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Have you ever noticed how just thinking about something can change how your body feels?
It’s a fascinating — and often overlooked — truth: the mind doesn’t differentiate between what’s real and what’s imagined. This isn’t just philosophy or theory. It’s something we can experience directly, right here, right now.
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Let’s start with something pleasant.
Think of your favorite food — the one that makes you light up at just the thought of it. Maybe it’s a perfectly warm, cheesy bite of pizza, a comforting bowl of dal-chawal, or that one dessert you always crave.
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine it.
Notice what’s happening in your body.
Is your mouth watering? Are your eyes opening a little wider? Maybe there’s a small smile curling up at the corners of your lips. You’re having a real, physical response — even though the food isn’t actually in front of you. That was just a thought. And yet, your body believed it was real.
Now, let’s gently shift to the other side of the spectrum.
Think of something uncomfortable — not something overwhelming, just a memory that once made you feel a bit anxious, angry, or sad. It could be an argument, a moment of rejection, or a time you felt afraid.
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Maybe your shoulders feel tighter. Your jaw clenches. Your breath gets shallow. There might even be a flutter of tension in your chest. Again, it’s just a thought — but the body is reacting as if it’s happening right now.
This is the core idea: the body responds to thoughts the same way it responds to actual events. That’s why past trauma, even when it’s long over, can still live in our bodies. And this is also why healing requires more than just “thinking positively” or “letting go.”
It’s not just about understanding what happened. It’s about working with the body’s response — which may still be trapped in a loop of survival.
This is where Somatic Experiencing (SE) plays such a vital role. SE doesn’t just work with memory or perception or the mind. It works with the nervous system, the body’s innate intelligence, and the unspoken responses that live beneath our thoughts.
It helps us complete survival responses that got stuck.
It helps us discharge tension that’s been silently stored for years.
It helps us reconnect to safety in the present moment.
In other words, SE bridges the gap between thought and reality — allowing us to not only understand trauma but actually heal from it.
Because at the end of the day, healing isn’t about bypassing pain or pretending it’s not there.
It’s about giving the body a chance to recognize:
“It’s over. I’m safe now.”
And when that shift happens — when the body catches up to what the mind already knows — that’s when true transformation begins.
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