PatSamples

Is Your Body Caving In?

Thanks to all of you who have been adding comments about what I have written. I love hearing how you are drawing on the wisdom of your body. I'm finding that wherever I talk about how our bodies "talk" to us, especially as we age, people start to tell me stories. One woman told me the other night that she had been having a pain in her hip for a while, and when she started tuning in to this pain with curious attention, she recognized that she had been involved in group project where a couple of the participants were, as she said, "a real pain in the you know what." This recognition prompted a big "aha" about where her hip pain was coming from. She decided to drop out of that group project and the pain disappeared. To me, this is a superb example about how deliberate body awareness can heal us if we listen to what our bodies are telling us. More…

Who's that pain in the neck you're feeling?

I am fascinated by how our aging bodies talk to us. Sometimes it can be fun  and helpful to pay attention to the metaphors suggested by our aches and pains. In another words, might your neck pain have to do with someone in your life who you think of as a "pain in the neck"? Or might your spinal discomfort be related to your feeling that you haven't got any "backup"? More…

Having the feelings I'm having about Katrina

My heart is weighted with sorrow and compassion as I watch the suffering resulting from Katrina. Like many people I've spoken to, I only watch the TV reports in small doses, though. The devastation is hard to take in. I am not suffering any personal loss (though I know there are gas price and other effects I will feel). Yet I feel distressed, especially by how powerless I am to stop the horrors I'm watching this moment. Though I've taken some action to contribute to the relief efforts, I wish I could work miracles for these people. I cannot. But I can pay attention to my own experience, staying conscious, mindful. More…

Writing Your Own Permission Slip

I had been a full-time writer for about half of my fifty years when I began teaching a course called Writing Your Own Permission Slip. In it, I created playful ways for participants to pay attention to the lifetime of stories their bodies held and then do writing exercises that allowed them to revise any that were self-limiting. Over the past decade, as I witnessed the transformations these simple activities brought about, I became more and more intrigued by the wisdom and creativity of our bodies, especially as we age. I became an avid student of the body, participating in creative dance, healing bodywork, and body awareness activities. My pursuits also earned me a master's degree that focused on aging, creativity, and the body. More…