MindBody CounSouling
For when your body is telling you something—but you don't know what it's saying.
Maybe you've been dealing with pain that keeps coming back. Headaches. Migraines. Back or neck pain. Muscle tension. Digestive issues. Fatigue. Dizziness. Pelvic pain. A racing heart. Tightness in your chest. Tingling. Burning. Pressure. Symptoms that move around, flare unexpectedly, or seem to get worse during certain seasons of your life.
Maybe you've been to doctors. You've had tests. You've tried treatments. Perhaps you've been reassured that nothing dangerous is happening—or you've been told that stress might be contributing—but you still don't feel well.
And the symptoms are real. You feel them in your body.
So when someone suggests that emotions or stress might be involved, it can sound like they're saying: “It's all in your head.”
That's not what MindBody CounSouling means.
Your symptoms are real.
The question we become curious about is whether there may be more happening beneath them than you've realized.
What If Your Body Isn't the Problem?
When something hurts, most of us understandably focus on the place that hurts. We stretch it. Massage it. Ice it. Rest it. Research it. Scan it. Worry about it. And sometimes that's exactly what the body needs. But sometimes the symptom continues even after the body has been appropriately evaluated and treated.
That's when we might widen the lens.
Instead of asking only: “What's wrong with my body?” we begin asking: “What has been happening in my whole system?”
Because your brain, body, emotions, nervous system, relationships, and life experiences aren't separate from one another.
They're constantly communicating. And sometimes what you're experiencing physically may be connected to what you've been carrying emotionally and relationally.
You May Be Carrying More Than You Realize
You don't have to feel stressed to be carrying stress. In fact, you may be incredibly good at functioning.
Maybe you're the person everyone depends on.
You get things done.
You take care of people.
You anticipate what others need.
You push through.
You try to do things right.
You don't like disappointing people.
You hold yourself to high standards.
You keep the peace.
You stay busy.
You tell yourself you're fine.
And you may genuinely feel fine.
But there may also be parts of you that are angry.
Exhausted.
Grieving.
Afraid.
Overwhelmed.
Resentful.
Lonely.
Wanting something different.
Wanting to say no.
Wanting to stop.
Wanting someone else to take care of you for once.
Sometimes we've spent so many years becoming the person we needed to be that we don't even recognize these experiences as they're happening. We just keep going.
And sometimes, the body enters the conversation.
The MindBody Connection
Mindbody psychology explores the relationship between our physical symptoms and our emotional, psychological, and nervous-system experiences. This doesn't mean every symptom is psychological. And it doesn't mean physical symptoms should be ignored or assumed to be emotional. Appropriate medical evaluation is important.
But once serious or structural medical causes have been appropriately evaluated, there may be value in becoming curious about another possibility: Could my brain and nervous system be contributing to what I'm experiencing in my body?
Our brains are designed to protect us. They learn from experience. They recognize patterns. They anticipate danger. And they can create very real physical responses in the body. Think about what happens when you're embarrassed and your face becomes hot. When you're nervous and your stomach suddenly hurts. When you're frightened and your heart races. When you imagine biting into a lemon and your mouth begins producing saliva.
Nothing imaginary is happening to your body. Your brain is producing a genuine physiological response.
MindBody CounSouling explores what can happen when protective brain and nervous-system processes become involved in persistent physical symptoms.
Maybe you've been to doctors. You've had tests. You've tried treatments. Perhaps you've been reassured that nothing dangerous is happening—or you've been told that stress might be contributing—but you still don't feel well.
And the symptoms are real. You feel them in your body.
So when someone suggests that emotions or stress might be involved, it can sound like they're saying: “It's all in your head.”
That's not what MindBody CounSouling means.
Your symptoms are real.
The question we become curious about is whether there may be more happening beneath them than you've realized.
What If Your Body Isn't the Problem?
When something hurts, most of us understandably focus on the place that hurts. We stretch it. Massage it. Ice it. Rest it. Research it. Scan it. Worry about it. And sometimes that's exactly what the body needs. But sometimes the symptom continues even after the body has been appropriately evaluated and treated.
That's when we might widen the lens.
Instead of asking only: “What's wrong with my body?” we begin asking: “What has been happening in my whole system?”
Because your brain, body, emotions, nervous system, relationships, and life experiences aren't separate from one another.
They're constantly communicating. And sometimes what you're experiencing physically may be connected to what you've been carrying emotionally and relationally.
You May Be Carrying More Than You Realize
You don't have to feel stressed to be carrying stress. In fact, you may be incredibly good at functioning.
Maybe you're the person everyone depends on.
You get things done.
You take care of people.
You anticipate what others need.
You push through.
You try to do things right.
You don't like disappointing people.
You hold yourself to high standards.
You keep the peace.
You stay busy.
You tell yourself you're fine.
And you may genuinely feel fine.
But there may also be parts of you that are angry.
Exhausted.
Grieving.
Afraid.
Overwhelmed.
Resentful.
Lonely.
Wanting something different.
Wanting to say no.
Wanting to stop.
Wanting someone else to take care of you for once.
Sometimes we've spent so many years becoming the person we needed to be that we don't even recognize these experiences as they're happening. We just keep going.
And sometimes, the body enters the conversation.
The MindBody Connection
Mindbody psychology explores the relationship between our physical symptoms and our emotional, psychological, and nervous-system experiences. This doesn't mean every symptom is psychological. And it doesn't mean physical symptoms should be ignored or assumed to be emotional. Appropriate medical evaluation is important.
But once serious or structural medical causes have been appropriately evaluated, there may be value in becoming curious about another possibility: Could my brain and nervous system be contributing to what I'm experiencing in my body?
Our brains are designed to protect us. They learn from experience. They recognize patterns. They anticipate danger. And they can create very real physical responses in the body. Think about what happens when you're embarrassed and your face becomes hot. When you're nervous and your stomach suddenly hurts. When you're frightened and your heart races. When you imagine biting into a lemon and your mouth begins producing saliva.
Nothing imaginary is happening to your body. Your brain is producing a genuine physiological response.
MindBody CounSouling explores what can happen when protective brain and nervous-system processes become involved in persistent physical symptoms.
Some of our favorite MindBody books:
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