Living in your head can feel safer than living in your body

So many of us feel much more comfortable using mental activity to go through the motions of life. Not realising that we are disconnecting from the body. This is a very common survival strategy, because for many people the body doesn’t feel safe.

Developmental trauma, history of abuse, surgeries and many other traumatic experiences, if not processed somatically, can contribute to this type of dissociation.

Trauma affects your physiology. It’s felt in the body, that’s why dissociation from the body can be one of many coping mechanisms.
For this reason it’s very important to work with the autonomic nervous system releasing incomplete “stuck” fight/flight/freeze/shutdown responses, building resilience and more capacity to feel.

If we keep on escaping the body we won’t be able to experience joy either. Joy is also felt in the body.

A simple two-step exercise to practice:

• Every time you notice yourself getting too much into your head.

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• Feel your feet.

Keeping doing this every time you notice a disconnection from your body. This basic practice will increase your awareness of dissociation and it will help you get back into your body.

To feel more of your body may feel uncomfortable at first.
If you feel this practice is too much for you, please do not push. Trauma work is not about pushing. Be gentle with yourself and get to know your needs by observing how your body is moving and reacting moment to moment.