The Wisdom of Your Body: Finding Healing, Wholeness, and Connection through Embodied Living

by Hillary L. McBride

Bodies get in the way of what really matters: theology and intellect. Theology and intellect aren’t superior to the physical aspect of human experience, but we have a history of using them as a way to escape, or bypass, the difficult realities of our bodily existence. But prioritizing theology and intellect over other forms of wisdom, knowing, and spirituality is in many cases a by-product of privilege. Who has the luxury of being able to identify more with thinking than with bodily existence? Traditionally, it was men of high status who could spend their time in the academy or seminary rather than engaging in physical labor or caring for children. Others with less privilege or status could not escape the needs and demands of their bodily existence, especially since social status related to the amount of physical labor a person did. Historically, those with the least social status have been people of color, women, and those with physical disabilities. The paradox here is that the individuals who had more social power because of their bodies did not experience themselves as defined by their bodies, but they made choices that affected the day-to-day bodily realities of others. Obvious examples of this include men determining the reproductive rights of women, or people without disabilities designing buildings that restrict building access for those with disabilities. While thinking, theology, and philosophizing in and of themselves are not bad, we miss out on the full picture...