Motion in E-Motion
There’s no mistaking the word motion in e-motion. The two are inextricably bound. The way that you feel, your emotional state, is governed by what you are focusing on in this moment. And what you are focusing on is an affordance, or opportunity within the context–the opportunity to act or think in a particular way.
What you are focusing on appears to pop in to one’s awareness. Sometimes it drifts off, and sometimes we toy with it, so it seems to stick around. If it is a thought about something pleasurable, you embody a sense of joy, excitement and a desire to repeat the behaviour. If it is a thought about something unpleasant or scary, you embody other emotions such as fear or anger. All are based upon what you are focusing on and the interpretation of that focus, or the meaning to you.
Your state is governed by what you focus upon
Nothing is anything until you give it a meaning, and that really comes from our conditioning over many years–beliefs that you have gathered through life and what you have been told. Were they right though?
Our state is characterised in one sense by how it is embodied. How do I experience that state in my physical body? Noting a particular feeling or sensation in the body brings us to the conclusion that we are feeling a particular way. Contemporary neuroscience research is revealing fascinating relationships between our internal body sense (interoception) and our perception, cognition and decision making ability. Fundamentally, we all know that the ‘mood’ we are in affects the way we operate in the world: what do I notice? How do I move? What choices do I make? etc.
We can easily notice how someone is moving and posturing to gain an insight into how they feel. Add facial expression and language, and we have a fuller picture, yet the quality of motion is usually enough if you are observant. Likewise, we have a sense of our body as part of an overall assessment of ‘how I am’. Once we have established our state, we can decide whether this is one that affords us healthy opportunities or not. Do I need to change state?
motion in e-motion
It does not take long to change state of course. We do it all the time. One of the simplest ways to change state is to use motion–move around! Shifting our posture and facial expression result in feeling better together with actions that benefit others as we focus outwards instead on inwards. The challenge in the modern world is that we are encouraged to suit ourselves at the expense of others.
Motion is in e-motion, yet this is a two way street. We may use movement to feel better or build wellness, but we also move better when we feel well and in a positive state.
Here’s a fun game to play, especially if like me you are a commuter: look at your fellow travellers and see if you can work out what kind of state they are in right now. It maybe best to avoid asking them! As a bonus, you may also like to try the smiling game. See how many people smile back when you smile at them. Whilst you are smiling, use this as an embodied wishing them well, even saying to yourself ‘I wish you well with this smile’, just to generate the authentic smile that you can when it fronts the feeling. There you go, another example of motion (smiling) in e-motion.
These are some of the simple skills I teach and coach people in pain to learn to change state. I also teach clinicians who come on the Pain Coach Workshops how to build their own wellness and self-compassion with practical tools that get results in them and their patients. It is a matter of replacing old conditioned ways of being with new and better ones!
Want an approach that enhances your existing evaluation and treatment? No commercial model gives you THE answer. You need an approach that blends the modern with the old school. Live cases, webinars, lectures, Q&A, hundreds of techniques and more! Check out Modern Manual Therapy!
Keeping it Eclectic...
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