We all know, to some capacity, that stress can cause dysfunction in the body. This is also becoming more accepted within the medical community. But what exactly is “stress?” It’s almost become somewhat of an amorphic term that is a catch-all for the wide spectrum of emotions that are not integrated. But what exactly are our emotions? What is their purpose? How and why can they become stuck in the body, causing pain and dysfunction?

Emotions are meant to be felt within the experiential part of our consciousness, but we are taught to “think” about our emotions in our minds. The problem with this is that our minds have no mechanism to feel, as it cannot be present; it can only exist in the past or the future (which does not exist). Emotions only exist in the present moment and connect us to our bodies and our needs.

Emotions are meant to flow through us—emotion equals energy-in-motion—just as a young child does. They feel their emotions in the present, and move on without creating assumptions, judgements or victimizations. They feel them and move on without creating a large story or drama around them that lingers.

As we get older, we develop our egos and identities within our minds, which creates resistance to feeling our emotions, depending on our individual experiences and stories about them. The deeper we sink into our egos, the less we are present within our bodies, and the less able we are to feel our emotions consciously.

Our society teaches us that it is not okay to feel, such as “big boys don’t cry” and “be a good, nice girl.” This creates resistance in us from allowing the stream of emotion to flow. We’re also taught that our emotions are caused by the world, which disconnects us from them and disempowers us. The outside world can stimulate our emotions, but the root cause is an unmet need, and the emotion that arises connects us to that need. When we blame the outside world for our emotions, it makes it more difficult to get our needs met and leaves us feeling powerless and alone. Needs are universal, including safety, love, autonomy, sustenance and creativity, to name a few. When we connect to our needs, we become connected to our inner selves; we can begin to see the needs of others, as we all share the same basic needs.

When our needs are not met in the present moment, the emotion stays in the body and creates a resonance that attracts similar experiences that resonate with that underlying emotion. This is the law of attraction in action; it is why we feel, in some ways, we keep doing the same things over and over again. They are actually opportunities to integrate previous experiences; it is another chance to feel the same underlying emotion. But as we keep teaching ourselves to “think” and not “feel,” we repeatedly go through this cycle.

As this emotion stays trapped in the body longer and longer, it becomes more of a burden and starts to show up in the physical plane. This can arise as chronic pain, weakness, injury and disease.

While it is still very important to treat the physical body when this occurs, if the underlying emotion isn’t addressed, this may arise again in the same area or in a new area of the body. This is how we can start to look at our areas of pain and disease as “messengers” for the lessons we need to learn. By learn, it means to experience the lesson through the emotion that is trapped. But again, we have become more identified with the mind and ego. We judge and blame our bodies for the pains that arise, as if it is wrong and bad. This creates more separation within us; we think we are more and more helpless within our own bodies.

The way we can stop this cycle is by seeing this process in the body for what it is: the mechanism to help us come back into our body and the present moment, and become less identified with our minds. By coming into acceptance for what is, and noticing where we resist in our minds, we begin to create connection and gratitude for the body as well as our pains, as they show us where to focus our conscious awareness.

Sensation is the language of the body. It is a language that we were all born fluent in as a young child, but forgot how to use as we became less present and more identified with the mind.

Emotions, when experienced fully in the present moment, become merely a sensation. It is only our thoughts that label them as anger, fear, grief and other emotions, which limits what they actually are. The sensations present in the body are merely the breadcrumbs left behind that we can use to see where we have become disconnected. As we allow these sensations to be fully experienced within our awareness, in total surrender and acceptance for what is, without condition or judgment, the emotion that was trapped can begin to move to be experienced by the consciousness.

Where bodywork can play a role in this is by changing our intention as the giver and receiver of the work. The giver does not release anything within the tissue; they merely stimulate the areas of chronic tightness and hold space so that the receiver may receive the sensation that is present in that tissue. The receiver will have resistance to feeling in that part of the body, hence why there is chronic tightness. With guidance by the giver to have gratitude for the body and notice where the mind tries to pull them away, they may begin to surrender into the sensation. This creates a conscious connection to that part of the body. It allows the emotional energy that was trapped to move and be experienced. The more the receiver can stay in the state of acceptance and surrender, the more the energy can move, sometimes being experienced as an emotion, or just being experienced as a sensation; one is not better or worse than the other.

The breath can be used as well to stimulate these trapped energies. By using the breath, we can charge the body up so that the body’s vibration elevates and thus stimulates stuck energies to move and be experienced—like turning up an amplifier. The more the receiver can keep their awareness on the breath and the body and away from the mind, the stuck energies can move and open up the areas of tension in the body.

This is something that has been used and discussed in ancient traditions, such as yoga, meditation, tai chi, qigong and others. The more we connect to our bodies and have gratitude for what it’s trying to show us, we can use this lived experience to be more present and peaceful in our lives overall.