Sometimes Our Body Tells Our Story Even Better Than Our Words!
Our body has a story to tell and it often tells that story far better than our own words. The Body’s story is OUR story. The body keeps record of everything that happens to us – good, bad, ugly, indifferent – and reveals bits and pieces of that story every day. Again, the good, the bad, the ugly, the indifferent. Our story plays out in our words, our choices, our relationships, our emotions, our mental state, our physical health, our choice of profession . . . our everything! Strung together, the acts of our story create a play, a living, breathing, interacting tableau depicting who we are, from where we have come, the roads traveled, the struggles we have encountered, the dreams we dream, the mistakes we have made, the work we have done to make sense of it all.
What is a bit ironic about this display is that very often, others “get” our story long before we do. All that is necessary for this to happen is for one to possess keen powers of observation. One who is intuitive, asks good questions, pays attention to how another lives, listens with the heart can read the story told by the Body.
Very often in therapy, words fail the client as he/she seeks to make meaning and clarify purpose. Clients stumble through the maze of emotional, mental, spiritual, physical and relational upheaval working hard to find words that adequately express the experience lived.
A few years ago, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk wrote a powerful book entitled, The Body Keeps The Score. If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to do so! It is perhaps one of the most profound books I’ve ever read. It opened my eyes, mind and heart to the human experience in ways nothing else ever has. It challenged me when I first read it and continues to challenge me today to approach what I do from a different perspective – to see people through a different lens.
The Body – my body, YOUR body – tells a story every day! When did you last take time to listen to your body’s story? When did you last make time to listen to YOUR story? The Body does not lie. It cannot lie. For your sake, for the sake of your family, for the sake of your future . . . pay attention to that story, respond appropriately to the message and remember Sometimes Our Body Tells Our Story Even Better Than Our Words!
Peace!
Mark E. Hundley
