The brain does not have its own muscle system, to tense up and hold onto things. This is why it tenses up our muscles like little soldiers when we get upset or angry, and uses that knot to continue to hold that tension after the initial reason for our emotional reaction has passed. It is this tension that we “recall”.
(this is our mind ruminating on something… the grass in the cows stomach is a perfect analogy…. bringing it back up to chew on over and over again…) But the human mind has an added feature, in that it develops a narrative around the scenario, such as that of a hurt/who dun it/wanting payback that ends up tormenting us. The “knot” that the mind puts in the body, is its buoy in the water which the mind uses to locate and bring up that past “wrong” to build its sticky narrative around.
We have many sayings about the bodyknot and the storyline the mind attaches to it ….. a knot in the pit of my stomach, pain in the neck etc etc.
When we develop standard methods of dealing with anxiety and frustration, these connections are formed, and then we use them whenever they are needed. Over time, they can and do become “chronic”, and just stay in place.
Sometimes, we can see this very clearly, when the “stressor” like money trouble, is relieved by an influx of money, but the sense of “stress” is still there…. exhibited by that associated “body knot” being there when it should have subsided.
In his book “Focusing”, Psychologist Dr. Eugene Gendlin talks about the discoveries he made when, over the course of many years, he found that some of his patients had the tools necessary to resolve their issues, while others had no way of coming to resolution, regardless of how long they came to him for therapy. When he dug into this, his method of “Focusing” was born.
In this method, the “felt-sense” or, as I prefer to call it “body knot” is focused on, as the “physical representative bodily presence of an attitude or feeling”.
In therapy, Gendlin would lead his patient through the issue. They paid close attention to the felt-sense associated with the issue (even naming it as closely to the feeling as possible…. sticky, hard, etc). When the issue was truly resolved, the felt-sense vapourized, and the person couldn’t bring that feeling up anymore, even when they were presented again with the original issue they had been struggling with.
In my own practice, I have used this “felt-sense” to pay close attention to the way I was feeling, while doing self-inquiry, to see if the issue was REALLY resolved….. while the mind can play tricks, this body-knot does not let go until the issue has truly been resolved.
To reiterate, this process is the mind using the body as its soldier, to enforce holding onto grievances or anger against someone or something, and even holding onto attitudes and expectations. I like to call it “holding onto an issue past its expiry date”(the actual expiry date is as soon as some situation has past)
When the issue or feeling has truly been dropped, its associated body-knot vapourizes…. if it does not, the issue has not been dropped. Simple and true.
It is a very effective tool to freeing oneself from hindrances to living constantly in the free world of Here and Now.
It is NOT some trick that is called in from the outside, it is the true inner workings of our own heart.
Reality is Dharma 
Very well and clearly explained. Thank you.
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