Is the Body Presentient?
In tests it seems as if the body responds to unpredictable events BEFORE they happen? What is going on?
Blog/Articles - Cindy Engel
Latest posts
Even Buddha had a Bad Back: A quick skim through causes of ill health
The causes of ill health stretch back through time.
When it comes to somatic empathy, touch is special
How touch enhances somatic empathy
HUMANITY?
There is a controversial idea that empathy is actually quite selfish. But I if you look deeper, this idea comes from an overly individualistic perspective.
A Shift to Holistic Medicine?
It seems that medicine is finally shifting away from assuming the body is an organic ‘machine’. Functional medicine has arrived.
The Problem with Empathy
The word ‘empathy’ is riddled with assumptions. What are we talking about?
Simulating Other Selves
Emotions and pain spread rapidly between us without our knowing. When we notice that we are sharing how others are feeling we can call this ‘somatic empathy’
The Advantage of Having a Body?
The board game GO is the hardest in the world. A competion between AI and human Lee Sedol, the best of the best, reveals how much we humans use somatic empathy to help us read other people.
Feedback Loops
To understand how hands-on bodywork can influence a person’s emotional, physiological and mental state, we need an appreciation of feedback loops.
Somatic Empathy is Not About Being 'Nice'
Somatic empathy is not about being nice; nor is it something only ‘empaths’ experience. It is an ancient intelligence that enables us to understand and therefore predict the intentions of others.
Animal Self-medication—an untapped resource?
Survival has an aspect of quality about it. A wild animal needs to do more than survive; it has to maintain a healthy condition in order to compete with others for resources and avoid predators.
How Lies Get Under Your Skin
Lying is incredibly effective, even when the lie is obvious. To understand why, we need to dig deep into our evolutionary past
Is Violence Entertaining? Really?
The reason that violent entertainment is harmful is that it is embodied via somatic empathy.
Why Dogs Have Eyebrows
Humans have selectively bred dogs to have facial expressions like ours so that we can better communicate our emotions to each other
Painkillers reduce empathy
When we take pain killing medication such as paracetamol we also reduce our ability to feel empathy with others.
My Pain is Your Pain
One reason we don't enjoy witnessing, hearing, or even thinking about others being hurt is that it activates pain regions in our own brain.
Mindful Movement Remoulds your Brain
Why mindful attention helps remould your body
Holding Hands Reduces Pain Because Our Brains Link Up
Pain reduces when you hold hands with someone who cares. What is going on?
Gender Fluidity Common in Nature
When it comes to biological sex many species are highly flexible switching between male and female depending on conditions.
Your Body is Easily Fooled...but why do that?!
Our somatosensory system links seeing with feeling so why not protect yourself from unnecessary trauma?!