Have you ever heard anyone say that emotions “live” within our bodies? Grief, trauma, and other negative emotions can stay with us, and this is not symbolic; it is literal.
The same way scar tissue from surgery or injury causes change within our bodies, emotions too can cause physical changes. Changes that lead to stagnancy and dehydration within our fascia, leading to poor circulation, overcompensation, and misalignment. All things that eventuate into pain, discomfort, and when left unresolved can lead to chronic illness and even disease. *
A concept I would really love to open your mind to, is this:
Sometimes the fear, guilt, anger, grief, or resentment you feel … is not even yours.
What do I mean by this? Let me introduce you to the “Cherry Blossom Study”.
The Cherry Blossom Study
While studies such as these are unethical, it uncovers some incredible evidence.
This study was conducted in 2013 by two researchers at Emory University. Dr Kerry Ressler and Brian Dias exposed adult male mice to the scent of acetophenone (which smells like cherry blossoms) and immediately followed this with a mild electric shock.
Unsurprisingly, after repetition, these mice began to fear the smell of cherry blossom. But what came next is the part that is fascinating.
They went on to breed these male mice. Their offspring, when exposed to the smell of acetophenone, had the same startled, fearful reaction and heightened sensitivity.
These pups had never been exposed to electric shocks or any other pain and had never been introduced to the fathering mice. Even the following generation had this same fear response.
This wasn’t just “inherited behavioural traits”, this fear literally altered the neuroanatomy of the two generations following.
Why Is This So Important
This discovery is life-altering, and we need to talk about it.
Do you find yourself quick to anger? Easily frustrated or overstimulated? When your reaction is bigger than the moment calls for, there is always a reason for this.
Maybe it can be traced back to a particular traumatic event in your own life. But consider this … maybe it’s not even yours.
If the concept still seems crazy to you, I don’t blame you. This really challenges so many belief patterns that we have all developed through modern living, but I urge you to dive deeper into this subject.
Do some reading, meditate on this, because once you accept that the emotions we store within our bodies can cause us to develop negative behaviour patterns, it really opens your eyes to a whole new perspective.
It’s not your fault, but … it is your responsibility.
The good news is, even if this negative emotion is inherited, the epigenetics can be reversed.
Allowing our nervous system to feel safe enough to release what we have been holding onto can be incredibly uncomfortable, but nothing will change, until we accept this as our responsibility. To break the cycle.
Whatever we don’t deal with, we pass on.
My Personal Responsibility
As a parent, I see it as my responsibility to interrupt the negative behaviour patterns I have developed, release negative emotions, reverse the epigenetics, and create space for growth and healing.
This journey, while uncomfortable, has allowed me to welcome so much more love and light into my life. It has allowed me to feel safety and to approach every day with more patience and kindness.
What a privilege to have this knowledge, to be able to bear this burden for future generations.
Life gets so much brighter when we start to lighten our load.
Trust your body, trust yourself. Let's heal the world, together.
Lisa x
*See previous blog posts expanding on fascia and stored trauma*
https://renwellness.com.au/blogs/the-ren-journal/fascia-where-trauma-lives-amp-how-we-can-release-it
https://renwellness.com.au/blogs/the-ren-journal/it-s-not-your-fault-but-it-is-your-responsibility
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