one time i unclenched something just ’cause i noticed it was clenched. then i spent two years straight processing a bunch of repressed memories, which, of course, i did not KNOW were behind a tiny tension in my belly
This is somewhere between woo and delusion. Do you agree?
I would guess this is imprecise wording rather than delusion.
I haven’t had the same experience, but I would guess the idea of repressed memories being behind a tension in the belly actually refers to some kind of stress or tension in the mind leading to muscle clenching in the belly, and that same mental tension being related to past experiences/traumas, and learning to relax that tension relaxes the muscles and brings up unprocessed memories at the same time. And the idea of those memories being located in the body, or emotions being located in the body, is describing a felt sense which actually takes place in/near the part of the brain responsible for sensation in the body.
If you translate it that way, it at least seems plausible.
It sounds weird but it does seem to be a thing, e.g. people may find memories spontaneously coming up in massages.
One model is that emotions are linked to patterns of muscle tension—most obvious examples are feeling angry and clenching your fists, or really relaxed in both mind and body—and that emotions bring up memories associated with those feelings and vice versa. Then if one is habitually trying to avoid a particular feeling or a memory or both—say some particularly shameful experience that you’d rather not think about—you may subconsciously learn to tense a muscle in a way that creates an opposite pattern of muscle tension and blocks both the feeling and also the memory.
There’s two sides to whether this is delusion. Would I take memories revealed this way as strong evidence in a court of law? Probably not. Would I let a Leverage alumni talk me through unclenching a muscle, because I’m a big tough rationalist and woo fairy spirits can’t hurt me? Also no.
I can’t think of a gentler way to put this, so
This is somewhere between woo and delusion. Do you agree?
I would guess this is imprecise wording rather than delusion.
I haven’t had the same experience, but I would guess the idea of repressed memories being behind a tension in the belly actually refers to some kind of stress or tension in the mind leading to muscle clenching in the belly, and that same mental tension being related to past experiences/traumas, and learning to relax that tension relaxes the muscles and brings up unprocessed memories at the same time. And the idea of those memories being located in the body, or emotions being located in the body, is describing a felt sense which actually takes place in/near the part of the brain responsible for sensation in the body.
If you translate it that way, it at least seems plausible.
It sounds weird but it does seem to be a thing, e.g. people may find memories spontaneously coming up in massages.
One model is that emotions are linked to patterns of muscle tension—most obvious examples are feeling angry and clenching your fists, or really relaxed in both mind and body—and that emotions bring up memories associated with those feelings and vice versa. Then if one is habitually trying to avoid a particular feeling or a memory or both—say some particularly shameful experience that you’d rather not think about—you may subconsciously learn to tense a muscle in a way that creates an opposite pattern of muscle tension and blocks both the feeling and also the memory.
Would you like more examples or context?
There’s two sides to whether this is delusion. Would I take memories revealed this way as strong evidence in a court of law? Probably not. Would I let a Leverage alumni talk me through unclenching a muscle, because I’m a big tough rationalist and woo fairy spirits can’t hurt me? Also no.