Our cognitive and emotional processes depend on the interaction between mind and body. The way we reason, construct concepts, make decisions, solve problems, attribute meanings to ourselves and the world around us, regulate our emotions, etc., also depends on how we perceive stimuli, the actions we perform, and the interactions our body has with the environment.
In this sense, we can consider our thought processes and emotional mechanisms as “embodied”, that is, closely connected to the sensations and motor reactions that occur at the physical level.
To understand the connection that exists between body and mind, we can consider our brain as composed of three distinct systems, integrated with each other and capable of influencing one another.
The first system involves the most archaic areas of the nervous system, those we share with other living organisms, such as mammals and reptiles. These are the brainstem structures that regulate activation levels (arousal), movement impulses, and the organism’s homeostasis; it is at this level that action plans are developed on an instinctive basis (exploration, food seeking, protection seeking in dangerous situations, sexuality, demonstrations of dominance and submission).
These structures are closely connected to our body, sending and receiving signals from all internal organs and systems of our organism.
The second system (limbic system) is composed of the intermediate areas of our brain (amygdala, hippocampus, septal area, and other structures below the neocortex). This system regulates emotions and their expression, learning mechanisms and memory, as well as some social behaviors. It is closely connected, on one hand, with the body and brainstem and, on the other, with the neocortex.
The third system coincides precisely with the neocortex, that is, with the evolutionarily most recent brain structures. This system oversees the cognitive processing of information and all the so-called “higher” cognitive functions.
As human beings, therefore, we have three levels of experience organization available. Sensorimotor processing, corresponding to the first level, includes physical changes following sensory stimuli (e.g., modifications in respiratory, cardiovascular, and muscle tone in response to certain events), the organization of instinctive and immediate defensive actions, postural habits, and involuntary non-verbal expressions.
Emotional processing allows us to experience, express (with the body and with words) and integrate affective states, draws our attention to significant environmental or internal elements, adds motivation to cognitive processing (it is as if the “emotional brain” indicates the goal and the “cognitive brain” helps us plan the path to follow).
Cognitive processing refers to the ability to conceptualize, reasoning, logical thinking, the ability to use language to express “what we have in mind,” knowledge of self and the world.
These three levels are integrated and the functioning of each level depends on that of the other two, just as the proper functioning of the system as a whole depends on the effective activation of each level.
In some circumstances, a particular level of processing can become predominant and temporarily “deactivate” the functioning of the other two. Usually, the higher cortical areas act as a control center for the lower ones, through a top-down process that allows excluding, guiding, or interrupting emotional or sensorimotor signals. Thus, for example, if I am working to quickly complete a task and I get hungry, I can choose to continue with my work postponing lunchtime, and I will not feel compelled to react based on the hunger stimulus and the physical signals I feel (salivation, stomach contraction sensations).
However, there are some situations in which the intensity of our emotions or sensorimotor reactions hinder cognitive processing capacity. When the sensorimotor level is dysregulated, the emotional and cognitive levels are affected and we might experience an intensification of our emotions or we might encounter an incorrect interpretation of signals from the environment (for example, perceiving an accusation from someone who is not actually accusing us).
In these cases, our cognitive abilities are not fully accessible and we cannot use them to regulate activation: it is better to act on the body, through bottom-up regulation processes that start from physical sensations to reestablish an adequate level of activation, the basis for effective cognitive functioning.
Our most evolved functions (what we call “mind”), therefore, are influenced by the body and influence it in turn. An example concerns the sense of self, which emerges both in the context of cognitive beliefs and emotional responses, and from bodily organization.
Some people have a “collapsed,” frozen, or immobilized body that is accompanied by a sense of self as ineffective.
Other people have a hyperactivated, dysregulated body that is accompanied by an apparently “out of control” sense of self. Our bodily configuration (posture, physical and facial expressions) influences our way of evaluating reality and memorizing lived experiences and is also a reflection of our beliefs about ourselves and the world.
Considering the mind while “forgetting” the body therefore produces only a partial understanding of human experience and is an incomplete perspective from which to start promoting effective operations that lead to well-being.
