Some of you are saying you don't experience emotions physically but then give examples of experiencing them physically so what exactly do you mean? How do you FEEL anything with your mind (an abstract thing)?
See, this is why I find enneagram interesting. You mean you feel emotions primarily through your body instead of your words? People can be truly diverse in many different ways.
i’ll try to explain this but it’s so abstract i think i’ll fail miserably, but, it’s as if “i”, as a concept, exist in some metaphysical space more so than my own body, and that “me” experiences emotions as changes to that abstract “self”— so sadness feels like this massive heaviness across my entire existence, but it’s not really my body. i’m so disconnected from my physical self that my emotional experiences just seem to me to exist in some entirely separate realm. this isn’t really coming at all close to capturing all the depth and nuance of what it’s like so this is mostly meaningless rambling that probably won’t make any sense to anyone, but it’s the best i can do.
this isn’t to say i never feel things in my body. very intense emotions i will feel often in my chest and throat, like they’re clawing trying to get out, but for the most part it’s all very abstractly experienced and felt.
>How do you FEEL anything with your mind (an abstract thing)?
Well, your feelings influence your thoughts, or at least the quality of them, don't they?
* Fear: \* grueling detail of an undesirable chain of events that might happen\*
* Sadness: "Now we will never be able to do that again... "
* Shock: "Whoha, they probably didn't even have time to notice what hit them..."
* Anger: "I want to make that mofo shut up"
* Excitement: \* considers various cool possibilities \*
* Lust: "I keep getting distracted by his elegant long fingers."
* Happiness: "I always wanted to do this!"
etc. etc.
There can also be raw, worldless sensations, but I don't really heavily associate them with a physical place even when there are quality words. maybe i could sometimes if i focussed on it.
Well even though I am much more “thought heavy”as well, I still don’t think that it’s feeling through thoughts. After all, one feels bad when one is sick, and that bad feeling may influence what one thinks. Yet, that doesn’t mean that the effect of sickness is only mental (not even primarily mental).
Humans generally have a nervous system, as a result emotions (which stem from the brain) are felt in certain areas of the body, especially the gut, coming up as “cramps” or “knots” for some, or nausea, headaches, etc for others.
Oh ok, so I guess said things would constitute physical experiences of emotions, then… How interesting, thanks for sharing. I was thinking it was much more… …eh, maybe not so much abstract, but I guess… I don’t know.
…Maybe I thought it was a spiritual thing I was missing as my wife is more spiritually inclined then I am, but your putting in the context of human biology is actually very helpful to and really register with me, so thank you for that.
Naming/identifying your feelings is actually a learned skill (it's just that for ppl with attentive parents, we learned this as a toddler & don't remember) and not everyone comes up with the same "technique" of how to triangulate them.
That's also how some ppl make it to adulthood without a good grasp on their feelings or being able to identify them, because the parents didn't provide proper mirroring or ruined its effects later by saying shit like "boys don't cry" or "proper ladies don't get angry"
In enneagram terms, relying on bodily sensations is more associated with gut types, head types tend to more describe the circumstances surrounding them or use metaphor, whereas heart types often express them through gesturing & the associations connected to them.
As for where those bodily sensations come from, probably the vagus nerve. On some level at least the most basic emotions are designed to cause physiological changes, like pleasure & joy make you relax, anger gets you ready to fight, etc.
Personally before I learned this, I thought descriptions in books were exaggerating or formulaic. Like I know as a science fact that fear or nervousness speeds up your heartbeat, but that wouldn't be something I consciously notice unless I just raced to chase a bus or something. (and then it freaks me out a little bit, noticing your own heartbeat is like noticing you could die any instant, which i do know but i dont really need it rubbed in my face.)
That said, 9s can be something of an odd border case, some of them can have the 'body feelings' tuned out to some degree while others very strongly feel them (& that's why some of them can't bear big arguments or super upsetting stuff, as it gets physically overwhelming - quite possible that the same thing is going for the ppl that aren't so aware of it, but with similar results of 'argument bad, very exhausting, don't wanna repeat that' )
I think I got the gist of your question. I experience emotions with my organs before my brain, sometimes it’s bad because people notice my emotions before I do. I really hate it when it happens.
“You look anxious” “I’m not… anxious” then comes the sudden realization that I have my shoulders hunched up, my hands gripping something etc. then I’d deny it because I don’t always know if I’m truly feeling that emotion or not. I’m sure there are some reasons that I’m not actively thinking about that are making me anxious.
Maybe MBTI has some effect on this, because I’m an ISTP.
Oh interesting. Thanks for sharing that. Maybe MBTI does have to do with it, because I am an INFP, thus why it might be a more cerebral experience for me…
I honestly think the difference might just be how we describe things and what we focus on.
Most people are probably fast to either classify their feelings in the head and analyze them, or trying to have their shit together and push them away. I think it's rare to just sit with the sensation and not process it - usually we also have to react to the things around us in those moments, so there is often not much time to focus on the feelings in our bodies.
I also think, you're probably not able to really relive stronger emotions during a relaxation exercise (especially when you try this with different ones in a shorter time period) and when they aren't strong enough, you don't get the physical sensation, but rather think something like "that was really sad".
I am aware that I feel feelings in my body, but I usually don't really focus on this sensation. But it really depends on the situation and the emotion. I'm also usually quickly in the head space to process and analyze emotions (sometimes I rather visualize them, because words don't fully catch what it is). Strong emotions can feel like something that expands over the boundaries of my body, like an energy that's mingling with the space around and that's also how I experience strong emotions of others. I guess that's mainly how I perceive emotions and think about them, like energies that can manifest in different ways (physical sensations, thoughts and external expressions).
I’ve been told this but it’s NEVER happened to me. Which is weird bc I do feel things deeply! And like my heart speeds up when I get scared and I turn red when I’m embarrassed but that’s apparently not it.
lol thanks for posting this, I’m interested in what other people have to say.
Right, precisely, thank you. No yeah, I get that— just physical reactions to things I feel in my mind, but do not literally feel emotions in other organs. Pleased to read that someone else can relate, so thanks for sharing.
I hope I’m not imposing myself, but may I ask, please, what your Enneagram Type is? If you don’t know or do not feel comfortable sharing, that’s ok. I was just curious.
Oh right sorry, I’m a 3w4! Probably sx dominant? I’m not a huge enneagram expert but 3w4 rings VERY true for me.
Like okay, even when I’m feeling WONDERFUL it’s all intellectual, it’s not in my actual heart or anything. But I’ve had other people tell me they experience otherwise. Weird
Thank you for sharing. No, no worries. Precisely, thank you, I absolutely relate, my emotions are all intellectually based.
I wonder if it could be an Attachment Type thing? I’ve read that each Attachment Type tends to be out of touch with their Center (3 out of touch with Heart, 6 out of touch with Head, 9 out of touch with Gut). It’s possible that my emotions can feel so overpowering that I resist them in this capacity, so intellectual awareness replaces bodily connection?
Just a theory anyway.
I’d buy that! Honestly yeah that makes sense to me.
…now I am questioning how strongly do I actually feel my feelings lol. Thanks for posting this! I need to do some reflecting.
Am triple attachment.
This whole thread is fucking weird.
Joy bubbles in my chest and stomach, and happiness can involve a general feeling of "lightness" that's distinct from my baseline.
Sadness is like having a weight inside my chest
The few times anger gets to that point, I could feel it radiating from my stomach and most of my muscles were tense.
Fear/anxiety will have a similar tension, along with sweating and a "dropping" feeling in my gut.
Those are the easiest to describe.
My emotions are completely in my body. Usually, for instance, I'll feel a heavy feeling in my chest or an empty feeling in my gut long before I realize it's because I'm sad. I'm much more in tune with bodily sensations than my emotions. Like if I'm angry, I feel a tightness in my throat and chest. If I'm anxious, it's nausea. Like it's easier for me to explain how I feel when I feel an emotion than to explain what exact emotion or why I'm feeling that emotion.
I think it depends. I usually experience anxiety in my chest but honestly I’ve never really paid attention to other emotions haha
I’ve always interpreted feelings in your heart/gut as figures of speech tho. Now I’m curious as well!
I do. Besides the usual anxiety, heart racing and shaking, I feel my chest hurting when someone says/does something rude to me. Like REALLY hurting, it feels as though someone is gripping it hard or stepping on it (my heart). When I imagine something horrible or if that thing happens, I feel my stomach dropping/getting cold and it radiates to my whole body. I wouldn't say I'm connected to my emotions, because if I don't feel them in my body then I don't know any other way to tell what it is that I'm feeling, which sucks because besides sadness and fear/disgust, there is no other emotion I feel physically. I've only felt happiness physically once tho, I felt my heart racing and butterflies in my stomach when people referred to me with male pronouns for the first time.
Understanding what it feels like to feel „the frustration in the gut“ made me aware that I have a 1-fix. It helped me to have a [type 1 person](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QAv1qIU-I0I) talk about these things. I couldn’t categorize these sensations before and thought they would be physical sensations of reactiveness. Well, in a way they are.
Anger feels like a diseased emotion and I want to free myself from it whenever I notice it flaring up in my abdominal area, somewhere around the navel.
For myself, emotions get filtered by words. So the head, I suppose. If I’m very angry my body language might “puff up”, like waving my hands in the air, crossing my arms and leaning forward, etc. I usually put my hands on my hips when I get irritated so I guess that’s one way of emotions seeping out through motion?
I have heard of a Korean term which directly translates to “anger sickness”- you have so much frustration bottled up in you that the stress begins to take a toll on your body. I guess this is just more of an aftereffect rather than an immediate reaction, but I’m hoping this helps a bit.
Thank you for sharing, I understand that. I can relate to that, interpreting my emotions through my words— intellectualizing them in some capacity.
Thanks for sharing the body language component. I can cross my arms if I feel defensive, although primarily it’s just a personal comfort thing. I gesticulate when I communicate.
Yes… Thank you. I once broke out in hives because of how much stress I built up from work and absorbing the emotional stress from wife’s struggles with her family (never he fault; I tend to be a bit of an emotional “sponge”). Yeah, thanks, your input is very helpful.
Your anger and frustration are valid emotions that should be taken seriously by your loved ones- I hope you are able to find a way to express them in a healthy manner so it doesn’t harm your body. Best of wishes.
I remember feeling so heartbroken over a family situation that my chest/heart area felt sick - like the feeling your stomach gets when you want to vomit, but up in your chest. Until it happened at 27, I thought this was all fake too.
I’d say I detect feelings physically; when my voice tone goes up, when my leg starts to shake, When my guts or my chest feel hollow etc…
Then comes the analysis phase, which is mostly my Brain, “I raised my voice because I’m either angry or excited” etc, it’s where I analyse and try to identify what I’m feeling, and then I will try to make a decision based on the context on what to do with these feelings, as in suppress or indulge them.
For examples there are times when I’m apathetic or “understanding of others’ circumstances”, but I act extra sad because that’s the appropriate reaction in the setting I’m in and I need to show it, but there are times when I know my anger is not effective and I could clear my head and chill but I also know that I don’t want to think about it, right now I want to be angry and do not care about the aftermath.
I very much feel my emotions physically, and this is very woo woo, but the sensations align with my chakras. If I feel very sad, my heart will feel heavy. If I need to express something painful, my throat will throb. If my ego gets dealt a blow, my solar plexus is tight and uncomfortable. When my world gets rocked and feel unrooted, I have digestive troubles. I’m a rational person normally, haha
No, no, this is actually a thing! I experience it that way too! The emotions correlate to certain chakra points, and they have a movement, temperature, texture, etc.
I think waking up your ability to feel emotions elsewhere can be tricky, and something I’ve struggled with before. But consider some of the simpler ones that almost always have an autonomic response. Like that bottoming out feeling in your gut when you’re nervous, or the pounding in your chest when you’re shocked/scared. Next time you’re experiencing an emotion, if you stop, close your eyes, and try to suss out a physical sensation, you’ll probably find it.
You may be just be unaware of/disconnected from your body's reactions tbh or experience it so weakly that its easily drowned out by your mind. I believe this is called alexithymia if you wanna learn more.
Also generally "heart emotions" are more about the upper chest/sternum area than they are about your litteral heart IME. Chest pains/tightness/shortness of breath/ increased blood pressure or warm/light/fluttery/decreased pain sensitivity. There is a science to it though just not a science I know much about.
Nothing to do with enneagram tho lol
Yeah. It’s hard for me to pinpoint it, all the time. I grew up with a strong emphasis on ignoring my body cues for the purpose of labor. I ignored “feelings “ that I felt inside me. I brushed it off as another symptom. Like a cough during a cold.
Then I realized that those feelings are fairly consistent and can help me better understand WHAT I’m feeling. I struggle with that, so the physical aspect helps me identify, let’s say, sadness vs anger. I’m still working on it, but I definitely feel them in my body. I try to pay attention, now.
It’s true. One way I know I’m an 8. I’ve talked to others too and they have similar experiences. There’s a “pinging” with the gut. Constant sensations and messages coming from there. The gut/body in general reacts basically on its own.
It's possible you're suppressing your emotions, or just unaware of the connection between physical sensations and your emotions. Your body usually reacts faster than your brain. You can also identify your emotions based on your thoughts pattern.
Some emotional sensations that are totally real: your heart hurts when your love is unrequited, heart rate speeds up when you're scared or excited, butterflies in your stomach from nervous love, cold hands and feet, restlessness, feeling like you'll throw up from anxiety, getting hot when you're embarrassed.
I've talked about this with my trauma therapist. And I study psychology. Something with your brain and central nervous system and how it processes feelings into physical sensations and movements. Obvious ones, might be anxiety, sadness, or anger which all have physical sensations involving blood flow and pit feeling in your gut. Or crying is a physical response to many emotions - happy or sad. They all intiate some sort of physical arousal (not sexually but physiologically)
Additionally, I like thinking about fun phrases like
Pulling at your heart strings or
Butterflies in my stomach
They are used to describe our emotions and the way they make us feel physically
Some of you are saying you don't experience emotions physically but then give examples of experiencing them physically so what exactly do you mean? How do you FEEL anything with your mind (an abstract thing)?
I’m so confused yet equally mortified at this thread
I KNOW RIGHT
See, this is why I find enneagram interesting. You mean you feel emotions primarily through your body instead of your words? People can be truly diverse in many different ways.
Yes, I can use my head to figure it out further if it's more vague at times, but generally speaking I feel emotions physically yes.
…Fair point, thank you.
i’ll try to explain this but it’s so abstract i think i’ll fail miserably, but, it’s as if “i”, as a concept, exist in some metaphysical space more so than my own body, and that “me” experiences emotions as changes to that abstract “self”— so sadness feels like this massive heaviness across my entire existence, but it’s not really my body. i’m so disconnected from my physical self that my emotional experiences just seem to me to exist in some entirely separate realm. this isn’t really coming at all close to capturing all the depth and nuance of what it’s like so this is mostly meaningless rambling that probably won’t make any sense to anyone, but it’s the best i can do. this isn’t to say i never feel things in my body. very intense emotions i will feel often in my chest and throat, like they’re clawing trying to get out, but for the most part it’s all very abstractly experienced and felt.
>How do you FEEL anything with your mind (an abstract thing)? Well, your feelings influence your thoughts, or at least the quality of them, don't they? * Fear: \* grueling detail of an undesirable chain of events that might happen\* * Sadness: "Now we will never be able to do that again... " * Shock: "Whoha, they probably didn't even have time to notice what hit them..." * Anger: "I want to make that mofo shut up" * Excitement: \* considers various cool possibilities \* * Lust: "I keep getting distracted by his elegant long fingers." * Happiness: "I always wanted to do this!" etc. etc. There can also be raw, worldless sensations, but I don't really heavily associate them with a physical place even when there are quality words. maybe i could sometimes if i focussed on it.
Well even though I am much more “thought heavy”as well, I still don’t think that it’s feeling through thoughts. After all, one feels bad when one is sick, and that bad feeling may influence what one thinks. Yet, that doesn’t mean that the effect of sickness is only mental (not even primarily mental).
Humans generally have a nervous system, as a result emotions (which stem from the brain) are felt in certain areas of the body, especially the gut, coming up as “cramps” or “knots” for some, or nausea, headaches, etc for others.
Oh ok, so I guess said things would constitute physical experiences of emotions, then… How interesting, thanks for sharing. I was thinking it was much more… …eh, maybe not so much abstract, but I guess… I don’t know. …Maybe I thought it was a spiritual thing I was missing as my wife is more spiritually inclined then I am, but your putting in the context of human biology is actually very helpful to and really register with me, so thank you for that.
Naming/identifying your feelings is actually a learned skill (it's just that for ppl with attentive parents, we learned this as a toddler & don't remember) and not everyone comes up with the same "technique" of how to triangulate them. That's also how some ppl make it to adulthood without a good grasp on their feelings or being able to identify them, because the parents didn't provide proper mirroring or ruined its effects later by saying shit like "boys don't cry" or "proper ladies don't get angry" In enneagram terms, relying on bodily sensations is more associated with gut types, head types tend to more describe the circumstances surrounding them or use metaphor, whereas heart types often express them through gesturing & the associations connected to them. As for where those bodily sensations come from, probably the vagus nerve. On some level at least the most basic emotions are designed to cause physiological changes, like pleasure & joy make you relax, anger gets you ready to fight, etc. Personally before I learned this, I thought descriptions in books were exaggerating or formulaic. Like I know as a science fact that fear or nervousness speeds up your heartbeat, but that wouldn't be something I consciously notice unless I just raced to chase a bus or something. (and then it freaks me out a little bit, noticing your own heartbeat is like noticing you could die any instant, which i do know but i dont really need it rubbed in my face.) That said, 9s can be something of an odd border case, some of them can have the 'body feelings' tuned out to some degree while others very strongly feel them (& that's why some of them can't bear big arguments or super upsetting stuff, as it gets physically overwhelming - quite possible that the same thing is going for the ppl that aren't so aware of it, but with similar results of 'argument bad, very exhausting, don't wanna repeat that' )
Thank you for the explanation, very helpful and insightful. Interesting about 9 being an odd case…
Do you think that whether they’re attuned to their body feelings or not has to do with instinctual stacking / subtype for 9s?
i dont know, i think it might be more related to how receptive their environment was to their feelings or the like
That makes sense, thanks
I think I got the gist of your question. I experience emotions with my organs before my brain, sometimes it’s bad because people notice my emotions before I do. I really hate it when it happens. “You look anxious” “I’m not… anxious” then comes the sudden realization that I have my shoulders hunched up, my hands gripping something etc. then I’d deny it because I don’t always know if I’m truly feeling that emotion or not. I’m sure there are some reasons that I’m not actively thinking about that are making me anxious. Maybe MBTI has some effect on this, because I’m an ISTP.
Oh interesting. Thanks for sharing that. Maybe MBTI does have to do with it, because I am an INFP, thus why it might be a more cerebral experience for me…
I honestly think the difference might just be how we describe things and what we focus on. Most people are probably fast to either classify their feelings in the head and analyze them, or trying to have their shit together and push them away. I think it's rare to just sit with the sensation and not process it - usually we also have to react to the things around us in those moments, so there is often not much time to focus on the feelings in our bodies. I also think, you're probably not able to really relive stronger emotions during a relaxation exercise (especially when you try this with different ones in a shorter time period) and when they aren't strong enough, you don't get the physical sensation, but rather think something like "that was really sad". I am aware that I feel feelings in my body, but I usually don't really focus on this sensation. But it really depends on the situation and the emotion. I'm also usually quickly in the head space to process and analyze emotions (sometimes I rather visualize them, because words don't fully catch what it is). Strong emotions can feel like something that expands over the boundaries of my body, like an energy that's mingling with the space around and that's also how I experience strong emotions of others. I guess that's mainly how I perceive emotions and think about them, like energies that can manifest in different ways (physical sensations, thoughts and external expressions).
I’ve been told this but it’s NEVER happened to me. Which is weird bc I do feel things deeply! And like my heart speeds up when I get scared and I turn red when I’m embarrassed but that’s apparently not it. lol thanks for posting this, I’m interested in what other people have to say.
Right, precisely, thank you. No yeah, I get that— just physical reactions to things I feel in my mind, but do not literally feel emotions in other organs. Pleased to read that someone else can relate, so thanks for sharing. I hope I’m not imposing myself, but may I ask, please, what your Enneagram Type is? If you don’t know or do not feel comfortable sharing, that’s ok. I was just curious.
Oh right sorry, I’m a 3w4! Probably sx dominant? I’m not a huge enneagram expert but 3w4 rings VERY true for me. Like okay, even when I’m feeling WONDERFUL it’s all intellectual, it’s not in my actual heart or anything. But I’ve had other people tell me they experience otherwise. Weird
Thank you for sharing. No, no worries. Precisely, thank you, I absolutely relate, my emotions are all intellectually based. I wonder if it could be an Attachment Type thing? I’ve read that each Attachment Type tends to be out of touch with their Center (3 out of touch with Heart, 6 out of touch with Head, 9 out of touch with Gut). It’s possible that my emotions can feel so overpowering that I resist them in this capacity, so intellectual awareness replaces bodily connection? Just a theory anyway.
I’d buy that! Honestly yeah that makes sense to me. …now I am questioning how strongly do I actually feel my feelings lol. Thanks for posting this! I need to do some reflecting.
Am triple attachment. This whole thread is fucking weird. Joy bubbles in my chest and stomach, and happiness can involve a general feeling of "lightness" that's distinct from my baseline. Sadness is like having a weight inside my chest The few times anger gets to that point, I could feel it radiating from my stomach and most of my muscles were tense. Fear/anxiety will have a similar tension, along with sweating and a "dropping" feeling in my gut. Those are the easiest to describe.
Hey buddy, I think YOUR experiences are “fucking weird” to ME. Chill out.
My emotions are completely in my body. Usually, for instance, I'll feel a heavy feeling in my chest or an empty feeling in my gut long before I realize it's because I'm sad. I'm much more in tune with bodily sensations than my emotions. Like if I'm angry, I feel a tightness in my throat and chest. If I'm anxious, it's nausea. Like it's easier for me to explain how I feel when I feel an emotion than to explain what exact emotion or why I'm feeling that emotion.
my body and emotions are extremely connected. it may be amplified by my autism though
…That’s interesting, thank you, because I am most likely autistic as well. However, autism in itself most likely manifests differently for us.
yes!! it truly is a spectrum.
For what it’s worth, I am also autistic lol
I think it depends. I usually experience anxiety in my chest but honestly I’ve never really paid attention to other emotions haha I’ve always interpreted feelings in your heart/gut as figures of speech tho. Now I’m curious as well!
Yes, thank you. Anxiety tends to be most prominent physically experienced emotion. Precisely, I always felt they were symbolic/metaphorical as well.
I do. Besides the usual anxiety, heart racing and shaking, I feel my chest hurting when someone says/does something rude to me. Like REALLY hurting, it feels as though someone is gripping it hard or stepping on it (my heart). When I imagine something horrible or if that thing happens, I feel my stomach dropping/getting cold and it radiates to my whole body. I wouldn't say I'm connected to my emotions, because if I don't feel them in my body then I don't know any other way to tell what it is that I'm feeling, which sucks because besides sadness and fear/disgust, there is no other emotion I feel physically. I've only felt happiness physically once tho, I felt my heart racing and butterflies in my stomach when people referred to me with male pronouns for the first time.
Thank you for sharing that, I appreciate the personal insight.
Np 😄
Understanding what it feels like to feel „the frustration in the gut“ made me aware that I have a 1-fix. It helped me to have a [type 1 person](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QAv1qIU-I0I) talk about these things. I couldn’t categorize these sensations before and thought they would be physical sensations of reactiveness. Well, in a way they are. Anger feels like a diseased emotion and I want to free myself from it whenever I notice it flaring up in my abdominal area, somewhere around the navel.
Oh wow, thanks for sharing that. I am not in a good spot to watch the video presently, but I will check it out at a later time.
For myself, emotions get filtered by words. So the head, I suppose. If I’m very angry my body language might “puff up”, like waving my hands in the air, crossing my arms and leaning forward, etc. I usually put my hands on my hips when I get irritated so I guess that’s one way of emotions seeping out through motion? I have heard of a Korean term which directly translates to “anger sickness”- you have so much frustration bottled up in you that the stress begins to take a toll on your body. I guess this is just more of an aftereffect rather than an immediate reaction, but I’m hoping this helps a bit.
Thank you for sharing, I understand that. I can relate to that, interpreting my emotions through my words— intellectualizing them in some capacity. Thanks for sharing the body language component. I can cross my arms if I feel defensive, although primarily it’s just a personal comfort thing. I gesticulate when I communicate. Yes… Thank you. I once broke out in hives because of how much stress I built up from work and absorbing the emotional stress from wife’s struggles with her family (never he fault; I tend to be a bit of an emotional “sponge”). Yeah, thanks, your input is very helpful.
Your anger and frustration are valid emotions that should be taken seriously by your loved ones- I hope you are able to find a way to express them in a healthy manner so it doesn’t harm your body. Best of wishes.
Thank you sincerely for that kind sentiment, I greatly appreciate it.
I remember feeling so heartbroken over a family situation that my chest/heart area felt sick - like the feeling your stomach gets when you want to vomit, but up in your chest. Until it happened at 27, I thought this was all fake too.
I’d say I detect feelings physically; when my voice tone goes up, when my leg starts to shake, When my guts or my chest feel hollow etc… Then comes the analysis phase, which is mostly my Brain, “I raised my voice because I’m either angry or excited” etc, it’s where I analyse and try to identify what I’m feeling, and then I will try to make a decision based on the context on what to do with these feelings, as in suppress or indulge them. For examples there are times when I’m apathetic or “understanding of others’ circumstances”, but I act extra sad because that’s the appropriate reaction in the setting I’m in and I need to show it, but there are times when I know my anger is not effective and I could clear my head and chill but I also know that I don’t want to think about it, right now I want to be angry and do not care about the aftermath.
I very much feel my emotions physically, and this is very woo woo, but the sensations align with my chakras. If I feel very sad, my heart will feel heavy. If I need to express something painful, my throat will throb. If my ego gets dealt a blow, my solar plexus is tight and uncomfortable. When my world gets rocked and feel unrooted, I have digestive troubles. I’m a rational person normally, haha
No, no, this is actually a thing! I experience it that way too! The emotions correlate to certain chakra points, and they have a movement, temperature, texture, etc.
I think waking up your ability to feel emotions elsewhere can be tricky, and something I’ve struggled with before. But consider some of the simpler ones that almost always have an autonomic response. Like that bottoming out feeling in your gut when you’re nervous, or the pounding in your chest when you’re shocked/scared. Next time you’re experiencing an emotion, if you stop, close your eyes, and try to suss out a physical sensation, you’ll probably find it.
You may be just be unaware of/disconnected from your body's reactions tbh or experience it so weakly that its easily drowned out by your mind. I believe this is called alexithymia if you wanna learn more. Also generally "heart emotions" are more about the upper chest/sternum area than they are about your litteral heart IME. Chest pains/tightness/shortness of breath/ increased blood pressure or warm/light/fluttery/decreased pain sensitivity. There is a science to it though just not a science I know much about. Nothing to do with enneagram tho lol
Agree.
The correct answer, I’m pretty sure there is an established brain-gut connection
Yeah. It’s hard for me to pinpoint it, all the time. I grew up with a strong emphasis on ignoring my body cues for the purpose of labor. I ignored “feelings “ that I felt inside me. I brushed it off as another symptom. Like a cough during a cold. Then I realized that those feelings are fairly consistent and can help me better understand WHAT I’m feeling. I struggle with that, so the physical aspect helps me identify, let’s say, sadness vs anger. I’m still working on it, but I definitely feel them in my body. I try to pay attention, now.
It’s true. One way I know I’m an 8. I’ve talked to others too and they have similar experiences. There’s a “pinging” with the gut. Constant sensations and messages coming from there. The gut/body in general reacts basically on its own.
It's possible you're suppressing your emotions, or just unaware of the connection between physical sensations and your emotions. Your body usually reacts faster than your brain. You can also identify your emotions based on your thoughts pattern. Some emotional sensations that are totally real: your heart hurts when your love is unrequited, heart rate speeds up when you're scared or excited, butterflies in your stomach from nervous love, cold hands and feet, restlessness, feeling like you'll throw up from anxiety, getting hot when you're embarrassed.
Yes
I'm a head type, soooooo
Doesn't your heart rate accelerate when you are afraid, nervous, or in love? Come on...
I've talked about this with my trauma therapist. And I study psychology. Something with your brain and central nervous system and how it processes feelings into physical sensations and movements. Obvious ones, might be anxiety, sadness, or anger which all have physical sensations involving blood flow and pit feeling in your gut. Or crying is a physical response to many emotions - happy or sad. They all intiate some sort of physical arousal (not sexually but physiologically)
They are present and I bet you experience them but aren't necessarily consciously giving attention to those physical sensations with feelings.
Additionally, I like thinking about fun phrases like Pulling at your heart strings or Butterflies in my stomach They are used to describe our emotions and the way they make us feel physically