All Things Embodiment

Our physical self can be a source of immense joy and pleasure, as well as a place of severe pain and woundedness.Turns out, as much as we may want to escape our physicality- and even when we try out very creative ways to detach from our embodied selves- it is impossible to truly distance yourself from yourself. 

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Disembodiment- or the state of living disconnected from our bodily selves- comes in many forms. The following are certain ways of being disembodied that I often see in my therapy practice:

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• Eating Disorders/Disordered Eating

• Exercise Addiction

• Body Dysmorphia

• Dissociation (Derealization and/or Depersonalization)

• Disembodiment due to Chronic Pain/Illness and/or Medical Trauma

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And the reasons why we initially become disembodied run manifold too:

• Developmental trauma (think ongoing or repeated instances of abuse or neglect during childhood).

• Sexual Assault

• Single-event trauma (such as a car accident, surviving a natural disaster, witnessing violence, etc.)

• Medical Trauma

• Domestic Violence/Intimate Partner Violence

• Religious beliefs that actively discourage embodiment

• ...and many more.

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Regardless of the unique way(s) you have sought to distance yourself from your own self, there is hope in learning to return to your bodily state or maybe, in learning to inhabit yourself for the very first time.