The Mind-Body Connection

This morning I was watching a video by the Swedish vlogger, Jonna Jinton, and she told a story of her traumatic experience when on a boat with her family during a storm. She related that childhood experience to presumably the last time she was on a boat eight years ago and thought she was going to die even though she was never in any danger. Trauma lives in our bodies . . . because our minds are part of our bodies. When Jonna was on a boat in a storm as an adult, she became the terrified little girl she was when her trauma first happened.

This is the magic and power of the human body. We store knowledge, instinct, and memory in more places than just our brains. Our entire bodies remember, and while those memories are often traumatic ones because our bodies are trying to keep us safe, we also store good memories. I’m sure most of us have positive emotions tied to the smell of cookies baking in the oven. According to a 2016 study, the memory evoked by those cookies “has the potential to increase positive emotions, decrease negative moods, disrupt cravings, lower stress and decrease inflammatory immune responses, and thereby have a generally beneficial effect on psychological and physiological wellbeing.” 

So how can we use this magical mind-body connection to our benefit? As always, powerful magic begins with a willingness to be open to self-exploration and self-acceptance. A regular grounding practice like yoga, meditation, or hiking is the best way to maintain the connection to self. And those same practices might be ways to stimulate a positive mind-body connection. Teas made from herbs and flowers that evoke positive emotions both through smell and taste can also be useful. As can scented bath bombs, soaps, candles, and lotions. Food, especially when coupled with the kitchen witchery of cooking, is a wonderful way to cultivate the mind-body connection. However, due to the complicated connotations of eating in our modern world, please take care to use food mindfully in any magical practice.

Once the connection has been re-established (there was no separation when we were small children), you can intentionally store new, happy experiences within your body. When I go for hikes and see beautiful flowers, I stop to literally smell the roses. I take a deep breath and allow my senses to be present in the moment so my body is more likely to retain the memory. Any intentional actions using one or more of the senses and taken during fun activities or meaningful moments can create positive neural pathways that will make you feel better psychologically and physiologically. 

We are more powerful than most of us know. Don’t disempower yourself by thinking “That’s out of my control.” While it’s important to accept what we can't control, we shouldn’t limit ourselves just because we associate traumatic pasts with those actions.

Source: National Library of Medicine. Rachel S. Hertz. The Role of Odor-Evoked Memory in Psychological and Physiological Health, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5039451/