We often receive questions like, "Why does my mind-body state change even though the approach is to the body itself?" Before answering this, let us first ask: where do the causes of chronic symptoms truly lie?
The Root of Chronic Symptoms: "Habitual Thought Patterns"
At Unfolding Bodywork, we believe that "habitual thought patterns" are the underlying cause. Fundamentally, there is no such thing as an original thought unique to oneself. Your current thoughts are influenced by your parents, upbringing, environment, people around you, books, news, and more. In essence, you are simply pulling forth a compilation of someone else's thoughts and believing them to be your own. Most new ideas are merely novel combinations of existing elements, not creations from absolute zero.
This means you are uncritically accepting thoughts that are not truly yours as if they were. To put it simply, you are convinced that values that are not inherently yours are indeed your own. You might believe you like something you don't truly like, or dislike something you don't truly dislike. More concretely, some people tirelessly continue doing things they don't want to do, leading to a decline in their health. They believe that working hard is good and essential as an adult. Is this thought truly your own? If you persist in this endeavor, your body may suffer, your mind become scarred, and you may find yourself unable to move forward.
The "Mechanism of Distortion" Born from Habitual Thought Patterns
When such habitual thought patterns arise, a series of distortions occur between thought and emotion, emotion and action, and action and habit, ultimately manifesting as physical symptoms. For example, let's say you truly desire A, but because others say B is better, you choose B. Your intellect advocates for B, yet your authentic self desires A. However, living in a world where intellect often prevails, you choose B. Your thoughts readily provide reasons for not choosing what you truly want, temporarily satisfying your mind, but your emotions remain wounded. Repeating this process can leave your emotions tattered. Eventually, you might find yourself adopting an attitude like, "B is clearly better. Wanting A is foolish." Even if you are unaware that your emotions are hurt, you instinctively change your behavior to protect them. If choosing between A and B causes pain, then by removing A from the options altogether, you can avoid being hurt. This is a defense mechanism. This is the distortion between emotion and action. And this behavioral distortion becomes habitual, ultimately appearing as physical symptoms.
The Body-Centric Approach and "Spontaneous Realization"
Habitual thought patterns manifest as physical symptoms over a long period. Your thoughts are quite literally taking shape in your body. Receiving counseling or reading self-help books may not bring about change because it's impossible to alter thoughts while leaving the physically manifested form untouched. As written in our previous article, "The Power of Non-Judgment," at Unfolding Bodywork, we perceive habitual thought patterns manifesting as physical tension, embracing the totality of life. Then, by approaching the body, a "realization" occurs when that tension spontaneously releases. This is a significant distinction from other bodywork practices. This spontaneous realization acts as a catalyst, initiating the process of letting go of habitual thought patterns and resolving these distortions. The subsequent process is proprietary. If revealed, people might read it and believe they understand it intellectually. This tendency to assume understanding of experiences one hasn't had is itself a result of habitual thought patterns. For this article to generate more such patterns would be counterproductive.
Transformation Ignited by the Resolution of Distortion
Approaching the body changes one's mind-body state because receiving bodywork shifts you from a process of accumulating distortion to a process of resolving it. Behavioral patterns change, emotional patterns change, and thought patterns change. While the time this process takes varies from person to person, we are consistently amazed by the transformation in our clients' expressions and presence each time we meet. It's commonly said that people don't change, but that is simply not true. People can change. We invite you to come and experience the realization, "I, too, can transform."