Feelings and sensations can sometimes be very intense, particularly for those of us who have cut ourselves off from experiencing them and who substitute things like food and eating instead.
For those of you who have followed me on this site you know that my work guides women to have more access to their bodies relative to emotional feelings and physical sensations. I receive many letters from these women and I want to share something I received recently.
Sue writes that she finds it very healing to begin to [private_membership circle]notice, acknowledge and validate the hatred, anger and associated guilt and shame she has stored in her body over the years. She shares that when she experiences these feelings more directly she becomes aware of body tension. As she regularly scans her body for this tension she addresses the sensations with a loving, accepting awareness rather than attempting to analyze or change what is happening. “This process allows me to live with what is really true for me rather than attempting to bury or eat the feelings.”
Sue writes that for the first time in many years she is experiencing what she describes as “attunement” to her body. This renewed relationship has led her to daily walking. “I find myself walking not because I think I should, but because my body loves it and tells me so by feeling so good during and after my walk.” Recently she found herself not being able to walk because of inclement weather and actually missing it. “This is a first for me,” she exclaims.
“I am sure it will not come as a surprise to you that food is becoming a non-issue for me. I make healthy choices because I like how I feel, stop when I am full and I am able to be with feelings, regardless of intensity, as they arise.”
It is an honor for me to be included in Sue’s body life journey toward a more comfortable relationship with body, self and food. Thank you, Sue.
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Robin Okun, LMSW, is a certified Nia Instructor, Movement Therapist, Center for Eating Disorders, Director of Mindful Movement Studio, Ann Arbor, MI, 734-395-2624, robinokun@gmail.com [/private_membership circle]
