Back in My Body: On Mindfulness and Listening to My Body

Originally published at https://www.splicetoday.com.

Maggie Rogers’ debut album Heard it in a Past Life ends with a song called “Back in My Body,” which chronicles the travails of her European tour after her song “Alaska” went viral in 2016. She sings about having a panic attack in London and nearly running away from it all while having a cigarette in Paris. “This time I know I’m fighting,” she boldly declares in the chorus, “this time I know I’m back in my body.”

Rogers said the phrase “back in my body” means “being able to do the things I love, but do them in the way I love, and in my way, and in my time. Giving myself the opportunity to just be me.” The phrase reminds me of all the times I’ve gotten lost in my mind and forgot I even have a body. It’s only when stopping to breathe and become present in the moment that I’m able to hear everything my body’s been trying to say.

Daniel the Therapist suggested we try dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) after I had two major breakdowns back in December. DBT was created by psychologist Marsha M. Linehan in the late-1980s to treat Borderline Personality Disorder, although studies show it’s also effective in treating eating disorders. There are four modules of DBT: mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance…