Building Inner Capacity & Working with Triggers

Creating a foundational relationship with the body, so that deeper work can take place

In my previous article, I talked about the nervous system and how it operates. I talked about how the process of healing benefits greatly from involving the body, as the majority of the pain and wounding was registered at the level of the body.

As you go deeper into your introspection journey, you’ll realise that thoughts and belief systems also carry a felt-sense, perceptual flavour in the body.

In this article, I share two distinct frameworks on working with the body, that each hold a different purpose but are highly interconnected:

BUILDING INNER CAPACITY AND WORKING WITH TRIGGERS

The first will help create a foundational relationship with our body, grounded in safety, connection and attunement.

The second will allow us to go to the root of our wounds and do the deeper emotional healing work needed to restore a sense of wholeness within.

We have evolved to move through life disembodied, prioritising intellect-based living at the expense of felt-sense perception. This has left us disconnected from our own life source, inner energy and vitality. Any transformational healing journey must be grounded in a strong connection to the body.

1. BUILDING INNER CAPACITY, or we can also say, increase our nervous system’s capacity to feel more

To heal from painful experiences, we must feel them. And feeling requires us to have a nervous system that is strong enough to carry deep emotional work.

Working with the body in small ways will prepare us for the big challenges that will inevitably come our way.

Here is what a daily ritual of self-connection can gift you with:

• Increased awareness of sensations that bring a higher sense of aliveness and energy flow

• Identify boundaries, needs and limitations that come from an embodied place

• Ability to notice the stories of the mind and the emotional and physical reactions they cause in the body

• Expands the tolerance for discomfort in a gradual, gentle way

• Builds inner safety and trust in places where disconnect and rejection were the norm

• Invites you into self-inquiry and reflection of your whole experience of mind-body

  

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  2. WORKING WITH TRIGGERS

Triggers are fascinating. And highly misunderstood.

Triggers are nothing more than pointers to aspects of our inner world that need attention. They go directly to the core of our own unique wounds, with the intention to find resolve. They also make us aware of what we are willing to tolerate and accept in our lives.

Working with triggers is an intricate, non-linear process. There are many layers that become uncovered, depending on how much capacity we have for depth. This is why, the more we cultivate an inner connection to the body, the more capacity we have to feel our triggers.

Working with triggers means working with emotions.

When we feel triggered by a person or a situation, that means we become emotionally activated. Since the majority of us learnt that emotions are bad and not ok to feel, or were never given the safe space to express them, the tendency is to either escape, judge the experience, or blame someone else.

Triggers must be owned and taken responsibility for, because they are felt in our body, hence they are ours.

So where does this leave us?

EXPERIMENT

Next time you feel triggered, notice where your mind and body go.

What is the default reaction? Are you able to pause and stay with it? Do you tend to go into critical or blame mode? Do you want to run away? Do you dismiss your reaction as “too much” or unimportant? Do other overlapping emotions arise, such as shame, guilt or disgust for feeling the way you do?

The way you habitually react to triggering events will tell you how safe you feel in your body to experience them.

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My aim with this piece is to highlight the importance of creating a consistent practice of self-connection that is gentle, sustainable and allows for small increments of discomfort, as well as widens our lens of perception.

From this grounded space, we can dive deeper into healing emotionally and somatically, as life will present us with countless opportunities to do so.

I created a poll to know more about where you are in your journey. Based on this, I know what to offer in my next articles so that you gain actual practical tools to support you.

If you wish to leave a more detailed comment, I’d be thrilled to start a conversation!

With endless appreciation,

A x