Communicating with your body

Go for a walk in nature and record yourself asking the following questions: How does this symptom make me feel? What is it holding me back from achieving? When have I felt this way before? When was the first time I felt this way? If any memories come up for you, then express how you felt and what you made it mean about yourself or your outlook on life. Send some love and support to that version of yourself.

Listen back to your recordings and pick out any limiting beliefs that you hear. Now, create a new, empowering belief instead, and listen to it on repeat as much as possible, from when you wake up to when you go to bed. For example, turn ‘I’m a failure’ into ‘I can achieve anything’.

It is important to have extra love for yourself and show self-compassion with this work. It’s not always easy, and sometimes some deeper work is required than just repeating affirmations. If you feel too afraid or find yourself sabotaging your best efforts, then remember this is all coming from what is recorded in your subconscious; it’s not your fault. Find yourself a practitioner who will help to guide you on your journey.

Dr Gatter adds: ‘Your body holds all the messages. You can ask the tension pattern directly: What are you here for? What’s your purpose? What is the message you have for me? What do I need to learn by you being here? And start to get to know it and befriend it, rather than treating it like a problem – because, then, you’re just treating yourself like a problem.’