Getting Our Bodies Back Blog Series: Final Thoughts

In this blog series, we covered a lot based on the book Getting Our Bodies Back by Christine Caldwell. I learned a great deal from this book, especially the importance of paying attention to our bodies, emotions, and any sensations that might need our attention.

One thing that stood out from the book is body tags, which, as Caldwell describes, are ways we escape the present moment or signals from our body trying to tell us something. For example, am I biting my nails because I feel anxious about driving in traffic? Instead of ignoring this feeling, we can bring our attention to it and explore what it might be communicating.

In this final blog, I would like to focus on the creative response and the four affirmations.

The Creative Response

According to Caldwell, when we allow ourselves to be who we are without judgment, we awaken our creativity. By letting go of old beliefs, we make room for new ideas and perspectives, and a sense of inspiration is born within us. Many artists and philosophers create from the heart, drawing inspiration from a deep connection to their present experience.

Caldwell also suggests that addiction or habituation are the opposites of creativity. While addiction seeks to protect us by keeping us from fully experiencing life, creativity opens space for expression and allows life to bloom from the heart.

The following affirmations by Caldwell remind us of the power within and help us harvest compassion and awareness within ourselves:

1. My feeling and sensing is an act of my aliveness.

2. Everything I feel and sense is part of me.

3. Every part of me has its basis in love.

4. My aliveness and love find purpose and completion in my expression of them in the world.

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I really connected to these four affirmations; they are a kind and gentle reminder of living from the heart. As Caldwell puts it We are always uncovering new material, new mysteries, about ourselves, we are like astronauts, travelers of the road of our inner experience. If you would like to learn more about the topics covered in this blog series and would like to apply them in your life, feel free to reach out to our team of professionals at Olive Branch Counseling Associates. We are located at 6819 167th St, Tinley Park, IL 60477 (708) 633-8000.

Mariana Rodriguez, Graduate Intern, 2025.

Reference:

Caldwell, C. (2018). Getting our bodies back: Recovery, embodiment, and self-compassion. Shambhala Publications.