Gut
Knowledge
“What
you know in your head will not sustain you in moments of crisis…confidence
comes from body awareness, knowing what you feel in the moment.”
Marion
Woodman
We put
a lot of stock in our rational minds. There is nothing wrong with that. It’s
gotten us past the age of putting leeches on people for their health, to the
age of stem cell therapies. I have great respect and more than a little awe for
scientists who uncover the intricacies of creation. But there is also another
way of knowing that should not be discounted as often as it is. That is the
body’s wisdom, the body’s information system. What is often referred to as “gut knowledge."
Consider
this: everything in your body is encapsulated in fascia. Except for nerve cells
in the central nervous system, everything is covered in fascia, which forms one
continuous inner skin. Every organ, every muscle, every cell in the body is
held in place, suspended, and encapsulated in fascia. And fascia is composed of
collagen fibers which have a gel-sol consistency. They become gel-like when compressed
and solid when not, and they are crystalline in structure. Like the crystals in
a radio, the cells in your body are in constant communication with each other
without going through the brain. In other words, we have an entire
communication system throughout our bodies in addition to the one seated inside
our skulls. So, when you feel something tighten in your mid-section or you
suddenly flush and the hackles on the back of your neck stand up, that should
not be ignored. Your body is telling you something. We have a felt sense which
the rational mind does not always understand, but which is equally as valid as
our thinking, talking brain.
In
moments of crisis, we can trust this body-knowing more than our deciphering brains
because it is faster and more specific. It may take a few moments for the brain
to figure out what is happening and whether it is a threat. But not so our
bodies. If you have a sense that something is wrong, that what you are hearing or
seeing does not sound or look right, pay attention. If you feel drawn to
someone, if you hear yourself sigh as though your body is relaxing, trust that.
If there is simply an uncomfortable feeling that something doesn’t add up,
listen to that. To be sure, evaluate it with your thinking brain, but also be
on alert for spin-doctoring. The brain likes to play tricks on us—to pull out
all those fancy defense mechanisms to get something it wants even when
everything in the body is saying no, no, no! Repression, projection,
displacement, rationalization, compartmentalization, intellectualizing, and my favorite,
denial, will lead you down a twisted path—take my word for it. I’ve sampled all
of them.
You
have a good brain. It can hold a lot of knowledge and even wisdom, but always
listen to your feelings too. They are important because they are connected to
your soul.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment