Listen to the Emotional Wisdom of Your Muscles and Experience a Deeper Level of Healing

You know a lot about the emotions in your mind and heart, but you probably don't know much about the emotions in your muscle body. The muscles are storehouses of emotion, and pain in those muscles is how your body reveals what needs to be healed—both emotionally and physically. Organized by muscle groups, The Body Heals Itself is your ideal guide to understanding the link between your emotions and muscle bodies.

This book acts as a road map for the energetic journey within your own body, showing you how to recognize and release stored emotions to let go of pain. You'll discover which emotions are often paired with a specific muscle area and how muscles speak of everything from past traumas to current celebrations. Using stretches, affirmations, visualizations, and more, Emily A. Francis teaches you to unite your mind and body for better health and emotional well-being.

Praise:

"Readers interested in holistic treatments and therapies will find this a solid reference."—Library Journal

"Emily Francis' work is an important offering in the maturation of the emotional body. I believe the future of the planet depends on books like hers."—Katie Silcox, New York Times bestselling author of Healthy Happy Sexy

"[The Body Heals Itself features] new awareness and understanding of what our bodies have to teach us and, most importantly, how we can become masterful listeners."—Thom Rutledge, psychotherapist and author of Embracing Fear and The Self-Forgiveness Handbook

"The Body Heals Itself is a fascinating read. It takes us into the emotions and deep wisdom of our body in surprising ways. This book gives us tools to understand this hidden part of ourselves—one that may have formally been an acquaintance now becomes an intimate friend."—Dr. Paulette Kouffman Sherman, psychologist and author of The Book of Sacred Baths

Contents

Introduction: The Missing Piece of the Puzzle: Holistic Healing and the Emotional Muscle Body | 1

Part I: The Connection between Emotions and Our Muscles
Chapter 1: Muscles, Memory, Emotions, and the Link | 15
Chapter 2: The Emotional, Mental, and Energetic Body | 29
Chapter 3: Emotional Release and Energy Work | 47

Part II: Emotional Component for Each Muscle Group
Chapter 4: The Back—Your Storehouse for Betrayal, Protection, and Support | 67
Chapter 5: The Glutes—Your Storehouse for Aggravation and Suppression | 85
Chapter 6: The Legs—Your Storehouse for Moving Forward or Staying Stuck | 93
Chapter 7: The Abdominal Muscles, Diaphragm, and the Psoas—Your Storehouse for Where the Real Vulnerability Lives | 123
Chapter 8: The Arms, Shoulders, and Hands—Your Storehouse for Embracing Love and Claiming Vitality | 137
Chapter 9: The Chest—Your Storehouse for What’s at the Heart of the Matter | 155
Chapter 10: The Head, Face, and Jaws—Your Storehouse for Gaining Clarity and a Wider Vision | 163
Chapter 11: The Neck—Your Storehouse for Stress, Flexibility, Awareness, and Claiming Your Life | 175
Chapter 12: Putting It All Together to Unlock Your Healing Potential | 191

Appendix A: Additional Tools to Try: Cleanse, Release, Ground, and Empower | 203
Appendix B: Additional Modalities to Try: Various Offerings on Avenues to Healing | 219 Appendix C: Collective Responses from a Survey of Other Health and Bodywork Professionals | 241
Glossary: Terms and Healing Modalities | 245
Bibliography | 253
Index | 255

"Readers interested in holistic treatments and therapies will find this a solid reference."—Library Journal

"Emily Francis' work is an important offering in the maturation of the emotional body. I believe the future of the planet depends on books like hers."—Katie Silcox, New York Times bestselling author of Healthy Happy Sexy

"[The Body Heals Itself features] new awareness and understanding of what our bodies have to teach us and, most importantly, how we can become masterful listeners."—Thom Rutledge, psychotherapist and author of Embracing Fear and The Self-Forgiveness Handbook

"The Body Heals Itself is a fascinating read. It takes us into the emotions and deep wisdom of our body in surprising ways. This book gives us tools to understand this hidden part of ourselves—one that may have formally been an acquaintance now becomes an intimate friend."—Dr. Paulette Kouffman Sherman, psychologist and author of The Book of Sacred Baths

"Emily unravels the art of touch and its ties to our deeply held emotions with well-oiled grace. Inspire and be released—one muscle at a time."—Micah A. Howard MD, CHt, integrative and functional healthcare practitioner, board certified family physician, master clinical hypnotherapist, and CEO of Invested Healer, LLC

"Emily is a highly skilled and effective therapist ... I highly recommend this book to all athletes and anyone looking to know the body in a more conscious and meaningful way."—Lara Sturm, USA Powerlifting National Champion and American record holder

"[Emily Francis] has done her homework in talking with many experts in the field. The materials here are the start of a great new field of study and it makes me want to learn more."—Craig Marker, PhD, Chair, Mercer University Clinical Medical Psychology

"Emily Francis allows any residual perceptions of the mind and body in isolation to evaporate. She, literally, merges the concepts of the emotional being and the muscular system that supports, protects, and propels the body. She effectively integrates Eastern and Western medicine, breaking down walls of misunderstanding."—Sara Raiser, MD, CMT