Thought for the day…my body remembers all of it, it doesn’t forget. I sit here waiting for a stressful meeting and I can physically feel sick, there is tightness in my shoulders and a shortness to my breath. I remember having anxiety attacks when I was a teenager…they all said it was asthma, but it was fear. I was afraid of my school, the kids and teachers, my sisters, and my step father. I was afraid of the ugly words that would come and of the violence. I was afraid of the emotional and physical abuse that seemed to follow me wherever I went…no matter how hard I tried to stay away from it the fear followed. To this day when I am frightened my body will feel real pain, and the anxiety builds. I know it is pain from the past, I know how to deal with it, but it does not change that my body does not forget. I have the tools now (Havening for one), and I have access to my thinking brain that lets me accept and see what is happening. Why am I sharing this? I am 50 and my body remembers my abuse. My body acknowledges the pain and the fear…even when I try to forget. Often our children come to us and the will have anxiety, fear, physical pains and just moment when their behaviour makes no sense. Sometimes it is their body telling them that they need to be afraid. It is likely that their body knows something and it isn’t telling their brain, in fact their brain will go into survival mode and not be able to connect with the thinking part…they can’t access the part that lets them see they are safe. You see, if your body is telling you to be scared then it is really hard to not be scared. When you don’t understand their fear, and they can’t give you the answer, remember that their body may know something that you don’t. Their body remembers and will send up warnings when something dangerous happens…when there is a reminder of past danger the body will react even before the brain has a chance to understand what is happening. This can also happen when fear is felt when a child is in the womb…the body remembering…so remember for them when they are afraid and accept that they may not know why they feel the way they do. Name the need so they can learn what those feelings are, and have empathy…it is not a good feeling to feel this afraid…trust us, nobody wants their body to remember, it just does.