The Body Has No Words
Psychology is the study of the mind: our thoughts, feelings and behaviours. But something often gets overlooked in that definition. What's happening in the body, and especially in the nervous system?
Many of us can't quite put it into words. A tight chest, a clenched jaw, a heaviness we can't explain. That's because the body doesn't speak in language. And sometimes words don't quite reach the places we feel things most deeply.
I came to realise this through years of training in "top-down" approaches, where the focus is on the mind: reframing thoughts, challenging beliefs, building coping strategies. These tools matter, and they help. But I kept noticing the same thing. You can reframe a thought, manage your relationships differently, change your lifestyle and learn to cope with overwhelm, and still the body gets left behind, carrying on as though nothing has changed.
So how do we work with a body that has no words?
Movement, exercise, massage, saunas, even ice baths. Physical experiences like these can act as a bridge, sending a message from the body to the brain: I need some attention and care too.
Many people are surprised to discover just how much tension they've been holding. It's not only in the shoulders, jaw or temples. It can sit in the diaphragm, the chest, even the internal organs like the lungs, behind the eyes, leaving us feeling restricted and tight without knowing why. This constant bracing is a kind of armour, and we often don't realise we're wearing it until we fall ill, we’re in pain or fatigue sets in from all the tension.
That's why body-focused therapies and psychology work so well hand in hand. The relationship between mind and body goes both ways: what we think and feel affects the shape our body takes and the way we move, and what the body is defending against influences what we’re noticing and taking in as thoughts.
Picture a stressful day at the office. A difficult customer, a looming deadline. Your shoulders creep up toward your ears, your chest tightens, and your breath gets short and shallow. It's your body's way of protecting you. But without a reminder that the moment has passed, it can stay that way long after the stress is gone.
So pause for a second. Notice your shoulders. Let them drop. Take a slow breath in and out.
You're safe now. You can let go.
