My favorite definition of Embodiment comes from Hillary McBride, in The Wisdom of your Body, who describes it as:
the experience of being a body in a social context
Dr Hillary McBride
Category: Mind body connection Page 3 of 4
There is lots of information and discussion out there about mindfulness and the impact that learning to be more present and in the moment, has on our health.
In psychology, and particularly attachment theory, the concept of “good enough” refers to a parent who best serves their developing child by being “enough” rather than perfect. I love this. While a child needs an attentive and loving parent, they also benefit from seeing the reality of life, the struggles, emotions and challenges in manageable amounts.
There are many pathways via which emotional experience can impact our physical health but experts in this area separate the physical impacts of stress (when it’s prolonged or chronic) from the (less understood) impacts of trauma (especially on the developing) system.
Intuition and evidence tell us that our physical and mental health is influenced by a complex interaction between genes, germs, injury, aging and EXPERIENCE but do we fully understand and accept the links between emotions and biology?
Safe connection for whole health
A relationship to others is the single most important mechanism for the survival of a new born human baby. Without the messages shared within and between that bond, an infant would simply not survive.
Applying knowledge of the nervous system to invite the body into regulation
In Polyvagal Theory, the “vagal brake” is the slowing down of a threat response by using cues of safety to hold us when we might otherwise slip into fight, flight or shut down.
Mind and body are in constant conversation with each other via the central nervous system – a huge collection of nerves in the brain and spinal cord.
Mind-body dualism was a legacy of Philosopher Descartes in the 1600s: the idea that the mind is separate to matter (the body).