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Self Care Newsletter Vol#68 Week #2 "The body keeps the score." Bessel van der Kolk
Published 15 days ago • 8 min read
Rejuvenate & Thrive
NURTURE YOUR ESSENCE
Focus:
The Body Doesn't Forget
"Trauma is not what happens to you. Trauma is what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you."
Gabor Maté
Your Weekly
Intentional & Sustainable Self-Care Newsletter
Volume #68
The Body Doesn't Forget
This is so true—the body doesn't forget! I remember my Grandma telling me it was going to rain because the arthritis in her hands had flared up. I've experienced it too: when I felt unsafe or uncomfortable in an environment, or when someone said something that triggered me, my heart would race, my stomach would twist into knots, or I'd feel intense butterflies or a sinking sensation. The body is the historian, storing all the unspoken words, the hurts, the anger, the envy—everything we never fully expressed or released. Whether these stored experiences were meant to keep us safe or ended up causing harm to ourselves or others, they were never released. They remain locked away, hidden but not forgotten.
Every time a certain experience happens that relates to what's been hidden, a part of it breaks through. The mind rushes in to rationalize what happened, often placing blame on someone else. It provides justification and diverts attention away from the real issue, keeping awareness and accountability shielded and unexplored. When we finally begin to look at these stored experiences with honesty, it can feel like we're on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Your mind might try to rationalize, minimize, or tell you to "move on," but your cells are keeping the receipts. We are moving from "thinking about healing" to "feeling through healing." We think we can out-think our history, but the body is the ultimate truth-teller. We aren't just strategizing for our minds; we are clearing the cache of our physical selves.
Mindfulness Activity: The Somatic Release Scan To address what the body hasn't forgotten, we must first acknowledge where it is stored. This is a three-minute check-in with your physical archive.
The Physical Anchor: Sit or stand with your spine long. Gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.
The Scan: Starting at your toes, slowly move your attention upward. Don't judge what you feel; just label it. ("I feel tightness here," "I feel heat there.")
The Breath: As you reach a "hot spot" (like your neck or chest), inhale deeply through your nose, imagining you are sending cool, blue air directly to that spot. Exhale through your mouth with a soft sigh—letting the body know it's safe to "release the file."
The Affirmation: Whisper or think: "I am safe to feel. My body is a garden, and I am here to clear the weeds."
The Seal: Shake your hands out vigorously for 10 seconds to break the static and return to the present moment.
The Strategist's View: As a strategist, I look at the body as high-fidelity hardware.
The Lag Time: Your mind can process a thought in milliseconds, but your nervous system can stay in "fight or flight" for days. You must give your body more time to "catch up" than you give your brain.
Movement as Medicine: You cannot "talk" a muscle into relaxing. True somatic strategy requires movement—shaking, stretching, dancing, or even a long, hot bath. You have to physically move the energy out.
The Gut-Wisdom Link: That "gut feeling" we always talk about? That's your body accessing its archive before your brain even knows there's a problem. Trust the hardware.
The "Tension Mapping" Strategy:
Draw a Silhouette: Draw a simple stick figure or outline of a person.
Mark the Map: Place an "X" on the areas where you hold tension or discomfort.
The "Why" Link: Next to each "X," write one word that describes the type of "data" stored there (e.g., Shoulders = "Responsibility," Gut = "Hesitation," Jaw = "Silent Words").
The Discharge Move: Write down one physical action you will take today to address that spot (e.g., "I will roll my shoulders for two minutes," or "I will sing at the top of my lungs to clear my throat").
Food for Thought: If your body was a building you lived in, would you be a good landlord? Are you ignoring the leaks and the creaking floorboards while only painting the front door? What happens when you finally start maintaining the foundation?
Wisdom Insight: Your mind is a brilliant storyteller, but your body is the historian. Listen to the historian; it has no reason to lie to you. This day, honor your history by taking care of the home that survived it.
Be Blissful,
Dr. MoJo: Self-Care Strategist
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"Your Healthy MoJo~Self-Care Strategist: The Chakra Series."
This essential collection, created by Dr. MoJo, guides you through a profound journey of self-discovery and energetic alignment, spanning from the grounding Earth Star and Root to the divine connection of the Crown Chakra.
Each of the eight energy centers (Earth Star, Root, Sacral, Solar Plexus, Heart, Throat, Third Eye, and Crown) is addressed with its own dedicated, transformative recording paired with an in-depth eBook to solidify your understanding and practice.
Individually, each Chakra recording and eBook bundle is available for $25.00, offering a powerful, focused self-care strategy. However, when you purchase two or more Chakra bundles, the price drops to just $20.00 each. Start your personalized healing journey today and feel the difference of a balanced, vibrant self.
Welcome to this sacred space where we honor the wisdom and memory held in your body. This week, we're exploring the profound truth that the body doesn't forget—that your cells, muscles, nervous system, and tissues hold memories of everything you've experienced, that trauma lives in the body even when the mind has moved on, and that healing requires listening to and honoring what your body remembers. Your body is speaking; it's time to listen.
Food For Thought:
Nourishment for Your Soul: What Your Body Remembers
What if that chronic pain isn't "all in your head" but rather all in your body—a real, physical manifestation of stored experience? What if your anxiety isn't a character flaw but your nervous system's learned response based on what it remembers? What if your body has been trying to tell you something for years, and you've been too busy dismissing it to listen?
Consider this: Your body is the scorecard for your life. Every experience—especially traumatic ones—leaves an imprint. Your nervous system adapted to keep you safe. Your muscles contracted to protect you. Your fascia tightened to create armor. These weren't failures; they were survival strategies. But now, your body is still living in those protective patterns, and healing requires acknowledging what it remembers.
Honoring Your Body's Memory: The Somatic Truth of Experience
There's a fundamental misunderstanding about healing: we think it happens primarily in the mind. We believe that if we can understand our trauma cognitively, if we can reframe our thoughts, or if we can simply "let it go" mentally, we'll be healed. But this ignores a crucial truth: your body doesn't forget. Even when your conscious mind has moved past an experience, your body holds the memory in your nervous system, your muscles, your fascia, and your cellular structure.
Understanding that the body doesn't forget means: recognizing that cognitive healing alone is incomplete, acknowledging that your physical symptoms may have emotional roots, honoring your body's responses as intelligent communication, allowing somatic practices to be part of your healing, trusting what your body tells you even when your mind dismisses it, giving yourself permission for healing to take time, and understanding that trauma release often requires body-based work, not just talk therapy.
This week, we honor what your body has been holding and celebrate your willingness to listen to its memory and support its healing.
"The wound is the place where the Light enters you."
Rumi
"Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind."
Nathaniel Hawthorne
WISDOM FROM SPIRITUAL MOTHERS & FATHERS
Louise Hay:
"I deserve to receive. I am worthy of all good things."
Maya Angelou:
"I sustain myself with the love of family."
Iyanla Vanzant:
"When you stand and share your story in an empowering way, your story will heal you and your story will heal somebody else."
Closing: Heart-to-Heart
Dearest one, remember that your body's memory is not your enemy—it's the witness to your experience and the holder of your truth. Just as a tree's rings tell the story of every year it has lived, your body tells the story of everything you've survived, endured, and overcome. Healing requires honoring that story at the cellular level.
With deep reverence for your body's healing journey,
Your Self-Care Strategist 💕
P.S. Sweet soul, if you're reading this and realizing your body has been screaming at you for years while you've been trying to think your way through healing, please breathe gently. Your body isn't broken or betraying you—it's been faithfully holding what you couldn't consciously process, protecting you in the only way it knew how. The chronic pain, the anxiety, the tension, the unexplained symptoms—they're not failures. They're your body's way of saying "This needs attention. This needs release. This needs healing." You don't need to have all the answers or heal it all at once. Start with listening. Place your hand on your body and just listen to what it's trying to tell you. Consider finding a trauma-informed somatic practitioner. Your healing doesn't have to happen only from the neck up. Your body deserves support too. It's been waiting patiently. It's time to listen.
"Before you heal someone, ask them if they're willing to give up the things that made them sick."
Hippocrates
Join Ignite Your Inner YOU Community where it starts and ends with you BECOMING Intentionally YOU! It's time to start BETTING ON YOU!
Pricing Options:
Monthly: $20/month
Quarterly: $60/quarter
Annually: $240/year
Call-to-Action: "Don’t wait to start your journey. Click below to join Ignite Your Inner You Community!!!
"Your Healthy MoJo~Self-Care Strategist: The Chakra Series."This essential collection, created by Dr. MoJo, guides you through a profound journey of self-discovery and energetic alignment, spanning from the grounding Earth Star and Root to the divine connection of the Crown Chakra.
Each of the eight energy centers (Earth Star, Root, Sacral, Solar Plexus, Heart, Throat, Third Eye, and Crown) is addressed with its own dedicated, transformative recording paired with an in-depth eBook to solidify your understanding and practice. Individually, each Chakra recording and eBook bundle is available for $25.00, offering a powerful, focused self-care strategy.
However, when you purchase two or more Chakra bundles, the price drops to just $20.00 each. Start your personalized healing journey today and feel the difference of a balanced, vibrant self.
Subscribe to the Intentional Self-Care newsletter and join a community of women ready to reclaim their well-being. Expect inspiring insights, actionable tips, affirmations, and transformative self-care wisdom designed to uplift, empower, and nurture your heart and soul each day.
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