Have you even considered how different parts of the body have such an obvious correlation with pain? Let’s have a quick scan down the body. This is a very quick scan but just paying attention to how emotions can impact different body parts is an interesting exercise.

The head – considering the amount of electrical and chemical activity happening in the brain, it’s understandable why headaches happen there.

The face – sinuses are internal tears.

Problems with ears and eyes – what don’t you want to hear or see?

The neck – a stiff neck – you can’t easily see what’s going on around you. It is also the bridge between the thinking brain and feeling heart. Disconnection there will manifest with neck pain.

The throat – where our voice box is – problems here ask what do you not feel safe enough to say?

The chest – the lungs have to do with letting go and are affected by grief. The heart is affected by craving, be it for substances, foods or excitement. For every kg of extra fat we carry, the body makes nearly 25 kgs of blood vessels! Being overweight puts enormous strain on the heart.

The shoulders – where we carry the world. Stress here indicates an inability to trust others – no one can do the job as well as we can – the control freak. (I know, I’m one.)

The abdomen – worry affects the stomach. Anger, irritability and frustration affect the liver.

Allowing your ego to determine you diet can impact the pancreas. The small intestine has to do with choices – what it takes in and what it allows to pass by. The large intestine obviously has to do with letting go. There is a direct link between the state of the large intestine and our skin.

The spine – the set of bones keeping up upright. Spinal issues can indicate that we are overburdened. The base of the spine has to do with security, home life, and how comfortably we ‘sit’ in our pelvis. The mid-back has to do with our power and flexibility. The top of the back, particularly the rhomboids (muscles between the shoulder blades and spine) are affected by anger and frustration and how easily we can use our arms to embrace life and people.

The arms – how we interact with the world – what we hold. Shoulder issues reflect this – frozen shoulder means that you can’t easily hug someone. The elbows also indicate flexibility. The hands do so much. Arthritis in the fingers can indicate a critical mindset – critical of self and/or others, the perfectionist.

The pelvis – area of our sexuality and defecation. Stiffness here impacts our ability to let go and enjoy life. It is also the area of creativity.

The hips – how we move forward in life. Hip pain is indicative of being held back. Older people often need hip replacements – where have they been prevented from freely carrying on?

The knees – where we show, or are made to feel, humility. There is also an aspect of pride in the knees – refusing to ‘bend the knee’ . A curtsey is an act of showing humility, as is praying.

The ankles – we need flexibility in our ankles in order to move forward.

The feet – how we are grounded. Foot pain can mean that we don’t feel safe standing on our own two feet.