The Mind/Body Connection
At A Glance Author magsman Contact [email protected] IAM magsman When N/A I would like to share some of my current thoughts as they relate to the body modification community and the mind/body connection. I am in no way educated in this area so please understand that the following are only my observation and musings on this subject. They are based on my own introspection and they may not therefore be accurate or correctly reflect the experience of others.
There seems to be several subsets to my positions so I will start with the piercing experience first.
Self done versus having someone else perform the act;
I personally prefer to do my own, though I readily admit that some piercings I could not or would not be able to do on myself. This includes skill and knowledge as well as will power. If I wanted a piercing enough and could not DIY I would "farm it out". I think that is sensible.
So why the interest in DIY? That is where I think the mind/body thing comes in. In some activities I think that the focus tends to favor the encouragement of the body dominating the act. I would use the example of gymnastics or diving for instance where the muscle memory of a repeated routine practiced countless times leads to perfection in the act. To a large degree you must remove your thoughts, fears anxieties from the act to perform your best.
In contrast to that it seems that a marathon runner or any other endurance type event requires the opposite. In those events the mind must dominate the body, forcing it to do more or other than it wants to. Mind over matter as the saying goes. So how does this relate to piercing? When you are going to have it done by another, and please understand I am not denigrating that choice here, just exploring the nuances, the main focus is getting up the courage to make the choices involved to start the process. The actual act is conveniently in the future. Then the struggle is to not back out. Various factors come to your aid here, but it is still not an easy road by any means. At the actual time of piercing you must will yourself NOT to do anything, don't say stop, don't scream, don't piss yourself.
In the self piercing act you must make many of those decisions of course, where to pierce, what goes in, then get all the required items on hand, research the procedure etc. Then comes the interesting and crucial difference, the need to command your body to DO something. To itself. It can be quite a revealing experience. You can be willing your hand to push and find it refusing to comply. Whatever else you remember from the act you may find that struggle the most interesting. You become quite aware of the division of mind/body in ways you may never of noticed. When the act is done by another it is quite often quickly over. DIY, well sometimes it seems to take forever, just getting your hand to stop shaking so you can continue can be a real struggle, and why doesn't it push when I want it to. All in all two very different experiences and I am in no way ranking them. Both have a time and place, just consider carefully what you are seeking and why.
The other thing that I think fits in here is the getting of a tattoo. There is usually little choice about DIY versus having it done except in rare instances. So it becomes an interesting amalgam of the above in that you have the whole decision commitment process but most tattoos are a long drawn out process where you will often have plenty of time to reflect on the required will power to continue. Especially if it is in a sensitive area and pain becomes an issue.
The division of mind and body is seemly interwoven when it come to the what and why of body mods in general. I find it a bit odd that so many deem these acts "unnatural" and therefore can feel righteous in condemning others. The obvious fact is that humans have been decorating and changing themselves throughout time. Makeup, clothes, uniforms etc. abound . What I think jerks someones chain is the "look at me, here I am" aspect. It is after all a challenge to them. It puts me in mind of Pacific Islanders and how they will confront another group with posturing, yelling, stiff splayed legged stance, again "Here I am, look at me, deal with me, I am here" Japanese had similar traditional behavior in combat or pre-combat situations.
Does anybody recall the indian brave in "Dances with Wolves" that rides up and confronts Kevin Costner early on. Same thing. Here I am, see me, deal with me. I think its natural, healthy, but it is meant to be intimidating. Factor that in to what you do and what reactions you expect and why. It's your mind/self using your body/self for reasons you should be aware of ,the better to enjoy the journey.