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

by Hillary L. McBride

Although we use many words to describe how we feel, there are seven categories of primary emotions that have their own circuitry and function within us: anger, excitement, sadness, disgust, joy, fear, and sexual excitement. Each emotion emerges depending on what is happening within and around us. Anger helps strengthen us to fight, assert or defend ourselves, and make a change or get what we need. Excitement gives us the energy to move toward something, to investigate, or to explore. It’s part of how we expand and lean into life. Sadness, which can lead us to feel heavy and pulled down, signals to us and to those around us that we might need some support. It helps us to grieve and to learn what is painful to or meaningful for us. Disgust was originally an emotion that activated our gastrointestinal tract and certain facial muscles to keep us from ingesting something dangerous, but it has evolved to include all manner of things we find harmful (including policies and behavior). It can signal to others “This is harmful,” whatever “this” is at the moment. Joy helps us expand, heal, and continue to thrive. It drives us into an openhearted state in which we can connect and share. Fear puts us on alert, helping us to anticipate and perceive threat and to move toward protection and out of or away from situations that might be damaging to us. Sexual excitement or desire originally developed to keep our species alive through procreation.