Chapter 6-How Holly Got Her Bod Back
I was only able to get through one chapter this week. Chapter six is all about learning to recognize and listen to the messages our body is sending out. This is something I do not do. I take aches, pain and illness at face value. In most cases I have not thought much further than that. In this chapter Beck is telling us that sometimes your sick just because your sick, but sometimes you are sick or in pain as a result of something much deeper. On page 105 she says, "my body often knew what my essential self wanted, even when my brain was muddled and confused by social-self demands." This makes sense to me, but will take attention and practice to make it a habit. Beck suggests doing a full body scan practice to help learn the sensations in your body and align mind and body. I have tried guided body scan meditations in the past with very little success. To be honest, I hate them, maybe that is a sign I need them. Who knows, but I think I will give it another go. There are several on YouTube and the Calm app.
Once you are able to recognize the sensations in your body, the next step is to figure out the message your body is trying to convey. According to Beck there is no manual and no one size fits all key. "The owner of the body is the only person who can accurately translate its symbolic symptoms." (Pg 117) She suggets different exercises to begin to recognize your bodies reactions to different situations, people and activities in your life.
For me, this chapter boils down to learning to pay attention, which is not in my strengths column. I have been working for the last few years on improving my attention to the world around me. I guess it is time to work on improving my attention to the world inside of me!
That's what I got from chapter 6. What about you?