Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience

by Brené Brown

The last skill under this category is feeling embodied and connected to self. We don’t talk enough about the importance of embodiment and what happens to us when we’re disconnected from our physical selves. In his book The Body Keeps the Score, trauma researcher Bessel van der Kolk writes, “Trauma victims cannot recover until they become familiar with and befriend the sensations in their bodies. Being frightened means that you live in a body that is always on guard. Angry people live in angry bodies. The bodies of child-abuse victims are tense and defensive until they find a way to relax and feel safe. In order to change, people need to become aware of their sensations and the way that their bodies interact with the world around them. Physical self-awareness is the first step in releasing the tyranny of the past.”