not the finger but where it is pointing
3 minute read
In that moment, collapsed on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, there was a part of me that knew why I was there.
While it was not a formal part of my Chi Gong practice to collapse into a foetal position and sob my heart out, I knew that was what my body wanted to do. And if there was one thing I had learnt it was to trust that sometimes my physical expression was not what my mind was anticipating or had planned.
It's one thing to have someone tell you that physical practices such as breath work or yoga can release trauma, it's another to experience it.
It is as if the body has a mind of its own - actually, it is the realisation that the body has an intelligence all of its own - an intelligence that, like the unconscious realm of our psyche, is not controlled by our sense of waking consciousness, but can be given space by it and witnessed. Emotions, long repressed or suppressed, if given a safe place to express themselves, have a tendency to do just that.
This approach to resolving unresolved trauma is somatic in its foundation, which requires the participation of the conscious mind to take a backseat.
As such it is as much the practice of creating a space in our lives for disinhibited movement and expression - and recognising that this can be physical, emotional, and even psychological.
In many ways it is learning to trust to a level of intelligence that we can often end up inhibiting through the well or control of our conscious mind.
It's a powerful practice. It's important to have some structure around it, some frame of order where the chaos can emerge in safe ways.
Increasingly, scientific research is shedding light on this connection between the mind and the body.
The work of Steven Porges, Bessel van der Kolk, Candice Pert, and Peter Levine, to name but a few, are helping to illustrate some of the deeper dimensions of how trauma is stored and can be released.
Understanding the physiological processes beneath how we store trauma not only helps us learn how to better release it, but also how to better avoid it.
The invitation to make the unconscious conscious is not just a psychological process but a somatic one as well. As much as I value psychotherapy as a healing practice, it is the connection of the individual to the somatic experience of life that ultimately helps them resolve unresolved trauma and heal.
Does this mean I'm inviting you to collapse into a foetal position and cry like a baby? No. Not at all. That was what my body called for in that moment. If you choose to explore a similar practice it's unlikely you will end up with a similar result. Remember, it isn't just about moving but allowing what is within you to move more freely, and as long as you are safe in your practice, how you get to that place is entirely up to you.
