reality, the person is projecting their own fear of abandonment onto their partner, which can lead to misunderstandings and conflict in the relationship.

What is Embodiment?

Related Blogs:

For Business and Leadership Coaching Check out:

Nina Banday Consulting

Navigation For Daily Living Blog

Related Blogs:

For Business and Leadership Coaching Check out:

Nina Banday Consulting