Recently, we received an email from a woman who told us about an “epiphany” she encountered while using our programs. In a blink of an instant, while in a relaxed state and mentally focusing on her reproductive organs, she realized that she didn’t trust her body to do what it is supposed to do. Having had severe endometriosis surgically removed, she lost faith in her own body to find its way back to reproductive health. Being aware of this lack of trust is so incredibly liberating as she is now able to understand her body and her emotions on a much deeper level and be in greater control over her health going forward.
Tapping into our mind-body connection can eventually become a two-way communication that can bring about real therapeutic change. The mind “talks” or directs the body to act in a certain way without limitation, and the body sends communication back to the brain. It can become a powerful feedback loop to optimize health and reproductive cycles.
But how do you really know what your body is telling you? How can you trust what you are feeling, hearing, or intuiting, especially when your doctor may be telling you something very different? Here are three ways to start you in the right direction.
1. While doing guided visualizations of your body movements, quiet the brain as much as possible. The less your brain is “chatting” the greater connected you will be with your body. In fact, the opposite of that is true as well. The more focus you have on your body, the less your mind will run on its own. In a quiet, meditative state, you may have sudden insights or feelings that may reveal hidden truths.
2. Ask your body questions. This may sound strange and don’t expect an answer right after you ask the question. But if you repeatedly engage in probing questions regarding your body, it tells your subconscious to respond. And the response may come at odd times during the day as that “little voice” inside your head – the one that feels that it comes from a different place inside. Catch that little voice when it talks and begin to trust the things it says.
3. Pay attention to your dreams. Researchers still do not know exactly why we dream, but they do believe that dreaming is extremely important to our health and well-being. It’s often recommended by psychologists to keep a pad and pen handy by the bed and first thing in the morning write down the dreams you can remember. This simple act does two things: (1) It helps you spend more time with your dreams and potentially learn from them – again, making sure to listen to your intuition as you do; and (2) it tells your subconscious that you have increased your focus on your dreams and, in turn, your dreaming will become more meaningful and lucid.
In summary, finding an element of trust that you can listen to your body and your intuitions is enormously enlightening. When you have these “awakenings,” you can begin to learn from them. Just that act of acknowledgment moves our internal energy in a positive direction. The next step of course is taking that information and using our mind-body exercises to do what we need to do.
All the best,
Lisa says
Joanne, the subconscious is such a mystery, but I agree wholeheartedly that the more you engage in giving your mind and body a quiet time and place to connect, the more your conscious mind can recognize. I have had a special pen and paper next to my bed for years; the pen lights up so Idon’t have to wait until morning to write down what I remember. I don’t use it often, but because I know it’s always there, I am open to the possibility.
In my experience, one of the most pervasive thoughts held by women who have not been able to conceive, or women who have miscarried, is that their body has let them down. This can bring on a lot of emotion. If a woman has taken care of her body with postive effort in the areas of nutrition, fitness, sexual health and reproductive health, she can feel betrayed. Her body can achieve its own persona, detached from her mind and heart, so that she can feel angry at it without blaming herself. Other women, who take the infertility and miscarriage as a personal failure, can suffer from guilt, low self-worth and lack of hope. Both of these responses can be turned around!
I believe that there are 2 key tools to develop and use here: 1) Self-awareness and 2) the willingness to let go of the notion of what “should be” (expectation) in order to accept what is and work on changing it for the better.
Thank you, as always, for a thought-provoking post.
Lisa