How the Mind Affects our Physical Body
In this article, I’ll be exploring the hidden connection between emotions and physical health.
We often think of the body and mind as separate entities: the body as physical, the mind as emotional and mental. But what if the divide isn’t as clear as we once believed?
What if the chronic pain, fatigue, or illness we experience is not just a physiological issue, but also a reflection of our past experiences, unprocessed emotions, and internalised stress?
This idea is not new, but it's gaining widespread recognition thanks to the work of pioneering minds such as Dr. Gabor Maté, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, and Evette Rose, whose research and teachings are changing how we understand health, pain, and healing.
Trauma Is Not Just in the Mind
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score, revolutionised our understanding of trauma by showing that emotional trauma doesn’t just live in our memories—it embeds itself in the body.
When we experience trauma—whether it's a major event or a subtle but repeated stressor—the nervous system stores that information physically. The body becomes hypervigilant, the muscles tense, and the nervous system stays in a loop of survival, even long after the threat is gone.
Chronic pain, digestive issues, autoimmune conditions, and even hormonal imbalances can all trace their roots back to these unresolved emotional wounds. In his work, van der Kolk emphasises therapies like bodywork, EMDR, and somatic experiencing that help people reconnect with their bodies to process and release this stored trauma.
Stress and Illness: The Mind-Body Link
Dr. Gabor Maté, in his groundbreaking books like When the Body Says No, explores the link between suppressed emotions—especially anger and grief—and physical illness. Through decades of work with patients suffering from autoimmune diseases, cancer, and chronic conditions, Maté observed a recurring theme: people who had difficulty expressing their emotions, setting boundaries, or acknowledging their inner pain were often those whose bodies eventually “spoke” for them through illness.
He argues that disease can be the body’s final attempt to communicate something the mind has long silenced.
In his words: “The mind and body are not separate; they are part of one integrated system.”
By understanding this, we begin to see our symptoms not as enemies, but as messages—pointers to the parts of us that are asking for compassion, attention, and healing.
The Metaphysical Perspective: Your Body Speaks Your Mind
Evette Rose, in her work Metaphysical Anatomy, takes this connection even further. She explores how specific emotional patterns and traumas can manifest in particular areas of the body. According to Rose, each symptom is a reflection of a deeper emotional issue. For instance, recurring throat issues may relate to unspoken truths; chronic back pain might point to a lack of support—either internal or external.
Her work gives us a detailed map of the body’s emotional landscape, offering insight into the spiritual and psychological roots of physical ailments.
While this may sound abstract, countless people have experienced profound shifts simply by identifying the emotional origin of their pain and working to release it.
Why This Matters
This understanding is not about blaming ourselves for our pain. Rather, it’s about empowering ourselves to approach healing from a more holistic perspective.
If our body stores emotions, stress, and trauma, then healing must also happen at that level, not just with medication or surgery, but through emotional awareness, nervous system regulation, and self-compassion.
You don’t need to have gone through extreme trauma to benefit from this knowledge. Every day stress, childhood patterns, and emotional repression can all contribute to tension in the body. Over time, these stresses wear down our resilience and manifest as symptoms, often without a clear medical cause.
Integrating the Science and the Soul
Healing the body through the mind is not about choosing one over the other—it’s about integration. Medical treatments have their place. But for many with chronic or unexplained symptoms, the missing piece lies in the emotional and psychological realm.
Ways to Begin Healing the Mind-Body Disconnect:
Practice Somatic Awareness: Learn to listen to your body. Notice where you hold tension. Breathe into those areas with curiosity rather than judgment.
Process Unresolved Emotions: Journaling, therapy, or expressive arts can help uncover feelings you've learned to suppress.
Nervous System Regulation: Breathwork, meditation, or modalities like vagus nerve stimulation can support the body’s shift from survival mode to healing mode.
Reclaim Boundaries: Say no when needed. Your body responds positively when your emotional boundaries are respected.
Body-Based Therapies: Explore somatic experiencing, craniosacral therapy, or trauma-informed yoga to reconnect with your physical self safely.
The body and mind are not two separate systems—they are intertwined, communicating constantly. Your symptoms may be more than a problem to be fixed; they may be a story to be heard.
By drawing upon the work of Dr. Maté, Dr. van der Kolk, and Evette Rose, we gain a profound new lens through which to view our physical health. One that is compassionate, integrative, and ultimately, hopeful.
If you’ve been struggling with chronic pain or illness that feels “unexplainable,” it may be time to turn inward, not with blame, but with curiosity and care. Healing is possible. And sometimes, it begins by listening to what your body has been trying to say all along.