Before Words, There Is the Body

You don’t need to explain everything you feel in order to be well.

We live in a world that constantly demands explanations.
“Why are you like this?”
“What are you feeling?”
“Put it into words.”

From an early age, we learn that if something cannot be explained, then it is not resolved.
But the body does not work that way.

Before any word, there is a sensation.
Before any narrative, there is a bodily state.
And before any explanation, life is already happening.

Much of today’s suffering may not come from what people feel —
but from the constant attempt to explain what they feel.

Short emotions × stable feelings

One of the biggest confusions we make is treating emotion and feeling as the same thing.
They are not.

• Emotions are fast, short, and intense.
  They arise, fulfill a function, and are meant to pass.

• Feelings are more stable, long-lasting, and quieter.
  They reflect how regulated the body is over time.

When a short emotion does not have space to dissipate, it crystallizes.
When that happens, the body enters tension.

The problem is not feeling anger, fear, sadness, or excitement.
The problem is turning each emotion into an identity.

“I am anxious.”
“That’s just how I am.”
“This is my personality.”

At that moment, words stop expressing the body
and begin to govern it.

Iam: when feeling becomes a fixed narrative

The Iam avatar represents affective states, bonds, and feelings that shape our decisions.

Iam helps us notice something essential:
feeling is natural; defining yourself by what you feel is what creates suffering.

When we name emotions excessively, we begin to observe ourselves as characters.
We live less in the body and more in the story we tell about it.

This creates a dangerous loop:

• I feel something

• I over-explain it

• I identify with the explanation

• I start feeling only what the explanation allows

Gradually, the body loses space.
The narrative takes control.

Adolescence: the trap of “feeling wrong”

During adolescence, this confusion becomes even stronger.

The body changes quickly.
The brain is still organizing itself.
Emotions appear with intensity.

At the same time, there is enormous pressure to:

• understand yourself

• define yourself

• explain yourself

Many adolescents do not suffer because they feel too much.
They suffer because they believe they are feeling the wrong way.

Feeling becomes a problem to be corrected.
Instead of listening to the body, they try to adjust it to an acceptable emotional standard.

The result is a body in constant alert, trying to fit in.

Too many labels create suffering

Labels can help communicate experiences.
But when used excessively, they reduce life.

A label never describes the whole body.
It captures only a fragment.

When a label becomes identity:

• the body contracts

• perception narrows

• curiosity decreases

The person stops asking, “What is happening in me right now?”
and starts repeating, “This is who I am.”

This does not bring clarity.
It brings rigidity.

Yagé: perceiving without getting trapped in what is perceived

Here enters the Yagé avatar, representing applied metacognition —
the ability to perceive perception itself.

Yagé does not demand deep analysis.
It asks for something simpler:

to perceive without judging.

This changes everything.

When you notice a bodily state without trying to explain it, it reorganizes more quickly.
When you observe an emotion without immediately naming it, it fulfills its function and passes.

Yagé helps you avoid two extremes:

• denying what you feel

• drowning in what you feel

The middle path is presence.

The body does not need explanation to regulate itself

A common mistake is believing we only feel better after understanding everything.

But the body does not wait for understanding.
It responds to:

• rhythm

• breathing

• posture

• environment

• safety

The mind learns later.

When we try to solve everything with words, we ignore something basic:
the body regulates itself through experience, not argument.

Simple metacognition: perceiving without judging

Metacognition is not thinking more.
It is thinking better — or sometimes, not thinking at all.

A simple practice:

• feel the body

• notice the breath

• perceive the emotion

• avoid naming it for a few seconds

This is not formal meditation.
It is a biological pause.

In this label-free space, the body begins to communicate with itself again.

A simple path to the present moment

No complex techniques. No endless self-analysis.

Some silent questions:

• Where does this appear in my body?

• Is it changing or stuck?

• Does it need explanation or time?

Small actions:

• reduce stimulation when emotion rises

• move the body instead of explaining

• breathe before responding

• accept that not everything needs to become words

This does not erase feelings.
It organizes them.

The central point

Words are powerful tools.
But they are not the origin of life.

When words govern the body, the body suffers.
When words express the body, life flows.

You do not need to explain everything you feel to be well.
Sometimes, it is enough to feel and let it pass.

Or, in one sentence to remember:

Before words, there is the body.

And when the body is heard,
the mind finally finds rest.

Post-2020 Scientific References

• Balconi, Angioletti et al. (2024) — Inter-brain entrainment (IBE) during interoception: A multimodal EEG–fNIRS coherence-based hyperscanning approach
  Demonstrates how interoceptive attention (e.g., breathing focus) modulates neural coherence between individuals using EEG and fNIRS.

• Chen, Liu & Zhang (2024) — EEG–fNIRS-Based Emotion Recognition Using Graph Convolution and Capsule Attention Network
  Shows how combined EEG and fNIRS objectively capture emotional states, reinforcing multimodal neural markers of affective processes.

• Zelič et al. (2025) — Emotion regulation: The role of hypnotizability and interoception
  Examines how individual differences in interoception relate to emotion-regulation strategies.

• Rusínova et al. (2025, preprint) — Interoceptive training enhances emotional awareness and body image perception
  Demonstrates that interoceptive training improves emotional awareness and psychological well-being.

• Lopez-Martín et al. (2025) — Interoceptive rhythms and perceptual experience
  Reviews how cardiac, respiratory, and gastric rhythms shape perceptual and cognitive experience.