Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Using Body Memory to find and heal past trauma

Is your body stuck in a time warp? Do you wonder why some daily aches and pains won't go away?

Perhaps there is a way to tap into your body's physical memory to heal past traumas, through your senses.

Your body is like a computer, storing endless memories of past experiences, including trauma. Many health practitioners suggest that every cell in your body has its own memory. How do we tap into this "data bank" to heal past traumas?

In the interesting and fun science website, LiveScience, they explore the concept of body memory in "10 Things You Didn't Know About You". Our memories of past events are strongly tied to sensational memory, according to authors.
"Memories are highly embodied in our senses. A scent or sound may evoke a distant episode from one's childhood. The connections can be obvious (a bicycle bell makes you remember your old paper route) or inscrutable. A recent study helps decipher some of this embodiment. An article in the January 2007 issue of Cognition reports that episodes from your past are remembered faster and better while in a body position similar to the pose struck during the event."

So, how can one make the connection between physical and sensational memory to heal past traumas?

If your body seems to be stuck in holding patterns, incapable of learning healthier ways, you may want to explore deep-seated emotions by stimulating your senses.

For example, spend a day smelling everything. Stimulate your olfactory senses with scents. No, this is not intended to be aromatherapy. This is intended to stimulate physical memory and emotion.

When you stimulate the senses, acknowledge any emotions that arise. Follow your "gut feelings" and explore them. You might discover some deep-seated trauma that is being "trapped" in your body. As you tap into those memories and emotions, you may be surprised by the healing that can transpire!

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