The Gut Knows First: How IBS Signals Unfelt Emotions
One of the things that has struck me in my work with mind body symptoms is how so many of the symptoms really all amount to the same thing: an experience in the mind getting played out in the body through any number of systems. But one way to think about these systems—musculoskeletal, neurological, digestive, circulatory, etc.—is that they present the kinds of symptoms that are easily expressed within that system.
While the musculoskeletal system can generate both acute and seemingly chronic symptoms (because muscles can tense up for a short or a long time, depending on how long we remain tense) and the same can happen with neurological function, I find the digestive system to be one of far more transient function. This is why IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is a symptom that really comes and goes. The digestive tract is made to expel things we need to get rid of quickly and this includes bad feelings.
In the mind body system, I use (the columns system), I find it can be helpful to think of stubborn symptoms that won’t move much or are persistent for longer durations as related to our thought processes—particularly when we begin to doubt that we are okay or can get better. With symptoms that have sudden onsets and upticks, such as we see in IBS, it is often a sign that there is an emotional disturbance at the moment of the onset or uptick, rather than a fear or doubt-based response. Think of IBS as one of the mind body symptoms that is far more directly correlated with unconscious emotion, and you can discover what causes those moments and learn to better control them.
When you recognize that sudden digestive symptoms are not random, but your body’s way of communicating an unprocessed emotional experience of the moment, it shifts the focus from fear to curiosity. Instead of spiraling into worry or helplessness about what might be ‘wrong’ physically, you can begin to ask yourself, ‘What might I be feeling right now that I have not acknowledged?’ Over time, this simple shift—moving from symptom monitoring to emotion monitoring—can be a powerful tool for reducing symptom frequency and severity. IBS, and similar mind-body symptoms, are not punishments from your body; they are invitations to listen more closely to yourself.
Dan Ratner is a mind-body expert and creator of the Three Column System which helps people master chronic pain and other conditions. Columns Work™ can help you reduce and annihilate symptoms to return to happy, full, and powerful living. www.crushingdoubt.com
