Whispering Wyrd

Some people may think a thought is just a thought, just a passing thing in the mind with no real weight or consequences to it. But I can tell you from experience that thoughts can carry an insane amount of power over the body, especially the gut.

A single thought can change how the body functions. It can tighten the chest, speed up the heart significantly, rob you of sleep, cause digestive troubles, and/or flood the mind with old painful memories. A lot of people already know this in “normal” ways… stress before a big meeting, nerves from bad news or butterflies before a hard conversation.

But for some of us, especially those who have lived through addiction and/or trauma, or years of inner struggle, the connection between mind and body can be ramped up to a whole other level. The nervous system learns things and it remembers and it definitely reacts strongly.

Sometimes an old memory, a fear, or even the anticipation of something hard can stir up symptoms before anything has even actually happened. The body responds to the feeling or memory of danger just like if danger was already actually there.

That can be frustrating to say the least. It can make a person wonder, “Why am I still affected by this?” I’ve asked myself that question more than once. Why do old memories still hurt so much at my age? Why can misunderstanding still ricochet inside me even at this age?

If thoughts can cause all these symptoms, thoughts can also heal. A calming word can slow the breathing, a prayer can steady the heart, and a nice walk outside can ease the fear. A nice memory can ease some of the pain.

We are definitely affected by what we repeatedly tell ourselves inside our minds. So when harsh or bad thoughts come, I notice them and try not to hand them the keys. I try to meet them with patience instead of panic, compassion instead of shame and steadiness instead of surrender to them. Like in Soto Zen, I try to detach from them and just observe them without judging “this is bad” or “this is good” and they pass like clouds floating in the sky. It’s when I attach to them is when the problems start.

The mind is powerful! The body is listening all the time, so speak gently within and to yourself. That way you could be helping yourself more than you know.

Amituofo
~Buck