Listening to the Body: How Emotions Speak Through Physical Symptoms
- Aurora Center for Psychology and Wellbeing
- Nov 16
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 6
Have you ever noticed your shoulders tightening when you feel anxious, or your stomach knotting during conflict?
Our bodies often tell stories that words can’t.
Learning to listen to those signals can be a powerful step toward healing.
The Body Remembers the Story
When we experience strong emotions (especially those we can’t express or make sense of) the body steps in to hold them. Over time, unprocessed emotions can show up as tension, headaches, fatigue, or even chronic pain.
This doesn’t mean that the pain is “all in your head.” It means that the mind and body are deeply connected, communicating in ways that are both emotional and biological.
Research in neuroscience and psychophysiology shows that emotions are not just abstract feelings: they are embodied states involving muscles, hormones, and the nervous system. When we’re under prolonged stress or carry unresolved trauma, those body systems can stay on alert long after the threat has passed.
What Your Body Might Be Saying
Tightness in the chest → “I’m holding my breath, waiting for something to happen.”
Jaw tension → “I’m holding back words or anger.”
Gut discomfort → “I’m anxious or afraid.”
Fatigue → “I’ve been coping for too long.”
Each signal is an invitation to turn toward the body with curiosity rather than frustration. The goal isn’t to suppress these sensations, but to understand what they’re trying to tell us.
Healing Through Awareness
Therapy can help translate what the body is communicating.Approaches like Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness-based work provide ways to notice physical sensations safely and connect them to emotional experiences.
In IFS, for example, the body often reveals where a “part” is holding tension or fear. As we approach that part with compassion, the body often begins to relax, signaling that healing is underway.
For some clients, combining these methods with neuroscience-based interventions such as tDCS, biofeedback, or neurofeedback can enhance this process. These approaches gently regulate brain activity and the nervous system, helping the body relearn what calm and balance feel like.
The Practice of Listening
You can begin today by simply noticing how your body feels throughout the day, without judgment or the need to fix anything.Ask yourself:
Where do I feel this emotion in my body?
What might this part of me need right now?
Can I soften around the sensation, even a little?
Listening to the body isn’t about forcing change, it’s about creating a dialogue of compassion.
Final Thoughts
Your body is not the enemy of your healing: it’s your partner.
When we learn to listen with curiosity and kindness, physical symptoms can become guides rather than obstacles. Over time, that awareness fosters a deeper sense of integration, a place where the body, mind, and self work together toward wellbeing.
At the Aurora Center for Psychology & Wellbeing, I integrate evidence-based therapy with creative and neuroscience-informed methods to help clients reconnect with their bodies, understand their emotions, and move toward balance and healing.
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