The Brain & Body approach to Healing By: Monica Van Deventer

As I have been expanding my knowledge, interests, and expertise in my therapeutic practice, I have become more intrigued by the power of giving attention to our bodies for deeper healing. Our body is a complex and beautiful vessel. And don’t get me started on our brain. Our brain has 86 BILLION neurons. Our brain is like the vast ocean, so much undiscovered and yet completely intriguing. As more empirical studies are coming out, we are seeing the power behind the mind body connection. 

Bessel van der Kolk wrote a fascinating and insightful book, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, & Body in the Healing of Trauma. He sparked the conversation around how trauma can change our brain and affect our body as a whole, impacting us for years to come. As somatic and brain-based practices are being implemented in more therapeutic practices, therapists are seeing how quickly clients are in and out of their office. These techniques are effective and efficient for deep healing.

We tend to ignore our bodily cues. Pushing through pain, hunger, stress, overwhelm, exhaustion, fatigue, etc. Our body is always speaking to us, we just have to learn to listen. Healing through difficult emotions and experiences is becoming curious about what comes up in the body when processing through traumatic memories, instead of fearing them. It’s learning to become comfortable with the discomfort we notice in our bodies. The more we say hello to what happens within us, the more we can separate the past from the present and find relief! The more we lean in, the quicker the pain lets go, and we can move forward.

You can take baby steps toward this awareness by noticing- when your jaw is tense, shoulders lifted, holding your breath, tight chest, tight throat/hard to swallow, uncomfortable stomach pains, back pain, tightness in legs or arms, or tension in your head. These feelings are not showing up just because… there is a reason! It could be physical pain from an injury, but it could also be psychological. 

We may notice when we talk about a specific topic or memory something happens in our body, or maybe we never even thought about that in the first place and are now noticing. Once you begin to bring your attention to what comes up in your body, notice it, breathe into it, notice what happens now, allow it to be, and watch what happens next. It’s a beautiful process and we need to trust that our brain and body knows what it needs to do to heal. Once we become more aware of these feelings we increase our control over them, and the less we are overtaken and scared by them.

Brainspotting, EMDR, yoga, mindfulness practices, and supporting yourself with a healthy network of people can facilitate your journey through the pain of the past and back into the present moment.