Have you ever remembered someone who truly loved you,
And suddenly your whole body softened,
Your breath deepened,
Your heart felt safe,
Your skin even tangled with warmth?
It's not just a memory that is your nervous system remembering love.
Our body stores these beautiful feelings just as it holds onto pain.
Because emotions are not just mental,
They live in the body.
Modern science confirms that emotional experiences are not just mental,
They are stored physically in the nervous system.
They shape our posture,
Our breath,
Our gut,
Our tension.
That is why a beautiful memory can warm you again,
And a traumatic one can still bring you pain.
Tears.
Even years later.
Because it is not just a thought,
It is a somatic imprint.
Your cells are listening,
Your body is recording.
This is the field of psychosomatics,
The deep intimate dialogue between the psyche and the body.
So what if we stop chasing emotional healing through external things,
And instead turn inwards?
What if instead of waiting for peace to come from someone else or something else,
You could generate it from within,
From your own nervous system?
That is where somatic awareness comes in.
The science of feeling safe in your body again.
This isn't imagination,
It is neuroscience.
A study shows that focusing attention on certain muscles or body areas redirect blood flow and reduce overactivity in the brain.
You don't calm the mind with the mind,
You calm it through the body.
That's the secret.
By creating safety in the body,
The brain feels safe.
And only then,
True peace becomes possible.
As your body calms down and relaxes,
Your brain feels safe.
It's like I'm not in the middle of the war anymore.
Let's say someone hurt you.
It is over now,
But your body didn't get the message.
So you keep replaying it.
Your chest tightens,
Your neck tenses,
Your stomach turns.
That is not in your imagination.
It's your body reliving the pain.
Your mind keeps remembering this event when you are driving,
When you are taking a shower,
Or before sleep.
Now imagine this.
Through gentle somatic practice,
You begin to soften your body.
The memory is still there,
But no longer with the same intensity.
It is present,
Yes,
But now it is held in peace.
It's no longer hunting you.
It is ready to say goodbye,
At your pace,
In your presence.
That is what somatic healings offers.
A return,
A reconnection,
A remembrance.
As Rumi said,
The body is not hidden from the soul,
Nor the soul from the body.
Yet,
No one is permitted to truly behold the soul.
This means that the body and soul are intimately connected,
And not hidden from each other.
Yet,
It's not easy,
Perhaps even impossible,
For most people to directly perceive or comprehend the essence of the soul.
It suggests a deep unity between our physical and spiritual existence,
And also points to the mystery of the soul,
Which cannot be easily accessed or fully understood without inner awakening.
My name is Haniyeh.
I'm a researcher,
Deeply curious about how stress impacts the body.
I've spent years studying the biology of stress and molecular aging.
And alongside research,
I discovered the most powerful healing.
It wasn't in the lab.
It was in awareness.
In meditation.
As a Iranian girl,
I find that combining science with the ancient wisdom of Persian culture,
Especially the poetry of Rumi and Hafez,
Created something deeply transformative.
I believe healing is not just something imaginary.
You need to feel it in your body,
A physical sensation of healing.
A practical,
Embodied,
Poetic path to peace.
I hope you enjoyed this talk.
And thanks for listening.
Have a great time.
