SelfHelpCollective.com

The Body-Mind Connection and my Anger

by Elle Bieling, RN, RYT
(Denver, Colorado, USA)

If you believe that your health is dependent upon your attitude towards yourself and your life, and I certainly do, you will appreciate my story about the body-mind connection as it related to expressing anger in my life. As I like to say, my Body Window speaks to me! Here is my story:

I learned early, as a child that anger often takes control of oneself. I watched as anger and irritation, in my household were freely and strongly expressed. I was always disturbed by this display of emotion. I did not want to become this way myself. I wanted to be totally free of anger, or at the very least to control it.

However, anger is a very hard emotion to control, and most of us only learn to suppress it, instead of truly dealing with the issues that bring it about. This was true in my case as my body-mind connection was soon to reveal to me.

At some point as an adult, I developed itchy ears. I mean, really bothersome and annoying itchy ears. I can say that this plague has been with me now for most likely 20 years. I don't remember when it began, because I have been dealing with it for so long.

Several times I went to the doctor, for treatment, because I would dig and scratch in my ears until they became infected. The antibiotic drops would cure the infection but it never cured my itchy ears. The itch would always come back.

I am a registered nurse, a yoga teacher and a self-directed self-healer. I read as much as I could on chronic otitis externa, or external ear infection. This is commonly known as "swimmer's ear."

I read about this way and that to manage the otitis externa. I blew dry my ears after a shower, avoided putting anything in my ears (although I wanted to jam cotton swabs in there all the time to scratch them), etc, etc. Nothing worked for very long. My ears kept itching, to the point of my insanity.

Now, I know all about the body-mind connection and I teach others about the symbols and metaphors of the body, through the Body Window. I would ask myself, "What is it that I am unable to hear?" "What am I itching for?" I would say positive affirmations like, "I listen with love," "I have everything I need," over and over again to try to get in touch with what my ears were trying to tell me.

Writing helps me process my feelings, and one day I was writing about my itchy ears. As I wrote, I felt it necessary to reassure myself that what I was experiencing was not an infectious process, but merely irritation.

Instantly, after writing the word "irritation," I got goose bumps. I knew instantly that I was on to something. The word irritation stuck in my brain. I was responding emotionally to that word. Suddenly, it was if a light bulb then came on in my head. More like a flashing strobe light! The itch wasn't about hearing or not hearing, nor was it about itching for something. It was all about irritation, or more appropriately spelled, EAR-ritation!

My body-mind connection was telling me that my ears were about my level of irritation! In any moment, my ears were speaking to me about my level of anger and irritation that I was feeling! What an insight! I was hiding my irritation from my conscious mind as I had trained myself to do, but my body was telling me my truth! Your Body Window always tells you of your inner emotional condition. Just feel your neck and shoulders after a long, hard day at work and you know the strength of this body-mind connection!

As I have come to know, my anger literally comes out my ears! Just like all those silly cartoon characters!

This powerful body metaphor is now my tool to understand my inner self and my inner emotional condition. When my ears itch, I immediately look around to see what my be irritating me. This body-mind connection can help you too, if you learn to become more in tune with your body!

May you all find health and happiness and may you learn to understand your own Body Window!
~ Elle
Editor, BodyWindow.com