Usually when the word embodied is used without specifying what is being embodied, the assumption is that the body itself is being embodied. But what does that mean? And what if they are specifying embodying something? And how does that differ from being fully embodied? Let’s explore…
First off, there is a difference between the classical definition of embodiment, and the embodimental movement that is occurring in somatic therapies and alternative medicine. Not that all alternative practitioners will agree on a definition, but hopefully this summary will help bring the various uses of the word “embodiment” into coherence – since that is one of the core things we value here at Embodimental Health (and mental health in general) is to move toward coherence.
Classical Embodiment
Classically, embodiment is something regarded as observable from an outside perspective. Example: “Sir George is the dapper embodiment of modern chivalry”. How’s that for classical? Or how about what Angela Davis writes of Nina Simone: “In representing all of the women who had been silenced, in sharing her incomparable artistic genius, she was the embodiment of the revolutionary democracy we had not yet learned how to imagine”. This is a strong and inspiring statement that speaks a certain truth to many, however, who knows if Nina Simone herself would agree? No doubt she would have her own words for her personal experience.
The term “embodied” is used is to describe the coming in to existence of something intangible. For example, “This poem is the embodiment of the wrath of mother nature.” Here we see that there is no physical body that is doing the embodying, but rather a poem! Even something intangible can do the embodying. Again what we see here written as an embodiment is also someone’s opinion or interpretation.
Somatic Embodiment
The word somatic generally pertains to the body of a living being. The root word here is “soma”, from the Ancient Greek word for “body”. In the field of somatic therapies, the phrase “somatic embodiment” can sound redundant since we’re already referring to the physical body, so it makes sense just to use the word “embodiment”. However here, as opposed to classical embodiment, it is really up to each individual the degree to which they are embodied. Consider this simple model of embodiment potential:
Here we see that there must be a mind-body connection for embodiment to occur. Indeed tending to the mind-body connection is at the heart of somatic therapies. The term “somatic therapy” actually comes from the field of psychology at a time when the focus was mainly on the mind, or “psyche”, so somatic therapies were unique in that they included the often-ignored physical body. Since then somatic therapies have evolved and recognize the mind and body to be an inseparable body-mind unit. Perhaps a more accurate moniker would be “psychosomatic therapy”, however the term psychosomatic has been coopted by a connotation of being fake, even though symptoms previously thought of as psychosomatic can now be perceived as important information about the state of the mind-body connection.
In essence, embodiment is a skill that increases communication or connectivity between the body and the brain. It is used in somatic therapies to learn about how a person is organized internally, to identify blockages that could be causing disharmony (as happens with trauma), and to create new connections for the body-mind to function with greater ease and well-being.
The sum is greater than the parts
So now that we’ve explored a cognitive understanding of embodiment, let’s consider the experience itself. There is something you are embodying right now. What is it? And is it just part of you, or did you immediately go to your whole self as what you’re embodying?
If on paper embodiment is the trifecta of sensing, accepting, and expressing something, then what is it like to actually experience that? What is it about experiencing oneself that cannot be expressed by any explanation? This is territory where more questions arise than answers, until you turn toward experience itself, and then the answers don’t come in words.
What does it mean to be “fully embodied”?
Usually when people speak of being fully embodied, they’re not necessarily talking about some kind of maximum capacity level of embodiment. They may be talking about a state of aliveness that they have not known since childhood, or a kind of grounded spiritual awakening, or maybe the illustrious “flow state”. Perhaps a better question would be, “what does being fully embodied mean to you?” Afterall, embodiment is self-referencing by nature. If this topic has you curious, then that’s a great place from which to explore. Exploration of these kinds of questions and more is highly encouraged on our facebook group. Please consider joining if you haven’t already!
Related articles: