Ep. 046: Dr. Laura Douglass on How We Learn Through the Body

The BodyLove Project with Jessi Haggerty

Dr. Laura Douglass is the Academic Dean of Professional Studies at Endicott College, where she also serves as the faculty advisor for the Trauma Studies Club. She is an interdisciplinary scholar with research interests in trauma, eating disorders, and the integration of yoga as pedagogy in higher education settings. She also owned her own yoga studio in Watertown for five years.

In this episode, Dr. Douglass talks about learning through our bodies, how we use verbal narratives to describe how we’re feeling in our bodies, and how we shift from hyper- and hypo-aroused states through physical activity in order to feel safe in our bodies. She talks about the importance of slowing down to listen to our bodies in their present moment and to break down the communication between the body and the narrative to create a new, more intuitive narrative.

It is typical human nature not to trust our bodies, not to connect with them in the present, and to constantly chase what they "used to be" or what we want them to be. Dr. Douglass feels that the loss of communication in the relationship between self and body translates to how we treat other relationships we have, with ourselves and with others. To learn more about how to learn from your body, to stop chasing your “past self,” and to connect with your body through movement, listen to the full episode.

Resources:

• Jessi’s Intuitive Eating Audio Guide
• Jessi’s Intuitive Eating Support Group
• Dr. Douglass' Website