INFJ Disconnected from Body

INFJ personality types tend to live mostly inside our own heads. Our inner world is an escape from the outside world. Frequently, we use this kind of escape from the outer world because of our high sensitivity, and because we feel misunderstood by most other people.

This kind of strategy to disconnect from the outer world also disconnects us from our own bodies. Most INFJ personality types tend to check in with the mind first regarding any decision, conflict, or problem. It’s very common for INFJ personality types to prioritize thinking over feeling, even though we are naturally MBTI feeler types. Much of the time we also go into over-thinking, which is when we disregard or override signals from the body.

When we put all our energy into thinking, and suppress our feeling function and the messages we receive from the body, we end up in a situation where we are constantly depriving ourselves of what we need. We may need more sleep and less work, but because we’re not listening to cues from the body, we’re ignoring that truth within ourselves.

When INFJ personality types are in this kind of cycle with suppressing the needs of the body, we are usually doing this because we subconsciously believe we need to make super-efforts to prove our worth. When we routinely override the body’s needs, we end up burned out and exhausted. The body then seems to rebel against us and betray us. However, the body is only trying to get our attention, and get us to meet our own needs by protecting ourselves through self-care.

Subscribe to Lauren’s newsletter!

[wendyreis]

As an incest survivor I spent years feeling detached from everything from the neck down. I am an INFJ. Fleeing reality certainly fits.

[colonelgraff]

There’s a song by Peter Gabriel Called “My Body is a Cage” and it encapsulates the INFJ’s bodily experience very well.

[ComplicatedSimplicite]

I’m so bad I forget to eat, drink, and even often don’t notice when I have to go to the bathroom. Thank god for my husband who reminds me when he sees me dancing 😂

[probablypoetic]

I do get this from time to time, mainly when I'm doing something physical and I feel a flash of "Uh oh. Did I just overdo it? Did I pull a muscle or something?" Then I ignore that, I push through anyway, and end up in pain the next day. This has happened to me too many times!

I also escape reality by going into my head in times of stress, so this is a great topic for many of us. Perhaps one day I'll be able to take one of your courses. Thanks, Lauren.😊

[don-ebfj]

Confirmation on the shoulder pain, it's the only thing that reminds me I even have a body these days - it's more like a vehicle and life support system for my brain (which is a bit car sick and tired of the ride - are we THERE yet?) to survive and navigate this strange, toxic, insane alien clown world.

[SD-rmty]

Im trying to get back into my body and out of my head.

[MylezNevison]

Personally, I don't feel "disconnected" to my body per se. Rather, my body feels like a separate individual who l *have to* share the same space with. My body kinda feels like my *siamese twin* who has more control of our vessel than l do (essentially, I feel like the less dominant conjoined twin).

[ScottieBeanZ]

Another great video, Lauren! Bravo! I’m so happy I found your channel, you have changed my life! You are putting words to all of the things I’ve never been able to articulate about myself! God bless you ❤

[DonTrump-svsi]

Ill find myself understanding everything thats going on in said environment but because im in my head, when i finally say something, if im not anchored in my body, people wont hear me or wont understand what Im saying. Even though im using the same words, at the same volume, but because im so in my head, it doesnt resonate clearly sometimes to others

[Notsram]

I can't tell you how much of a relief it is to come across this video. I've struggled with feeling foreign to my own body for my whole life.

[jeanetteswalberg]

Wow. What a powerful concept. I grew up in a larger than average family as the third from youngest. I absolutely checked out into my mind during group conversations.
I also am a very visual person as well as having been diagnosed with ADHD. I will look through your video library to see if you address INFJs with ADHD. If you haven't talked about this already, I would love to see you discuss managing ADHD as an INFJ since it seems like there's some crossover happening there.

[airam-sj]

Lauren, I am very grateful for your channel. You are a very insightful and wise woman. I notice as an INFJ that when I am tired my brain starts to shut down. I tend to forget basic and simple things. I need to sleep a lot and to work less like you state. I have to add also that I discover bruces on my body and I don't recall how I get them. Until I revisit the event and realize I hit a surface.

[paljones]

I relate to this, I feel I can´t even express my feelings on the surface sometimes, without overacting on my feelings. It also make it even weirder to have people reacting to how you look, cause it feels like they have a deeper connection to my body, which feels icky. I do feel the flow of the energies in me though, which gave me in interest in chakras, so when I don´t feel my body I try to react to my lifeforce instead. Having a physical body, may never become a good feeling, but I feel following my energies still gives some informations.

[jenniferfields]

Since INFJs are such intuitive people, I'm wondering what percentage considers themselves to be actively involved in their spirituality. Not necessarily mainstream religions, but more like esoteric or lesser-known faiths such as Hermeticism or Kabbalah, etc. Being such deep thinkers, it's easy to assume that INFJ's would delve into the deep, existential questions. I'm curious if you know of anyone whose conducted a study on this.

[TamaraPrins]

OMG SO interested in this class. I started to use Tarot since a month to connect more to my intuition and my body and its helping. Like always your course comes when I ask the universe for more guidance <3

[thecozyconstellation]

INFJ here with ADHD and perhaps autism. i feel extremely disconnected from my body. body dysmorphia. sometimes i don't recognize my face in the mirror. really bad body proprioception issues, extreme sensitivity, sensory issues. also chronic fatigue which makes exercise difficult (along with the clumsiness).

[katierenae]

Ugh I always felt disconnected from my body, it was great lol until this last year when chronic stress increased my anxiety into physical symptoms and gave me no choice but to pay attention to it. Thank you so much for this, and yes I grew up with childhood tramua.

[JerrTheHooman]

You're always reading my mail 💀I am very active. I'm a runner, hiker and heavy Lifter but I frequently have strange bruises from bumping into things when I'm deep in thought and I struggle to notice when I'm hungry, need to pee, am getting sick, etc. I never knew I had anxiety until a few years back while cuddling with a partner and they mentioned that my heart racing often, even in my sleep 😂 to which I responded, "that's not normal?"

[Clevelandsteamer]

6:57 even forget to breathe. If you have an apple watch it will remind you

[jacrowe]

I got back into my body by doing David Bercellis TRE (trauma release exercises) just thought i'd share😅