The Mind Body Connection

After more than 25 years of placing my hands on people as a massage therapists, I have felt a lot of overuse injuries, postural problems, chronic and acute injuries.

Stress

I have also discovered patterns that connect physical tension and pain in a body that is the result of emotional stress.  When a person is under constant pressure the body pumps out extra cortisol, which is a catabolic steroid.  Too much cortisol breaks things down causing inflammation in your body and inflammation is the root of all disease. 

When stress and stress related feelings persist for long periods of time, their connected muscular tensions can stay tense, causing aches and pains within specific areas of the body. Here are some typical emotional patterns that connect the mind and the body.

Patterns

1.       Anger/Frustration – lower back and jaw will tighten up

2.      Hurt - chest and heart will feel tight

3.       Fear/uncertainty – upset stomach and intestines

4.       Pressure, Burdens and responsibility – shoulders, neck and head pain

5.       Loss of Control, even minor – experience more headaches

6.       Trauma – numbness

7.       Resentment – causes more fatigue

8.       Anxiety – breathing difficulties

Physical response to emotion

The following graphic is a compilation of results shown in colors that map out body locations where people feel basic emotions (top row) and more complex ones (bottom row). Hot colors show regions that people say are stimulated during the emotion. Cool colors indicate deactivated areas

Image courtesy of Lauri Nummenmaa, Enrico Glerean, Riitta Hari, and Jari Hietanen.

In response to emotions the nervous system increases or decreases oxygen to your muscles and raises or decreases your heart rate affecting your entire body. It's an automated system. We don't have to think about it. We do need to figure out how to tune in to prevent detrimental effects on the body.

Tools

We need tools to become more in tune with what is happening in our bodies and strategies for releasing excess stress to be able to handle what comes our way.

1. Practice mindfulness/meditation

2. Exercise

3. Stretching

4. Use Pure Essential Oils

5. Triggerpoint Therapy Massage Balls