​“Without A Body, I Am Nobody”

Towards the end of last year, I read the ‘The Divided Self’ by R.D. Laing and, before this, I read ‘The Integrity of the Personality’ by Anthony Storr. In one or both of these books, it went into how someone felt like a nobody as they were disconnected from their body.

One then had a physical body but they didn’t feel connected to the part of them that was beneath their head. This caused them to feel insignificant, powerless and as though they had no control over their life.

The Power Area

What this emphasises is how important it is for someone to feel connected to their body. With this connection, one can feel strong and powerful; without it, they can feel weak and powerless.

This connection is usually broken if someone has experienced some kind of trauma. The trauma would have caused them to feel overwhelmed, which would have made them disconnect from their body.

Divided

One will then live in their head and this is going to mean that they won’t have firm foundations. The emotional power that they would have if they were connected to their body will be gone, as will their connection to the earth.

It can be as if they are just a head that is floating around in the air with nothing to anchor them to the earth. They can have positive thoughts and see themselves as strong but, without their body, what is going on in their head is unlikely to have much of an impact.

Being a Somebody

In order for them to feel significant and as though they actually have an effect, it will be essential for them to deal with the trauma that is being held in their body. One could be this way because of what has taken place in their adult life, or it could go back to what took place during their early years.

If it goes back to their early years, feeling like a nobody could be what is normal; they might not even know what it is like to experience life differently. What this may illustrate is that their early years were extremely traumatic and a time when they simply didn’t feel safe.

The Only Option

Due to what was going on around them at this stage of their life and how overwhelming it was, they would have had no other choice than to leave their body. They wouldn’t have been able to fight back or to go anywhere.

To protect themselves, then, their mind would have utilised this survival mechanism. At this stage of their life it would have kept them alive, but now they are an adult, staying out of their body can make it seem as though they are nothing more than an idea, not a real person.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to resolving the trauma that is inside them, they will most likely need to reach out for external support. This is something that can be provided by the assistance of a therapist or healer.

There is likely to be layers and layers of trauma inside them, which means that they won’t get back in their body overnight. However, with patience, persistence and an open mind, there is no reason why this won’t happen.

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk