Addressing the Emotional Roots of Physical Symptoms

Written By Ronni Smith

Your body “speaks” to you in symptoms.

Many people feel physical sensations in their body, or notice symptoms long before they can name what they’re actually feeling. You might not be consciously aware of the emotions of anger, grief, fear or shame, but your body most definitely is. While in some cultures it’s well accepted that our emotions can contribute to disease, Western medicine still separates much of what happens in the body from the mind and spirit. Modern science and medicine is starting to catch up to what naturopaths and our holistic practitioners have always known - it’s all connected.

Let’s get a better understanding of emotions

Emotions begin as sensations from inside the body (a process called interoception) and arise in response to internal and external stimuli.

When you encounter a situation - whether it’s a clear blue sky, a raised eyebrow from your boss, partner muttering some words under their breath or receiving an unexpected hug from someone you’ve just met - your brain rapidly processes the information from three sources:

  • The external environment — what you’re experiencing through your senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste

  • Your internal environment — autonomic nervous system processes like your heart rate and circulation, body temperature, hormones, digestion

  • Stored memory — how similar events felt in the past and what outcomes were registered

And it doesn’t always take an external trigger.

Just thinking about a person, replaying a past event, or worrying about a potential future situation can spark the same chain reaction in your body, producing emotions that you’ll link to those thoughts. Equally, our hormones, gut health, hydration levels and more can influence our emotions and mood.

The “feeling line”

Where emotions show up in the body.

While we use the words interchangeably, emotions are the sensations arising in your body, and when we connect to those sensations and make meaning from them, we call them feelings.

You don’t usually associate an emotion with a pain in your toe, or behind your knee. No, emotions are usually noticed as sensations felt through the central corridor running vertically through the head and torso. This is sometimes called the “feeling line” and stretches from the head, through the throat and chest, down to the gut, bladder and pelvis. It’s along this line that we register sensations that signal our deepest emotional states.

You’ve probably felt these sensations but may not always associate them with the corresponding emotions:

  • A heavy chest or tight heart → sadness, grief, heartache

  • A lump in the throat → fear of speaking or expressing yourself, difficulty finding words

  • Butterflies, nausea, gut cramps → anxiety, fear, worry

  • Bladder urgency when stressed → fear, insecurity

  • Pelvic tension → shame, vulnerability, stored trauma

  • Headaches or pressure at the temples → mental strain, overthinking, stress and overwhelm

By paying attention to this centre line, you can begin to recognise where emotions - as pure sensations - live in your body, even before the mind can label them. This awareness can help in two ways:

  1. You can notice the emotion early, and with practice, stay with the sensation instead of letting thought patterns take over and spiral; and

  2. You can begin to link physical symptoms with the emotional energy beneath them, so that instead of asking only “what’s wrong with my body?”, you can also ask “what is my body trying to tell me?”

How our team works with emotions

Western herbal medicine & naturopathy

In Western herbal medicine there is a long tradition and understanding of plants and their corresponding organs, systems and pattern in the body, and also how they relate to the emotional experience of the person. For example, Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) is a classic cardiovascular tonic used to support heart function and vascular health; traditionally it’s also been turned to for those navigating “heartbreak” having properties that soothe nervous system arousal associated with grief and loss.

There are countless examples, but these are some that our naturopaths may consider as part of an individualised plan (always tailored to your meds and health history):

  • Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is gently calming for nervous dyspepsia which is where worry/anxiety sits in the gut.

  • Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) can be helpful for nervous tension associated with anxiety and overthinking.

  • Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) calms the unsettled gut (spasms + irritability) and mind, especially in sensitive systems.

Naturopaths consider physiology, medications, nutrients, sleep, and stress to formulate herbal tonics that utilise these plant actions, because the “feeling line” is biochemical and biographical.

Acupuncture & the meridian map of emotions

Acupuncture derives from classical Chinese medicine and, in modern practice, is based on TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) models. In TCM, emotions and organs are linked. For example a stagnation in the Liver channel can be a result of unexpressed anger, and the lung meridian can be connected to feelings of grief.

When the stresses of life or old patterns of behaviours create a stagnation or deficiency along these networks, thats when symptoms can surface. For example, think of the ribs, the muscle tightness in your sides and headaches with irritability (Liver), or chest tightness and sighing with sadness (Lung).

Acupuncture with Randa Majrouh works to restore proper flow; with emerging research also suggesting it may modulate stress circuitry (including the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis), helping pain and stress reactivity settle. Practically, that can mean relief in the body while the emotional undercurrent is being addressed at the same time.

Hypnotherapy reaches the feelings that “don’t make sense”

Sometimes what we feel makes no sense to the logical mind, but whether we are aware of it or not, these emotions can still be the driver of symptoms (e.g., gut flares, sleep issues, compulsive or habitual thoughts or behavioural reactions).

Hypnotherapy helps you access the subconscious mind where protective beliefs and unprocessed emotions can be found. When you’re in a deeply relaxed state, highly skilled and experienced Clinical Hypnotherapist Amanda Davies can support you to update those old emotional patterns safely and effectively.

With so many health issues having a link to stress and emotional distress, hypnotherapy can be a useful therapy for addressing those underlying factors. For example, there’s growing evidence for gut-directed hypnotherapy being used to relieve IBS symptoms, as part of the brain–gut toolkit, improving symptoms and quality of life for many people.

Somatic Psychotherapy helps to unpack those emotions so you can carry them in healthier ways.

Somatic psychotherapy keeps you connected to the sensation while exploring core emotions and beliefs shaped in childhood (e.g., shame, guilt, fear). Eddie Enever works with several therapuetic models including Compassionate Inquiry, developed by Dr Gabor Maté. This trauma-informed approach helps reveal the implicit memories, body states and unconscious assumptions beneath your symptoms or unhealthy coping mechanisms, so they can be met, felt, and gently replaced by practicing new, healthier habits.

Psychotherapy aims to unwind patterns while you remain anchored in your body (practicing tuning into your “feeling line”), increasing your capacity to feel, and begin to make choices that are consciously responsive, not unconsciously reactive.

Work with the emotional root of the issue

If your body has been “speaking” to you, whether that’s through pain, gut changes, headaches, fatigue, muscle tension, these are signs pointing toward emotions that are ready for attention.

PAIN = Pay Attention Inside Now.

Whether you start with seeing one of our naturopaths for herbal and nutritional support, or choose acupuncture, hypnotherapy, or somatic psychotherapy, the approach is the same: addressing any core emotional factors as part of your treatment, so your body no longer speaks to you with symptoms or disease.

Get support to heal the root (emotional) cause with holistic health practitioners at Perth Natural Medical Clinic:

If you’re unsure where to begin, call our team on 08 9328 9233.

Ronni Smith
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