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Making Peace With Our Bodies: A Conversation with Meryl Feldman of Blossom Within Coaching

Sep 26, 2016 ● By Carrie Jackson

Meryl Feldman

Meryl Feldman is a mind-body coach and founder of Blossom Within Coaching. She works with women to have radiant and vibrant lives by helping them tap into their own abundant source of healing capabilities and intuitive wisdom.

What is the connection between emotional and physical pain?

Based on a theory by Dr. John Sarno, the expert on mind-body healing and the author of many books, including Healing Back Pain, the brain will cut off blood/oxygen flow to different parts of the body, causing painful symptoms in order to distract an individual from recognizing and feeling emotions that they are trying to avoid. In order to get relief from the pain, a person will go running around to different doctors and searching the Internet to get answers and diagnosis, when the healing is within their reach and within their own body. They just need to “feel to heal”.

       This is not to say at all that the pain is only in the mind. The pain is real and the symptoms are real. But the healing comes from turning inward, getting honest about one’s emotions—especially anger, fear and sadness, and allowing for emotional energy flow. But how to do this is the question, especially when so many of us have the habit of ignoring these emotions or getting stuck in them. Emotions are “energy in motion”. They show up as physical sensations in the body, starting out very quiet and subtle, almost vibrational. When ignored, they get louder and louder, until screaming as a migraine, backache or some other pain or weakness in the body.

       The key here is to notice as soon as possible and as often as possible the emotion as a physical sensation. This emotional energy has much wisdom to share about what we are experiencing and how to get relief. The healing begins when we are honest with ourselves and are willing to explore our inner emotional world.

How can we be more mindful in our approach to healing?

Put your attention inward. Wiggle your toes, take a deep inhale/exhale, and notice what physical sensation is happening in your body. Does your stomach hurt? Is there a lump in your throat, a surge of heat welling up in your chest? Is your breathing shallower? Jaw clenched? Whatever the physical sensation is, just be aware of it and allow it for half a minute or longer. You can even put your hand on that part of your body to keep your focus on it. Breathe and know that you are safe in putting your attention on your body and feeling the emotional energy that is present. Allow that physical sensation to just exist in your awareness. This action enables emotional energy to flow and intuitive wisdom to be heard.

       You may get a “knowing” of which emotion it is—anger, irritation, annoyance, rage, sadness, disappointment or hurt. The word is not as important as noticing the sensation, but may give you additional clarity in your awareness. As your attention remains inward on the bodily sensation, you may notice a change of the energy. My clients often share that one area of their body has pain or a sensation, and then after their attention has been on it, it morphs into another physical sensation in a different part of their body.

       For example, they may feel some tremoring in their right arm, and after I give them time to focus their attention there, they’ll share that the tremoring is gone, but that their stomach feels funny. This is their emotional energy flowing and shifting to be processed and give them body/soul wisdom. As part of the coaching process, we access those messages, as well.

How does emotional healing lead to overall health?

When you allow your body’s emotional message to be heard, the recognized energy flows so it doesn’t get stuck as a physical pain later on. After this very physical allowing of emotional energy, your intuition opens up so that you can choose, from a place of higher wisdom, the action you want to take in a given situation. You will have been given the gift of awareness and clarity. This is true health.

       As opposed to fearing change and ignoring and suppressing the emotional messages our body is communicating to us, we are accessing it instead. The brain does not have to cause blood/oxygen restriction to any part of the body because in these actions we are showing it that we are not afraid of our emotions. No pain is necessary, no distraction is necessary. We are freeing ourselves from the suppression and pain cycle and living a more vibrant, healthy life.

Feldman welcomes questions and offers a free, 20-minute connection. For more information, call 773-609-3770, email [email protected] or visit BlossomWithinCoaching.com. See ad in the Community Resource Guide.