The use of mindfulness techniques is without doubt one of the most important tools within Body De-Armoring and other somatic practices.
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Considering that many people live rather in their heads, and in a much lesser degree in their bodies, somatic therapies are often aimed at combatting this dissociation and reestablishing a proper mind-body connection within an individual.
Mindfulness — in the context of somatic practices — is typically aimed at increasing body awareness, that is, cultivating mindfulness of the body. In fact, De-Armoring is about body awareness, about realizing how, when, why, and where the body stores, hides, and locks emotional content in bodily tissues as a defense against the emergence of repressed or suppressed emotions.
Mindfulness of the body is also crucial in understanding the relationship between one’s emotional states and bodily states. The idea behind this is that the mind influences the body, but the body also influences the mind. Hence, by actively influencing or changing certain bodily or physiological reactions (such as our breathing patterns), we can also change or manage psychological/emotional reactions.
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It means that by becoming aware and mindful of one’s internal bodily states (think for instance of shallow breathing or muscular tensions and contractions), and not only of those of the mind, people can increase their self-knowledge and avoid or dissolve destructive or automatic habits and responses.
Mindfulness lies at the core of a range of Body-Oriented Psychology modalities in which people are taught to be fully present, aware of where they are now, and what they’re doing, and how their mind and body reacts in certain situations.
This can not only help them to better understand their “issues” on a cognitive level, but it also teaches them when to use certain techniques (such as breathwork or changes in posture or movements), to calm down, not become overwhelmed, and self-manage their distressing bodily reactions or emotions.
