The Mind-Body Connection

We’ve all heard the term “mind-body connection.” But what does this mean at an experiential level? If you are fortunate enough to have experienced this “felt-sense connection,” are you able to draw upon it in your daily life? Most of us are too busy to stay “connected.” One downside of today’s fast-paced culture is the discon¬nect it fosters between mind (thoughts) and body (sensations). In our desire to get ahead and think ahead, we lose touch with what’s happening in the present. Con¬necting to sensation in our bodies is a way to be more fully in the present. And it can help balance the stresses in our day-to-day lives.

So what actually is sensation? And how do we connect to it?

Sensation can be described as the perception of physical internal bodily change—for example, the awareness of tension, temperature, tingling, and vibrations. Our bodies have receptors for all of this incoming information. Special senses (sight, sound, smell, taste and touch) connect us to internal and external stimuli, sending information to the brain. The brain then sorts, processes, and stores this information and sends out a response. It is all linked up by an intricate network of neural circuits.

Physiologically, the mind and body are bound together structurally and functionally; whatever affects one affects the other. All of us are born with the capacity to take in, process and express sensations. In fact, babies and young children are masters at focusing on present sensations. But somewhere along the way, we lose this ability to con¬nect to our present. Instead, we find ways to ignore or avoid these sensations. In some cases, unresolved experiences and trauma may leave imprints on our sense memory, resulting in “stuck” areas in our body. This can make it difficult to connect fully to bodily sensation. Becoming aware of and releasing stuck areas in our bodies is different from reliving the associated trauma. This awareness can make us more engaged, authentic and effective in our lives.

With practice, we can expand our perceptual field to include more of our internal landscape. However, it takes conscious attention to regain what was once second nature. How do we do this in our daily lives?

Meditation, yoga, martial arts, movement and bodywork, and communing with nature are just a few examples of ways to calm our mind with our body, or our body with our mind. These different approaches cultivate awareness, both internally and externally. The key is transitioning this conscious awareness of felt-sense from the massage table, the yoga studio, or the walk in the woods into our daily lives. This takes devotion and practice.

Check back again to read about ways to make the mind-body connection.

Donna Waks: Registered Craniosacral Therapist, Licensed Massage Therapist and Certified Movement Analyst has a private practice in Washington, DC where she offers individual and group sessions in bodywork and movement fundamentals. Her clientele includes, athletes, pre- and post-natal, elderly, acute or chronic health issues and people dealing with day to day stress. www.donnawaks.com