How the body shapes our emotional well being

The body is more than what we see in a mirror. It is also what we feel, how we move and how we experience ourselves in the world. Understanding this lived bodily experience can shed new light on mental health.

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“There are evenings when the soul falls silent and the body, in its subtle tremors, tells the whole story: shoulders weighed down by past sorrows, breath quickened by unspoken fears, movements slowed by a hope that seems to have lost its way. Perhaps it is precisely in this silent language of the flesh that the most intimate truth about ourselves resides.” Saad Chraibi

Mental health is often discussed in terms of thoughts, emotions, anxiety or depressive disorders. One important actor is sometimes overlooked, however: the body.

Our psychological balance is not shaped solely by neural networks or brain chemistry. It is also rooted in the way we inhabit our bodies, perceive their signals and use them as we interact with the world. Our posture, the fluidity of our movements, the rhythm of our breathing and the quality of our muscle tone can all provide clues about our psychological state, while also offering potential therapeutic entry points.

Recent research in affective neuroscience supports an idea that body based practitioners have long observed: emotions are not simply abstract processes occurring in the brain. They are also expressed and regulated through the body. Anxiety, for example, can be accompanied by an increased heart rate, rapid breathing and muscle tension, while sadness is often associated with reduced motor activity and lower energy. These bodily changes are not merely passive consequences of emotion. They can also contribute to how emotional states are experienced and regulated.

In a world where we increasingly live “in our heads,” it is easy to lose touch with bodily sensations. Many people may not realize that they are tense, holding their breath or physically contracted until these signals become persistent pain, sleep difficulties or psychological exhaustion. This is precisely where psychomotor therapy can play a role.

Still relatively unfamiliar to the general public, psychomotor therapy places the body at the heart of psychological care. It is based on a fundamental premise: psychological well being can be difficult to sustain when a person’s relationship with their body remains conflicted, rigid or fragmented. The psychomotor therapist does not simply address physical “symptoms.” Rather, the therapist helps patients reconnect bodily sensations, emotions and mental representations.

In practice, this work involves several complementary dimensions. It may begin with developing a more refined awareness of the body, allowing individuals to experience their contact with the ground, adjust their muscle tone and become more aware of their posture. This renewed bodily awareness can then be explored through movement, with attention to motor fluidity, coordination and the expressive qualities of gesture.

Therapy may also involve strengthening spatial and temporal orientation, helping patients navigate their surroundings and adjust their own rhythm to the demands of the external world. Particular attention can be given to emotional responses, helping patients recognize the physiological aspects of their emotional states and gradually develop more effective ways of regulating them.

By placing the body between inner experience and the external world, psychomotor therapy offers a holistic perspective. Its aim is not simply to “treat the mind,” but to help individuals reconnect with their bodily experience and regain stable foundations for psychological well being.

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When emotions take shape in the body

It only takes a moment of observation. An anxious person may hold their shoulders tensely, breathe rapidly or fidget. Someone who is sad may walk more slowly, speak in a flatter voice and keep their gaze lowered. The body can express an inner state even before words give it form.

This is more than an intuitive impression. It has a substantial scientific basis. From William James’s work in the nineteenth century to contemporary research in affective neuroscience and embodied cognition, researchers have explored the close relationship between emotional experience and bodily processes. James’s 1884 paper, What Is an Emotion?, famously placed bodily responses at the center of his theory of emotion.

Different emotional states can therefore be associated with characteristic bodily patterns. Anxiety involves activation of the sympathetic nervous system and may produce increased heart rate, faster breathing and muscle tension. These responses are part of the body’s broader defensive repertoire. Sadness, by contrast, is often associated with reduced motor activity and lower energy. Movements may become slower and less frequent, while vocal expression may lose some of its usual dynamism. Anger can involve increased muscle tension, changes in facial expression, more abrupt movements and altered breathing.

These bodily manifestations are not simply visible consequences of emotion. They may also contribute to the emotional experience itself. Antonio Damasio’s work on somatic markers, for example, highlighted the importance of bodily signals in emotional processing, decision making and behavior. Heart rate, visceral sensations and changes in breathing can all contribute to how situations are evaluated and experienced.

The relationship also works in the opposite direction. Changes in bodily state can influence emotional experience, which is one reason why several therapeutic approaches incorporate breathing, movement and bodily awareness. Slow breathing practices can influence autonomic regulation and may help reduce physiological arousal associated with anxiety. Rhythmic movement, including walking and certain forms of dance, can also support emotional regulation and provide a structured way of reconnecting with bodily sensations.

The evidence should nevertheless be interpreted carefully. For example, simply adopting an “open” posture does not automatically generate confidence or reverse depression. The effects of bodily interventions depend on the person, the context and the intervention itself.

In psychomotor therapy, the body can therefore become an important therapeutic entry point. Observing bodily signs can contribute to understanding a patient’s psychological state, while working with muscle tone, breathing, movement and rhythm can support emotional regulation. The body and mind are not two isolated systems: each can influence the other.

The body schema: our brain’s inner map of the body

To understand the relationship between the body and mental health, it is useful to introduce a central concept in psychomotor practice: the body schema.

The body schema refers to internal sensorimotor representations that help us organize the position and movement of our body in relation to ourselves and the surrounding environment. It is, in a sense, an internal map. We usually know where our legs are, how far our arms can reach and how to extend a hand toward an object without having to look directly at every part of the movement.

This implicit knowledge, supported by the nervous system, allows us to orient ourselves in space, coordinate our actions and move through the environment efficiently. It also contributes to our sense of bodily presence and coherence.

This map is not fully formed from birth. It develops progressively through sensory and motor experience. A baby discovering their hands, a child falling and getting back up, running, climbing, dancing or playing hopscotch: all these experiences contribute to the ongoing development of bodily representations.

Developmental neuroscience shows that this process depends on the continuous integration of several sensory systems. Touch and proprioception are particularly important for detecting muscle tension and the position of body segments. Vestibular information contributes to balance, gravity and postural orientation. Vision helps confirm, refine and correct movement, while auditory information can also contribute to bodily orientation and motor adjustment.

Body representations are therefore dynamic rather than fixed. They are continually updated through interaction with the body, the environment and other people. Contemporary research also emphasizes that the distinction between body schema and body image is more complex than a simple opposition between an “objective” body map and a subjective image. These representations interact and can influence one another.

When bodily representations are sufficiently coherent and functional, they can support a sense of stability, motor confidence and effective interaction with the environment.

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When these representations are disrupted, the consequences can be significant. Such disruptions may occur following neurological injury or disease, but altered bodily experience can also be associated with psychological conditions and disturbances of body perception. Research on body schema and body image has documented a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders in which bodily representations can be affected.

Clinically, difficulties may appear as problems with coordination or motor planning, but also as disturbances in the subjective relationship with the body. A person may feel uncomfortable in their own body, have difficulty locating themselves in space or experience a diffuse sense of bodily insecurity. Disturbances of body representation are also relevant to conditions such as anorexia nervosa and dissociative phenomena, although these disorders cannot be reduced to an unstable body schema alone. Research suggests that interoception, body image and multisensory bodily representations interact in complex ways.

Psychomotor therapy can provide a setting in which these bodily representations are explored and supported. Through motor activities, balance exercises, coordination tasks and sensory based interventions, the therapist can help patients develop a more coherent and reliable relationship with their bodies. The goal is not simply to “rebuild a map,” but to strengthen the person’s ability to perceive, organize and use their body in everyday life.

Living through the body: The experience of being in one’s own skin

Alongside the body schema, which concerns the organization of the body for perception and action, there is another equally important but more subjective dimension: lived bodily experience.

Do I feel heavy or light? Does my body feel safe, or does it feel like a constraint? Do I experience myself as tense, trapped or constricted, or relaxed and free? These impressions may seem difficult to define, but they are central to the way we experience ourselves and the world around us.

This experience is not limited to physiological sensations. It is closely connected to personal history, emotions and interpersonal relationships. Every experience can leave a bodily trace in the broader sense: a comforting embrace during childhood, a painful fall, a humiliating comment about one’s appearance or a traumatic experience can all influence how a person subsequently experiences their body.

Clinicians may describe characteristic patterns of bodily tone and emotional experience. An anxious person may experience their body as tense and constantly prepared for danger. Someone experiencing depression may describe their body as slowed down, numb or unbearably heavy. An adolescent going through a period of psychological or identity related upheaval may experience a sense of unfamiliarity with their changing body.

These experiences are not simply mental images. They involve genuine sensory and affective processes that can influence psychological well being.

Phenomenological theories, particularly the work of Maurice Merleau Ponty, place this lived dimension of the body at the center of human experience. In Phenomenology of Perception, the body is not treated merely as a biological object. It is understood as fundamental to how we perceive, act and exist in the world.

In clinical practice and everyday life, this principle can be observed repeatedly. Someone who experiences their body as constricted or excessively heavy may find it more difficult to engage spontaneously with other people. Similarly, persistent muscle tension and heightened physiological arousal can accompany anxiety and may contribute to physical complaints such as tension headaches, gastrointestinal discomfort or sleep difficulties.

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Conversely, developing a more flexible and comfortable relationship with bodily sensations may support self confidence, emotional availability and the capacity to cope with stress. These effects should not be understood as automatic or universal, but they help explain why bodily awareness has become an important component of several contemporary therapeutic approaches.

In psychomotor therapy, the body can become a laboratory for new experiences. Through relaxation, breathing exercises, gentle movement and sensory exploration, patients can rediscover sensations that have become unfamiliar: the feeling of their body becoming heavier as tension decreases, the pleasure of a fluid movement or the experience of breathing as a source of support.

Simple as these experiences may appear, they can contribute to changes in how a person relates to their body and, in turn, to their psychological state. Research on body based psychotherapy suggests potential benefits for psychological distress, although the evidence remains heterogeneous and further high quality research is needed to determine which interventions are most effective, for whom and under which conditions.

The lived body can therefore be understood as both a record of experience and an ongoing indicator of our emotional state. It reflects aspects of our history, our relationships and our current state, while also offering a possible therapeutic entry point for developing a more integrated relationship with ourselves.

Psychomotor therapy: reconnecting body and mind

This is where psychomotor therapy comes in. Still insufficiently known to the general public, it uses bodily experience and movement as therapeutic mediators to support psychological functioning. It is based on a simple but important observation: movement, muscle tone, breathing and posture are not merely mechanical processes. They are closely connected with emotional and psychological states.

The role of the psychomotor therapist is to observe and support the patient’s way of inhabiting their body: how they move, how they regulate their muscle tone, whether their body appears excessively tense or unusually relaxed, and how they organize themselves in space and time. These apparently ordinary elements can provide valuable information about a person’s functioning.

In practice, psychomotor therapy can involve a wide range of therapeutic mediations adapted to the individual’s age, needs and difficulties.

Breathing and relaxation work are among the approaches that may be used. In an anxious person, breathing can become rapid, shallow or restricted to the upper chest. The therapist may introduce breathing exercises or progressive relaxation to help the person become aware of and regulate bodily tension. Such techniques are not simply about “relaxing the muscles.” Changes in breathing can influence autonomic arousal and may help reduce physiological activation associated with anxiety.

For a child who lacks confidence, motor circuits and body based games can provide a safe environment for exploration. Climbing, jumping, rolling or navigating obstacles under the therapist’s supportive guidance allows the child to experience their abilities through action. Such experiences may contribute to self efficacy and confidence while helping the child develop a more positive sense of bodily competence.

Rhythmic and musical activities can also involve more than simple play. They can engage attention, coordination and sensorimotor timing while creating opportunities for synchrony between movement and external rhythms. For children with ADHD, structured rhythmic activities may be incorporated into broader interventions aimed at supporting attention and motor regulation. In older adults, movement based activities may also contribute to motor function, balance and engagement, although their effects depend on the specific intervention and individual characteristics.

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Finally, grounding practices may be useful for people experiencing psychological slowing, agitation or a sense of bodily disconnection. Bringing attention to the contact between the feet and the ground, exploring bodily support while sitting or standing and performing slow, deliberate movements can help patients reconnect with immediate bodily experience.

The aim is not physical performance, as it would be in sport, nor mechanical correction of movement. It is to help each person develop a more functional and supportive relationship with their body. By learning to feel it, move it and attend to its signals, the patient may begin to experience the body not simply as a burden or constraint, but as a source of information and support.

Psychomotor therapy can therefore serve as a bridge between bodily experience and psychological functioning. It offers a way of working with movement, sensation and bodily awareness while complementing approaches that rely primarily on verbal and cognitive processes.

Toward a more integrated view of mental health

Psychomotor therapy highlights something that contemporary science increasingly recognizes: human beings are not simply thinking brains. We are embodied organisms whose psychological functioning emerges through continuous interactions between neural, bodily and environmental processes.

The body is therefore more than a biological support system. Bodily states can reflect emotional states and, under certain circumstances, influence emotional experience in return.

This is why considering both body schema, referring to the organization of bodily representations for action and perception, and lived bodily experience can offer a complementary perspective in psychological and psychiatric care. Psychotherapy often works through language, reflection and meaning making, while psychomotor therapy introduces movement, sensation and embodied experience as additional therapeutic mediators. These approaches do not necessarily compete with one another. They can address different dimensions of the same person.

This perspective is particularly relevant in contemporary life, where several factors can reduce opportunities for varied bodily experience.

Chronic stress can keep the organism in a state of prolonged physiological arousal, making relaxation more difficult and contributing to persistent muscle tension. Sedentary lifestyles reduce the diversity of everyday movement and may limit opportunities for developing and maintaining sensorimotor skills. Extensive digital engagement can also shift attention toward predominantly visual and abstract forms of processing, potentially reducing awareness of internal bodily signals.

In this context, psychomotor therapy fits within a broader integrative perspective on mental health. It intersects with several approaches that also recognize the importance of bodily experience, including psychosomatic approaches, mindfulness based interventions, cognitive behavioral therapies that incorporate bodily techniques and other forms of integrative mental health care.

Clinically, a broader approach can provide additional therapeutic points of entry. When verbal communication is difficult, limited or insufficient, particularly with young children, some older adults or people experiencing severe psychological distress, bodily experience can provide an important channel for nonverbal expression and emotional regulation.

Body based interventions may also complement long term psychiatric care. Physical activity and targeted movement interventions have been studied in relation to sleep, mood, anxiety and overall functioning, although the specific effects depend on the intervention and clinical population. They should therefore be considered complementary rather than substitutes for appropriate medical or psychological treatment.

Finally, bodily awareness can help bring attention back to the present moment. Noticing physical support, regulating breathing and engaging in deliberate movement can provide concrete ways of anchoring attention when anxiety or mental overactivity becomes overwhelming.

Reintroducing the body into psychological care can therefore offer a valuable additional perspective on mental health. Psychomotor therapy does not replace other approaches. It complements them by reminding us that psychological well being involves an ongoing relationship between brain, body, experience and environment.

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Listening when the body speaks

The next time you feel tense, sad or overwhelmed, take a moment to turn your attention inward. Ask yourself: what is my body telling me right now?

You may notice that your shoulders have quietly curled inward, as if protecting you from the world. You may become aware of a short, uneven breath, as though each inhalation were struggling to find its place. Or perhaps you will notice a weight in your chest or abdomen, expressing something that words cannot always capture.

The body has a language of its own. It speaks through tension, movement and slowing. While the mind can become absorbed in thoughts about the past or the future, bodily sensations remain rooted in the present moment. They are shaped by our emotional experiences, our physiological states and our history.

Contemporary neuroscience increasingly recognizes the importance of bodily signals in emotional experience and self awareness. Heart rate, breathing, temperature and other internal sensations can provide information about our physiological state and contribute to the way we experience emotion. Interoception, the ability to sense and interpret signals arising from within the body, is now an important area of research in psychology and neuroscience. Recent research also suggests that interoceptive processes may be relevant to therapeutic outcomes across several forms of psychological distress.

Learning to notice this bodily language can be a first step toward reconnecting with oneself. A sensation of tension may signal a need for rest, safety or movement. A feeling of heaviness may invite us to slow down. Agitation may indicate a need for movement, structure or emotional regulation.

So, the next time you find yourself struggling with a stream of thoughts, allow your body to suggest another path: a stretch, a walk or a few slower breaths. The path toward greater well being may sometimes begin with something remarkably simple: paying attention to the quiet conversation between you and your own body.

References

Davey, S., Halberstadt, J., & Bell, E. (2021). Where is emotional feeling felt in the body? An integrative review. PLOS ONE, 16(12), e0261685. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261685

Nummenmaa, L., Glerean, E., Hari, R., & Hietanen, J. K. (2014). Bodily maps of emotions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(2), 646–651. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1321664111

Parrinello N, Napieralski J, Gerlach AL, Pohl A. Embodied feelings-A meta-analysis on the relation of emotion intensity perception and interoceptive accuracy. Physiol Behav. 2022 Oct 1;254:113904. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113904 Epub 2022 Jul 9. PMID: 35820627.