The body keeps the score

Yesterday, I watched a short item on TV about a technique that might make it possible in the future to replace a diseased body by detaching and transplanting the head. In other words, only the head remains 'yours' and you get a healthy body from someone else.

A rather gruesome idea, for various reasons. But what should be emphasized here is the understanding that we are not just a head on legs. In this LinkedIn post, Wouter van Noort (NRC) beautifully describes how this understanding is gradually becoming common knowledge in our society.

I am currently delving into the signals the body sends out while life presents us with a complete spectrum of experiences and emotions: from danger to safety, from discomfort to comfort, from fear to trust, from tension to relaxation, from pain to pleasure, and so on. If we have never learned to recognize (and acknowledge!) these bodily experiences and especially the warning signals, two patterns can emerge. One: the body keeps picking up the signals, which can lead to things like muscle tension or poorly functioning organs. Two: the 'rational' mind overrides them - often with a narrative: "it's not that bad", "don't be dramatic", "don't be difficult and just do what is asked".

This separation between the head and the body can result in the body seeking attention in different ways: burnout, chronic stress, depression, fatigue, numbness, hypersensitivity, chronic complaints, illness. The body always keeps the score. As psychotherapist Jeanine Souren indicates in her work with clients: "the key to feeling better is learning to feel better."

In 2024 I began my training to become a body-oriented trauma worker, and I am positive about all the developments and trends (yoga, breathwork, ice baths, you name it) that are helping us live more in our bodies and less in our heads. It is high time that we all learn to feel better, listen better, and express ourselves—so the body doesn't have to pull the emergency brake.