The Body's Healing Pathways-Part 1 - Mountain & Meadow Health

Photo Credit:Martin-Sanchez-Unsplash

The body has natural built-in pathways or channels that emotions and nervous system energy travel through. Below are some of these important pathways. It may be helpful to bring some awareness to both your own body and patterns and also your family and friends and their relationship to these healing channels.

Awareness and curiosity without judgment is an important first step in somatic work. We are not asking ourselves or our family to change anything. We are just observing.

What do we notice NOW? What do we remember from PAST experiences?

Perhaps take the questions from ONE of these emotions and think about it for several days. Then move on to the next emotional or somatic channel for a few days. You could also write down your answers or journal about them if that would be helpful to you.

I RECOMMEND NOT FEELING DEEPLY INTO THESE EMOTIONS if they feel like too much for you and if you have not already built up some capacity to do this work.

How does my family or circle of friends feel about emotions?

Was I taught how these emotions might show up in my body?
Are only certain emotions acceptable to my caregivers, but others are looked down upon?
Was it safe to talk about emotions with my caregivers when I was growing up?
Was it safe to feel emotions and express them?
Were both of my parents open to emotions, or was one not?

What is my relationship with these emotions?

Do I view any of these as a “bad” emotion?
Do I tend to want to push this emotion down, cover it over, or run away from it?
Am I uncomfortable being around other people that I view as more “emotional” or more expressive of their feelings?
What happens in my body as I think about this emotion?
Where do I feel this emotion in my body?
Do I have a tendency to be numb to my emotions and not really feel them?
Do I have a tendency to feel my emotions very strongly?
Do I want to rush through feeling my emotions, just so I can “process” or “heal” or get to the next layer?
Am I comfortable sitting and feeling this emotion for as long as it needs to be felt?
Do I feel a need to “control” my emotions and focus on them all day long?

Emotional Channels

Sadness

Do I find it easy to cry?
Do I never cry?
Is crying a sign of weakness?
Do I see other people that don’t cry as weak or lacking in some way?
As a man, does that mean I shouldn’t cry?
As a woman, does that mean I should cry more often?
Is it ok for me to express vulnerability or is it a sign of weakness?
Where do I notice sadness located in the body, when I feel it?
When I feel into sadness, are there other emotions coupled with it, such as anger, shame, or fear?
Is there any resource that helps me to feel sadness more easily?
Are there certain triggers that bring up feelings of sadness for me?
Are there any beliefs that are connected to my sadness?
Are there any images or memories connected to my sadness?

Anger and Disgust

Do I find it easy to get angry or disgusted?
Do I find it difficult to get angry or disgusted?
Do I hold a lot of tension in my neck, face, jaw, and upper body?
Do I have a harsh inner voice directed at myself or others?
Do I tend to be very critical of myself or others?
Were my caregivers overly critical or bitter at me or others?
Do I have a sense that my life was very restricted or that I was not able to just be myself while growing up?
Do I view anger (disgust) as “bad” or unhealthy?
Does anger (disgust) frighten me?
As a man, does that mean it is ok for me to be angry (disgusted), but I shouldn’t feel sad?
As a woman, does that mean that it is bad to feel into anger (disgust), but it is ok to be sad?
Did my caregivers ever talk about anger (disgust)?
Did my caregivers ever model healthy aggression and how to express it?
If I am a religious or spiritual person, do I have the view that I shouldn’t be angry (disgusted), or that anger is a sin?
Where do I notice anger in my body?
Where do I notice disgust in my body?
Are there other emotions coupled to my anger (disgust) such as shame, sadness, fear?
Is there any resource that helps me to process or feel into anger (disgust) more easily?
Are there certain triggers that bring up feelings of anger (disgust) in me?
Did my caregiver model how to set clear and healthy boundaries?
Is it easy or difficult for me to set boundaries?
Do I say “yes” to everybody?
Are there any beliefs that are connected to my anger?
Are there any images or memories connected to my anger?

Shame and Guilt

Do I find it easy to feel shame or guilt?
Do I have a harsh inner critic?
Do I tend to be very critical of myself or others?
Do I often feel depressed?
Do I often feel collapsed or shut down or defeated?
Do certain relationships or triggers make me feel cold or frozen?
Does my shame feel healthy or does it seem to be toxic and never goes away?
Do I find it difficult to feel shame or guilt?
Do I view shame as “bad” or unhealthy?
Does shame frighten me?
Do I believe shame is ok for a certain gender or person to feel, but not others?
Did my caregivers ever talk about shame or how it might show up in my body?
Where do I notice shame in my body?
Do I feel increased shame/contraction/discomfort in public settings or social settings?
Am I uncomfortable with speaking, sharing, or expressing myself in front of others?
Are there other emotions coupled to my shame such as anger, sadness, fear, joy?
After having a pleasant experience or a moment where I feel more emotions and more alive, do I shift into feeling down and depressed, almost automatically?
Is there any resource that helps me to feel into shame more easily?
Are there certain triggers that bring up feelings of shame in me?
Do I often feel guilty over past mistakes, even years or decades ago?
Are there any beliefs that are connected to my shame?
Do I believe that things are hopeless, or not worth even trying?
Are there any images or memories connected to my shame?
See also most of the questions below for love.

Joy

Do I find it easy or difficult to feel joy?
Am I a glass-half empty or glass-half full person?
Does joy or happiness feel unnatural for me?
What is my view toward play, without a structure or order to it?
What is my view toward being silly or goofy?
What was my caregivers’ relationship to joy, happiness, fun, play, silliness?
Where do I notice joy in my body?
Is feeling joy or happiness usually followed by shame or feeling depressed afterwards?
Can I express my joy or pleasure to others? Is this difficult? How do I feel when I do?
Are there other emotions coupled to my joy?
Is there any resource that helps me to feel happiness and joy?
Do I believe I don’t deserve to be happy?
Are there any beliefs that are connected to my joy?
Are there any images or memories connected to my joy?

Fear and terror

Do I find myself often or always anxious?
Do I get panic attacks?
Am I overly controlling or micro-managing?
Are my eyes often darting around my environment?
Do i often have tension in my calves, legs, hips, low back?
Am I afraid to feel into my fear? Does it feel overwhelming?
What was my caregivers’ relationship to fear?
Were my caregivers anxious, controlling, or micro-managing?
Where do I notice fear in my body?
Can I express my fear to others? Is this difficult? How do I feel when I do?
Are there other emotions coupled to my fear?
Is there any resource that helps me to support me as I feel my fear?
Do I believe I that I shouldn’t be afraid of anything?
Do I believe that the world is a very scary or dangerous place?
Are there any other beliefs that are connected to my fear?
Are there any images or memories connected to my fear?

Love

Do I find it easy or difficult to feel love?
Do I find it difficult to connect with others?
Do I have healthy and meaningful friendships and relationships?
Does love feel unnatural for me?
Does love feel unsafe or scary to me?
What was my caregivers’ relationship to love?
Did my caregivers frequently verbally tell me that they love me?
Did I see and hear my caregivers expressing love to each other?
Did I suffer with neglect or abuse in my past?
Did I truly feel seen, heard, and understood while growing up?
Was I taught how emotions might show up in my body?
Are only certain emotions acceptable to my caregivers, but others are looked down upon?
Was it safe to talk about emotions with my caregivers when I was growing up?
Was it safe to feel emotions and express them?
Were both of my parents open to emotions, or was one not?
What is my relationship to displays of affection or touch?
Where do I notice love in my body?
Is feeling love or connection followed by feeling shame or feeling depressed afterwards?
Can I express love to others? Is this difficult? How do I feel when I do?
Are there other emotions coupled to my feeling of love?
If I am spiritual or religious, what is my relationship to God? Jesus? Do I feel love to and from them?
Is there any resource that helps me to feel love?
Do I believe I don’t deserve to be loved?
Do I believe that I am unlovable?
Are there any other beliefs that are connected to my love?
Are there any images or memories connected to my feeling of love?
Would others say I am more warm and open or cold and guarded?
Are there any images or memories connected to my feeling of love?

Somatic Channels

Breath

Can I have awareness of my breath throughout my day?
Are there triggers that change the quality of my breath?
Does my breath tend to be shallow or deep?
Do I tend to breath into my belly or into my chest?
Can I breath into my ribs or into my back?
Do I have a job or lifestyle that makes it difficult to be with my breath?
Does my breath or mood change when I have tighter or more restrictive clothing on?
Does my breath seem different in the morning, afternoon, night?
Does my breath change around different people or different situations?

Laughter

Do I feel comfortable or uncomfortable laughing in front of other people?
Is it safe for me to laugh out loud?
Do I tend to never crack a smile?
Do I laugh at everything?
Do I laugh when nobody else does?
Do I enjoy media that is based around humor or does it irritate me?
Are there certain situations that make me laugh more or less?
Do I tend to laugh when I am nervous or not actually doing very well?
How do I feel toward spontaneous laughter that arises from somatic work?

Touch

How do I feel about being touched?
What happens in my body when somebody hugs me, shakes my hand, pats my back, etc?
Does touch help me to feel more open emotionally?
If I have a partner, what is our relationship to touch?
Do I express what kind of touch I need, or prefer or don’t prefer to my partner/friend/practitioner?
Am I an affectionate person?
Do I wish I had more touch or affection in my life right now?
Did my caregivers model healthy displays of affection, love, warmth, tenderness?
Do I feel touch-starved?
Does touch feel threatening, frightening, annoying, etc?
Do I have overall positive or negative experiences with touch?

Movement

Do I ever allow my body to move automatically while listening to music?
Does my body tend to feel tight, rigid, and stuck?
Do I like to dance?
Do I find it scary or irritating to allow my body to move on its own, such as through TRE or a somatic practice?
Do I have a belief that I need to control my body or my body’s movements?
What supports my body to move more easily or to feel more comfortable moving?
Do I have overall positive or negative experiences with movement practices?

Tremoring

Do I have overall positive or negative experiences with shaking or trembling?
Do believe it is bad or weak to be anxious?
Do I believe it shows weakness to shake while processing emotions or moving through fear?
Do I have any resistance to shaking or to the TRE process?
Does it seem like my TRE tremor is being blocked or is stagnant? Could I have fear toward it expanding?
What supports my tremoring to happen more fluidly or easily?

Vagus Nerve

What is my relationship toward humming?
What is my relationship toward singing out loud?
Do I feel comfortable in social situations?
Are social situations very difficult for me?
What is my relationship to eye contact with others?
Does my body take a long time to adapt to changes in temperature?
Does it seem like I have trouble shifting gears whether emotionally, physically, behaviorally, etc?
Would others say I have an expressive face or not?
What patterns do I notice about my heart rate and my breathing?

Yawning

How do I feel about yawning? Is it not allowed or do I view it as bad?
Is it safe for me to yawn in front of others?

Burping

How do I feel about burping? Is it not allowed or bad?
How do my family or friends view normal bodily processes? Is it normalized or it it shamed?

Sighing

How do I feel about sighing? Is it not allowed or bad?
Do I sigh frequently?
Do I never sigh?
What situations trigger me to sigh?