The Brain is Knowledge, the Body is Wisdom

“Ummm.. my stomach?” -a client will say to me when I ask where an emotion is felt in their body. Often with a tone of uncertainty and a dash of ‘I should know this’ in their body language.

I often remind my clients to check in with themselves after a “should” statement, to ask themselves, “Am I shoulding on myself?” 

I recently found this quote from Shannon Litzenberger, a dancer, choreographer, and embodied facilitator, “The Western worldview has fundamentally shaped our sense of self as disembodied, propagating the notion that mind and body are separate. We’ve been taught that the rational, thinking mind is the locus of knowledge, superior to its lesser counterpart—the body.” 

Oooo, I’ve read it over and over and each time it resonates deeper. We metaphorically walk around as floating heads, being rewarded by society and capitalism for staying disconnected from our body. As mammals, we are hardwired for safety and connection, so we are always looking for ways to feel safe (physically, emotionally, and psychologically) and connected to ourselves and others but don’t realize that the tool we need for that is one we have, our body. In comes, your nervous system—your body’s command center. 

Roughly 500 million years old, the nervous system is how your body communicates with and to itself; it takes in information from the external environment through the senses you have access to (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch) and signals to your brain the action to take (move, speak, listen, look, etc.).

Wait, so you’re saying our bodies are older than our brains?? Actually, yes. The thinking part of the brain, responsible for rational decisions, impulse control, problem solving, language, and more, was developed roughly 200 million years ago.

What’s important to know about your nervous system is that it’s number one concern is keeping you safe and alive. It’s part of the reason you can read this today, because your nervous system has protectively moved you through adversity and trauma to ensure you are kept alive. 

The nervous system is made up of 2 major parts- the central nervous system (CNS) which is made of your brain and spinal cord. And, the peripheral nervous system (PNS) which is made of nerves that branch out from the spinal cord and extend throughout all branches of your body. Furthermore, and the place my work is focused, is the two parts that make up the PNS—the autonomic nervous system and somatic nervous system. I’m going to further focus on the autonomic nervous system and will talk later about the somatic nervous system.

The autonomic nervous system is responsible for regulating all the things we do without conscious awareness—heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, digesting, arousal, etc. The autonomic nervous system is also made up of 3 distinct divisions—(by now, you may be noticing just how intricate and intertwined we are, much more complex than a floating head) the sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric system(s).

Let’s understand these 3 branches.

The sympathetic nervous system is a network of nerves that prepares your body for a “fight or flight” response. The overall effect of an activated SNS is preparing the body for physical action—it involves a whole-body preparation—dilation of the eyes, increased heart rate, increased air in the lungs, slowing of digestion, adrenaline and cortisol (stress hormone) release—so you are prepared to either fight the threat, or run from the threat.

The parasympathetic nervous system is a network of nerves that prepares your body to relax, rest, and digest. The overall effect of an activated PNS is preparing the body for rest and digest— just like the SNS, it also involves whole-body preparation—constriction of the eyes, decreased heart rate, slower breathing, increased rate of digestion, lower blood pressure—so you are prepared to be in a state of relaxation that promotes rejuvenation and your body returning to homeostasis.

And finally, the enteric system (and the largest and most complex branch of the autonomic nervous system) or often referred to as the body’s “second brain”—this part of your system is fully responsible for digestion and functioning in the gastrointestinal tract. So, eating and pooping.

So, your autonomic nervous system is made up of 3 distinct and crucial parts:
• Sympathetic—the body’s “fight or flight”
• Parasympathetic—the body’s “rest, digest, and relax”
• Enteric—the gut, or the body’s “second brain”

It is very clear to see that we are more than just floating heads, we are in fact the furthest from disembodied mammals, yet many of us live as though our brain holds all the answers. As we keep diving into understanding your nervous system, I’ll leave you with this—your brain is knowledge, your body is wisdom. 

The Root of the Problem