Show Notes
Tight jaw, shoulders up by your ears, waking at 3 a.m.? Somatic movement teacher Liz Tenuto, author of When the Body Speaks, joins Dr. Chris Motley to explore where the body holds stress, why she favors tiny, lazy movements over force, why animals shake it off, and how to recognize when you’re still bracing. Dr. Motley adds the Chinese Medicine perspective on the jaw and waking at 3 a.m.
Sources and corrections are included in the show notes.
Content note: This episode discusses trauma, emotional healing, and the mind-body connection. Take care while listening, and feel free to pause or skip around if you need to.
Educational only, not medical advice.
Chapters:
00:00 Cold open: where your body holds stress
00:44 Welcome: Liz Tenuto, somatic movement teacher
02:45 Ten years without sleep, and everything she tried
03:51 "People rolling around on the floor in their pajamas"
04:47 Inside a somatic class: the laziest movements possible
05:52 From workhorse to gentle, and what surfaced
07:06 A dancer, disconnected from her emotional body
08:45 Does the body remember?
11:55 Dance, EMDR, and life before The Body Keeps the Score
13:23 Is fascia a highway for emotion?
15:00 Shoulders at her ears, and the saran wrap picture
16:58 Tiny lazy movements and new pathways
18:30 Calm, wired, or shut down: the "Goldilocks" state
19:41 Why people keep going back to the chiropractor
20:46 Calm takes reps
22:09 How your body learns tension
25:02 Can a stuck joint slow your lymph?
26:17 Dr. Motley's method: meridians, muscles, and the liver
30:17 An old basketball injury and three months of brain fog
33:10 How Liz starts with a new client
34:41 Why animals shake it off
38:04 Where your body holds stress: hips, shoulders, neck, jaw
39:48 Jaw tension, TMJ, and the Gallbladder channel
41:17 How long does it take?
42:29 Why forcing a release backfires
44:37 Why Dr. Motley tells patients a year
45:31 Signs you're storing stress
46:40 3 a.m., your lungs, and the Chinese medicine clock
47:35 What letting go feels like
49:24 Where to find Liz
50:50 Closing thoughts
52:09 Disclaimer
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