Writer Corner: Somatics and Faith
by Cindy Nehrbass
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (Corinthians 6: 19-20)
At a recent writing residency I just attended, I was honored to be able to assist one of the faculty members in leading a class on Somatic Writing. My experience as a dancer, and having studied somatic movement as an undergraduate, gave me a unique perspective. Somatics involves the study of the inner workings and sensations of the body (soma=body). Basically, how we each, individually, experience being present in the bodies that God gave us.
During the class, we discussed how our unique experiences in life can affect our bodies: how they feel, how they react, whether they are relaxed or anxious at any given moment—constantly in fright or flight responses to stressors, or able to “chill-out” during difficult times. No two bodies, and no two people, experience the world and its challenges exactly the same way. The most important thing to do is to be aware of your unique reactions, and how to assist in healing any trauma, to honor the communication your body is sharing about you, to you.
Whether you are like me, spending a lot of time ruminating (prone to highly-sensitive tendencies), analyzing experiences, and looking toward the spiritual world/God’s word for understanding, OR if you tend to compartmentalize your feelings, tucking them far away from your consciousness, then knowing about somatics and how to listen to your body can be important. A basic practice (much like prayer) is to sit still and do a “body map” of yourself: focusing on one place at a time, from tippy-toes to top of your head, asking your body, and God (through your body) to communicate what you need to know (and how to heal).
We experience physical pain, sometimes chronic pain—our bodies maybe feeling like they are betraying us. But many times it is through this pain that our bodies are actually communicating what we might need: specific attention or specific release of emotions or memories. We might need more movement; we might need more stillness; we might need more self-forgiveness; we might need more healing of past traumas; we might need some medical attention. We might simply need to stop passing judgment on our bodies, let go of the self-criticisms, the body-shaming, or holding on to the outside voices we have collected in our lives that have told us we are “too fat”, “too thin”, “not pretty enough,” “too weak”, “not smart enough”, and on and on….
God made our bodies perfectly, designed to be used for good—in all our different shapes and sizes, colors, genders, ages, abilities, strengths and weaknesses, etc. Our bodies are what house the Holy Spirit and we must not only take care of them, but treat them with respect. We must listen to how our bodies need to heal, to process this earthly world—what things we need to let go of in order to become more whole. We honor God in how we honor, treat, and love our bodies.
After that 2 1/2 hour class of movement and journaling, of sitting and paying attention to our bodies as they communicated, and writing down whatever thoughts came up, we processed, together our experiences. Many of the participants who had previously felt disconnected from their bodies (or in pain), judging themselves for their weight or perceived inabilities, told us about finally feeling free from such issues. Did God have a hand in this healing? Yes, I believe so. Did all of the participants believe in God or recognize this as so? Unfortunately, no. This was not a Christian, or faith-base class. But I believe that God’s presence was there that day, in each of our personal journeys, revealing another way to live in our bodies.
Personally, I have found that the happiest (and the healthiest) times in my life have been when I am as physically aware of my body as I am spiritually aware in my journey. Maybe this is why I’ve sought to study dance, to study the Bible, to study the practice of writing, and now I am feeling called to combine all those things into some type of practice and service. This is why I felt called to help lead this particular class in Somatic Writing and why I’m planning to co-teach another one(s) in the future. God works in our lives in mysterious ways, leads us to where we are needed—we just need to be open to the possibilities.
So, if you are struggling with pain, or with issues that you need to let go or or heal from, try to sit still, ready yourself with prayer, take deep, mindful breaths and then ask God (and your body) to speak to you what you need—whether it is honesty, forgiveness, healing, gratitude, or anything else. Try doing a “body map” and see what you discover. Treat your body with respect, as the house of the Holy Spirit, and thank God for breathing life into you and giving you a body that is uniquely yours to journey through this life in, and with which to serve God’s people.
Amen.
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