25 Signs of Disconnection From The Body and How To Reconnect To Your Voice and Power.
Can you even conceive of your own personal paradise? In the Douay-Rheims Bible translaion (1752) this place (The Garden of Eden) is referred to as a Garden of Pleasure. Genesis 2:8 “And The Lord God planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning”. I love that language , “planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning”. From the beginning, God intended pleasure to be our resting place and sanctuary..from the beginning.
-Rashida Webb-Miller
A Return To Pleasure, Page 131
I think alot about the ways in which disconnection creates a cycle of longing in our lives. Disconnection is not something we should run from but an experience that we should observe within our lives and allow it to teach us what it is that we are truly wanting from each day. I know all too well how life circumstances can push us further and further away from experiencing pleasure.
It is common sense that when we are hurting, tired, uncertain, afraid we are going to lean towards the emotional experiences that keep us safe and feeling less vulnerable. Oftentimes, sporadic pleasure can leave us second guessing or feeling too exposed and it doesn’t feel like a safe place to rest our wings. When we cultivate a relationship with pleasure consistently, we retrain the muscle memory to understand that expansion is safe, openness is safe, orgasmic delight is safe and not something that we have to run from.
What is muscle memory?
Looking to this concept with a somatic lens, we’re thinking about the ways in which the body remembers it’s points of safety and survival. This happens through repetition, memories and events that leave a psycho-somatic imprint on the nervous system. For example, when someone mentions a particular event in your life and feel sensations from that event in certain parts of your body.
My chest feels a slight heaviness when people mention the day my mom passed
or
I feel a tingling sensation when I hear a certain song my husband and I listened to when we first got married.
These are nervous system responses to emotional activation.
When we find a sense of awareness around the way the body responds to these points of activation, we are able to retrain the nervous system to reach for something else. Maybe you find yourself in these moments wanting to avoid the conversations, withdrawing from intimacy or connection or even hyper-focusing on the past or even worries about the future. Regardless of how you respond, there’s always room to shift. You can reawaken the body with gentle shifts and learn ways to embrace a new energetic approach. This is the root of The Messy Movement practice, allowing movement to help us shift our focus from fear to love, from anxiety to relief, from worry to peace, from disconnection to embodiment.
As I shared above disconnection is not something we should seek to avoid, we must use it as contrast to the life that we are wanting to call in.
What are some ways disconnection from the body can manifest?
Poor body image
Feeling uprooted in life without direction
Depression, anxiety, fear
Loss of control of emotions
Loss of hope in future
Helplessness in situations
Personal power story feeling disrupted
Feeling obstacles representing in life
Challenges with intimacy with self
Locked in a spiral of shame
Challenges connecting with your spouse
Lack of sex drive
Health challenges
Spiritually undone
Loss of joy in things you use to enjoy
Not going after opportunities that would help you reach your goal
Not feeling connected to community
Isolation from care and resources
Poor circulation
Nerve pain challenges
Feeling inhibited and resentful
Grief that feels unmovable
Never finishing what you start
Feeling uncertain that you are capabale of achieving your heart’s desires
Letting yourself stew in negative self-talk
What do we experience when we shift from disconnection to embodiment?
Body acceptance, body confidence
Grounded, centered, focused
Contentment, calmness, peace
Emotional regulation, composure
Optimism, hopefulness, belief in the future
Empowerment, resourcefulness, ability to cope
Feeling empowered, aligned with your purpose
Seeing opportunities for growth, overcoming challenges
Self-compassion, self-love, self-acceptance
Self-forgiveness, self-worth
Intimacy, emotional connection
Healthy libido, sexual desire
Overall health and well-being
Feeling connected to a higher purpose, inner peace
Finding pleasure and fulfillment
Proactive, taking initiative
Belonging, sense of connection
Social support, access to help
Good circulation, healthy blood flow
Pain-free, comfortable
Expressive, open
Healing, acceptance
Following through on commitments, achieving goals
Confidence in your abilities, self-belief
Practicing positive self-affirmations, self-compassion
Tell me in the comments. What are some ways that you are looking to challenge disconnection in your life? What experiences do you crave to cultivate this summer?
Looking for support in coming back home to your body? Check out some of the programs we have to offer and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions support@themessymovementlab.com
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