Even though body intelligence and mental intelligence are best understood as two 
separate systems, they are indelibly connected by the emotions.
Think of emotions as energy in motion, or e-motion. Emotions either propel you toward something pleasurable and/or beneficial, or repel you away from things that are painful and dangerous. Emotions by their very nature are meant to flow.
Since emotions are energetic, they travel through the energy meridians that make up the body’s energy system. Although emotions are specifically designed to respond to physical events and situations, they flow through, and are released from the energy system, usually without affecting the physical body.
When you experience an emotion, let’s say fear, it gives you information you can (hopefully) act upon. You see a snake in your path and your heart leaps to your throat in fear. You stop, and slowly back up. You watch as the snake slithers leisurely away into the grass. Then you breathe a sigh of relief and continue on your way.
In this case, the fear has been felt, acted upon, and then released when the danger is passed. The emotion has done its job, passed through the meridians and then released.
The problems come when emotions don’t get released. Then they become stuck in the meridians causing emotional issues and even physical pain and disease.
In childhood trauma when a parent is involved, the child is often not able to protect or remove him/herself from the danger. In this case, fear, and all the other negative emotions that surround the situation, get tucked away in the meridians. The situation may be so painful and uncontrollable that these emotions become repressed and remain trapped even after the child grows up and is better able to manage his/her environment.
Belief systems are another cause of stuck emotions. If we have been taught that certain emotions are bad and should not be expressed, like anger, envy, jealousy, rage, disgust, etc., then we tend to repress these feelings, since to admit to them would mean having to confront a part of ourselves we believe is “bad”.
Any time an emotion is not able to function in the way it was designed, that emotion is in danger of being repressed and trapped. If we experience fear, but can’t save ourselves from harm, if we experience anger, but can’t express it because it’s too dangerous, if we experience lust but think sex is bad, we will probably repress these feelings.
Grief is another emotion that often gets stuck because we never have control over when a loved one dies. Men, especially, feel obligated to be strong for others who are openly grieving. Ironically, those that openly grieve will often be much more emotionally healthy that those who stuff their feelings in an effort to serve others or show strength.
Trapped emotions are uncomfortable, and even unhealthy if they remain stuck long enough.
Body intelligence alerts us to this condition by strange emotional reactions to things that others have no problem with. We may even experience unusual pains and physical discomfort that have no physical origins, or actual physical disease. Even when stuck emotions don’t cause physical pain and/or disease, they are often the root of psychological issues like phobias, PTSD, relationship issues and other inappropriate and unconscious reactions and behaviors.
In the last few decades a new therapeutic modality has emerged to deal specifically with trapped emotions.
Called Energy Psychology, this approach uses intention and meridian manipulation (tapping, magnetics or rapid eye movement), to bring a trapped emotion to consciousness and physical release.
The success of this methodology is demonstrated by the proliferation of these modalities and the plethora of practitioners who are now devoted to each of them. There are so many of these therapies it would be hard to name all of them, however some of the more well known are Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Thought Field Therapy (TFT), Neural Emotional Tapping (NET), EMDR, the Emotion Code, and WHEE.
Most tapping techniques seek to loosen and release stuck energy by identifying the meridian that corresponds to the issue or pain, and then tapping on a pressure point linked to that meridian until relief is felt. Although it is possible to learn all the meridians and corresponding psychological and physical symptoms, it is easier for most people to find a skilled practitioner rather than tackling what may seem like a huge learning curve.
There are two techniques, however, The Emotion Code developed by Dr. Bradley Nelsen and WHEE (Whole Health Easily and Efficiently) developed by Daniel Benor, that have simplified their processes so that each can be easily mastered by a lay person. Their books are referenced at the end of the blog.
Although single emotions can be successfully handled this way, there are situations that involve a number of emotions that form a constellation of interdependent energy relationships that feed off one another. Physical, sexual, emotional or energetic abuse of long standing, war, and abuse of self in the form of perfectionism, can all cause this negative energy feedback loop to form. Although anger may be the primary emotion, other emotions such as hopelessness, despair, bitterness, resentment, etc. may also be part of the equation. These secondary emotions can vary greatly depending on the person and the situation. If these emotions are not all identified, made conscious and released, the result is often chronic pain that is resistant to conventional treatment, and/or that pops up again in a different part of the body after successful treatment in the first location.
This is why chronic pain seems so stubborn and unresponsive to many traditional treatments. Pain is the body’s way of getting our attention so that the soul’s work can be done. Trapped emotions that are not released during one lifetime can and do follow a person into their next lifetime. Energy does not die with the body. Although energy can never be destroyed, only transformed, death does not transform stuck emotional energy. Trapped emotions from a past life are even harder to recognized and release than from a current life, so it is important to deal with them now. Chronic pain is the Soul’s way of urging us to clean up our energy system.
This is why chronic pain often (but not always) occurs as people get older. The longer the emotion remains stuck, and the closer we get to passing over, the more important it is to release it. Unfortunately, chronic pain is usually attributed to the aging process so very few people understand its true origins and are able to get permanent relief.
There are a few medical doctors who do understand the link between chronic pain and the emotions. Dr. John E. Sarno started treating chronic pain decades ago by asking patients to focus on unconscious rage they may be hiding from themselves. Rage is not a single emotion but a constellation of emotions which vary according to the situation. His approach uses group work and individual psychotherapy to identify and release these emotions. With a success rate of 75%-88%, his work has now attracted many other doctors around the country who are practicing his method. This network can be accessed on the internet by searching his name. He has also written a number of books that explain his approach. Although he does not use tapping techniques to release emotions, tapping would probably be of great benefit.
One of the things that almost all of these techniques have in common is that you don’t have to fully re-experience traumatic emotions in order to release them (whew!). Just bringing these emotions to consciousness, understanding why they became stuck, and forgiving yourself for having them greatly facilitates release.
A statement of conscious intention to release is also important. Sometimes our issues and pains are bringing us certain advantages (like extra attention from friends and family and/or permission to avoid tasks and responsibilities we find burdensome). For complete emotional release, the body needs to know that you are ready to forego whatever these advantages might be.
After stating conscious intention, tapping or other kinds of meridian manipulation hastens and completes the loosening process, sending the emotion gently on its way.
The good news is that recovering these buried emotions does not have to be traumatic or painful, and there are many techniques and practitioners available. Body intelligence reminds us that emotional and energetic harmony is an important part of physical well-being.
Books referenced:
Nelsen, Bradley, The Emotion Code
Benor, Daniel, Seven Minutes to Natural Pain Relief
Sarno, John E., The Divided Mind
___________ Healing Back Pain
You can learn more about the energy realm in my book, “It’s All About Energy: Adventures in Expanded Reality”, found on Amazon, and on my website, www.transformationalexpansion.com.