Getting back into the body with a little help from ACDC

I’ve recently developed a new mini routine in my life, where once a week I walk from my partner’s work to mine. It’s a short walk, we get to save on gas, I get some steps in, and I find that once I arrive at work I feel ready to be present and in the flow. The other day on the radio just before my walk, I heard a classic ACDC song, Hell’s Bells, and I was instantly transported to many different places in my mind. I forgot that I actually like ACDC. It reminded me of my teenage years, of tough scenes in movies, main character energy, and general empowerment and badassery. So I decided to listen to more ACDC on my walk to work: Hells Bells, Highway to Hell, Back in Black, If You Want Blood, a song which always brings me back to the 90’s cult classic movie Empire Records. In this movie, the character Lucas gambles away a significant amount of the record store’s money to save the place from going under. Upon finding that all the money's gone the next morning, the owner Joe becomes vehemently angry with Lucas. As the day goes on, owner Joe confronts more work stressors, the pressure builds, his anger rises, and the only resolve he can find is drumming along cathartically to ACDC. 

As I was walking through midtown, listening to these songs of yore I thought about what it means to be in the body and how this can support us in coping with difficult symptoms and feelings. If you have ever seen a therapist, you likely have heard “What does that emotion feel like in your body?” They might suggest activities that help you return to the body like planting your feet on the floor to feel more grounded, or going to Yoga. If you haven’t thought much about the body, or are in the business of intellectualizing your feelings or other defense mechanisms that prevent us from feeling our feelings like many of us are, you might be thinking that this is some real woo woo sh*t. And yet, there's some truth to it. In Empire Records when Joe’s anger and frustration come to a boiling point, it seems the best option is to put on a rocking, tough song, full of power and energy and drum it out. This scene is a pivotal moment in the movie – the plot thickens, characters become more evolved and there are even moments of hope. As for Joe, once he’s done drumming, he’s of course still angry, he’s still faced with the same problem, but he’s regulated and able to manage his feelings. He is able to think clearly about what to do next. He listened to his body, the energy that was building up, and he tended to it. 

While on my walk listening to these classic songs I began to tune into my own body, how I was walking in rhythm with the song, how the song communicated a sense of confidence and power, and how I began to feel that in my own body with each step. I realized that the experience was energizing and this was something I needed that particular morning. As I continued to walk, I was able to tune into the strength of my body, feel myself facing forward, looking out, sunglasses on, unfazed, feeling like the empowered, in control, capable, main character of my own story. While I wasn’t in a full rage or having a difficult morning, this experience of walking with empowerment listening to ACDC somehow felt cathartic and therapeutic. 

Sometimes when we’re in therapy, we’re so concerned with getting it right, whether we’re deep breathing correctly or choosing the most restorative yoga class we can find. We might feel that there’s only one right way to be in touch with the body and we have to find the perfect mediations or the best yoga instructor to accomplish this. We may think about this so hard that we never actually get out of our heads and into the body. We might become paralyzed with indecision and never get moving.  But I'm not sure it has to be this way. Sometimes it’s helpful to put on some music and get moving, tune into the body, and see if it tells you what you need rather than you trying to tell it. Perhaps some mornings it wants Bjork and other mornings, Hell’s Bells. Perhaps whatever you’re in the mood to listen to will inform you about what the body needs. If it feels like you’re needing a particular kind of energy, choosing that music and walking in rhythm to it might bring you closer to that. The next time you feel an emotion surfacing within you and you want to avoid, deflect, intellectualize, or you’re struggling to sit with the discomfort of unwanted feelings, I suggest creating a soundtrack that resonates with your feelings or how you would like to feel, and going for a walk. It's always extra fun if there’s a destination with some kind of treat at the end like a cup of coffee, flowers, or a park view. Then give yourself a moment to check back in, listen to the body and see how you feel. 

Best,

Danielle Kardum, LMFT #114847

Therapist and Supervisor

https://thrivetherapyandcounseling.com/new-clients