What Story Is Your Body Hearing?

In 2010, researchers at Harvard gave people with irritable bowel syndrome sugar pills, and told them plainly that the pills had no medicine in them. Three weeks later, those people reported significantly more improvement than people who got nothing at all.

Nothing was hidden. The only thing that changed was what they expected. And their bodies responded.

I believe we are one unified organism. Body, mind, emotion, and the meaning we make of our lives are not separate departments. That means the story we tell ourselves about our body doesn't stay in our heads. It travels. Here's how to start choosing a story that helps you heal, and helps you stay well.

Step 1: Catch the stories you're already telling

Most of us tell our bodies a story all day long without noticing. Listen for the phrases you use, out loud or in your head:

- "My bad knee."

- "I'm just a terrible sleeper."

- "It runs in my family, so I'll get it too."

- "I'm getting old."

- "I'll never get over this."

For the next day or two, jot down every one you catch. Don't judge them. Just notice how often they show up.

Step 2: Write one story out in full

Pick the story that shows up most, or the one that feels heaviest. Set aside some quiet time and write it out, a few sentences or more if you feel inspired. Tell it the way you usually tell it to yourself, about a symptom, about getting older, or about what runs in your family.

Seeing it on paper often surprises us. Stories we've repeated for years can look very different once they're written down.

Step 3: Notice how it makes you feel

Read your story back slowly, and ask: How does this story make me feel?

Then notice your body. Is there tightness in your chest? Heaviness in your shoulders? A sinking in your stomach? Your body is listening to this story, and it's already responding.

Step 4: Write a true story that feels better

Now ask: What true story can I tell myself that would feel better?

Not a fantasy. A story you can actually believe, one that moves you into a more hopeful place. A few examples:

- "My bad knee" becomes "My knee has been working hard, and I'm learning what it needs."

- "I'm a terrible sleeper" becomes "My body knows how to rest, and I'm giving it better conditions."

- "It runs in my family" becomes "That runs in my family, and I'm making different choices."

Write your new story out as fully as the first one. Then read it back and notice how your body feels this time.

Step 5: Live from the new story

A new story grows stronger the more we live in it. Use the new words when you talk about your body, to yourself and to others. Make one small choice this week that fits the new story. And bring it with you to your next appointment. Telling your practitioner the story you're choosing helps them work with you, not just on you.

Step 6: If you're well, tell a story of wellness

This isn't only for people who are sick. Health is more than the absence of disease, and the story we tell about our future matters too.

In 2002, Yale researchers reported on 660 people aged fifty and older in a small Ohio town. Those who held a more positive view of their own aging lived seven and a half years longer, on average, than those who held a more negative one.

So if you're well, write a true and hopeful story about your body in the years ahead. Choosing that story is genuine preventive medicine.

A practice for today

Find a quiet half hour this weekend. Write out one story you've been telling yourself about your body. Ask how it makes you feel. Then write a true story that feels better, and read it aloud. Notice how your body responds. That's your body listening.

Words to Carry

- My body is listening to the story I tell.

- I choose a story that is true and hopeful.

- I am one whole person, and my words travel.

- My body is built toward balance and healing.

- Health is more than the absence of disease.

Next week, we ask what the body is for, and what being well really looks like.

With you every step of the way,

Dr. Jocelyn

References

Kaptchuk, T. J., Friedlander, E., Kelley, J. M., Sanchez, M. N., Kokkotou, E., Singer, J. P., Kowalczykowski, M., Miller, F. G., Kirsch, I., & Lembo, A. J. (2010). Placebos without deception: A randomized controlled trial in irritable bowel syndrome. PLOS ONE, 5(12), e15591.

Levy, B. R., Slade, M. D., Kunkel, S. R., & Kasl, S. V. (2002). Longevity increased by positive self-perceptions of aging. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(2), 261–270.