The body remembers
what the mind forgets.
-Martha Manning
Have you felt kind of down or on edge for no known reason?
Maybe you think to yourself, “I’ve been tripping for like a week. What is going
on?” Then, when you see a calendar, it suddenly makes sense. It’s coming up on a painful
anniversary. No wonder all this emotion is coming to the surface without an
obvious trigger. That’s actually a very normal, very common experience. Our
conscious mind might not be actively processing an event or an experience, but
our bodies have a way of making sure we don’t forget.
This recently happened to me. I kept getting emotionally triggered
in the same area. Even though there was no evidence to support my worry
thoughts and reactions, things still felt very sensitive for me and I wasn’t
sure why. It didn’t dawn on me why until I was sharing with a friend. Ohhhh.
Thanksgiving. While it’s not been a difficult holiday for me recently, it
certainly had been many years ago. My “not-myself-ness” was due, in part, to
the season. You see, seven years ago I was happy and hopeful anticipating the
holidays too. Then, BAM!! A loss I never saw coming.
Maybe you’ve experienced something similar. Try to go easy
on yourself. It doesn’t matter how long ago it was. It doesn’t matter how
extreme or benign you perceive it to be. If it changed you and holds any residual
charge for you, then do yourself the honor of healing. Healing should include assuring
your body and soul that it’s okay and you’re okay. If you don’t where to begin,
join me in this prayer.
Thank you, body, for reminding me what happened.
Thank you for sounding the alarm when my conscious mind
started to forget.
Thank you for wanting to keep me safe from pain.
Now that I am conscious, I’ll take over from here.
I am safe.
I am loved.
I am secure.
And even if things happen differently than I plan in life
or in love, I am still safe, I am still loved, and I am still secure.
Amen.
For resources on how grief, loss, and trauma affect
the body check out the following:
Healing Through Movement: Getting Back Up After a Broken
Heart, Crista Gambrell
Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma, Peter Levine
The Body Keeps Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the
Healing of Trauma, Besser van der Kolk
