Physical tendencies reflect our mental states

We tend to think, feel and act through different parts of the body.

This is obvious in terms like “gut feeling” and “head smart” and “heartfelt,” among others. Consider some examples.

Eric resembles the stereotypical intellectual. In high school, his nickname was “egghead,” and he wore it proudly.

When asked how he feels, his response is a clueless stare followed by an explanation that, while using emotional terms, emerges in a monotone. Being emotionally muted and living so much in his head causes problems in his relationships.

Psychologically, Eric lives above his neck.

In contrast, Mary is what I call “torso centric.” Unlike Eric, she lives largely below the neck. It isn’t that she lacks smarts, but her head is not her base of operations, so to speak.

Mary is deeply emotional, relies on intuition in making decisions, and generally operates from her heart or gut. As you might expect, her emotions run her life, and, not living in her head, she struggles to regulate them with reason.

Jennifer lives more hips down. Her main focus is action. She has a great deal of nervous energy and is always on the move, making it difficult to be emotionally and mentally present with others. Idleness is the bane of her existence, and if she can’t keep moving, agitation sets in.

Clearly, each of these individuals spends time in all these primary states . . . thinking, feeling and doing. However, each puts most of their psychological eggs in one of these baskets, making balanced well-being difficult to achieve.

What’s more, this shows up in their physical presence. Now, one’s physiology is not a map for one’s psychology. We cannot discern a person’s mental proclivities simply by analyzing her or his bodily characteristics, movements, posture, etc.

Nonetheless, because physiology is a conduit for thinking, feeling and acting, many psychotherapists find it useful to determine where someone “lives” inside their body. Too much emphasis in one physical sector may indicate an imbalance in a corresponding mental area.

Can one observe this in a person’s physical tendencies? Sometimes.

For instance, when Eric is speaking, his body is usually still, while his facial expressions and eye movements can be fairly animated. In contrast, Mary is highly expressive with her posture and gestures. As she puts it, “I can’t talk without moving my hands.” When seated, Jennifer’s torso and head remain fixed, but her legs bounce rapidly, as if she’s sloughing off excess energy.

Psychologically, we express ourselves through all parts of our physiology, but lopsidedness in one area (thinking, feeling, doing) may manifest through the corresponding zone of the body associated with that mental state. Not always, but often.

A number of somatically oriented therapies seek to address this imbalance by working through the body rather than the mind. Among these are bioenergetics, Rolfing, Reiki, EFT (tapping therapy), and a host of others.

Sometimes the key to finding wellbeing is mind over matter.

Other times, it’s matter over mind. Philip Chard is a psychotherapist, author and trainer. Email Chard at out ofmymind@philipchard.com or visit philipchard.com.