how emotions affect the body
Before I dive into the fascinating world of Roby Chart Emotional Body Maps, a bit about how I stumbled upon these amazing mind-body connection charts. By now, if you’ve been following my journey, you know how passionately I believe in the concept of how emotions affect the body. It was during one of my deep-dives into understanding emotions stored in the body that I discovered these insightful charts.
A few months ago, I started feeling an unusual discomfort in my left wrist. Initially, I brushed it off, thinking perhaps I strained it somehow or an effect of age catching up. But just a couple of days later, on May 1, 2025, I ended up breaking the very same wrist in an accident! When I later consulted the Roby Chart Emotional Body Map, guess what I found? The left wrist directly corresponds to issues related to females in our lives.
It hit me immediately, at one time I was deeply working through healing my mother wound and lately had been putting it off on some or other pretext. So bam – says my body – stop this and start working! Reflecting further, I remembered multiple fractures I’d had in my forearms over the years. Upon checking the chart again, it made perfect sense! Each injury had occurred at a time when I was intensely focused on proving my worth, desperately trying to show everyone, including myself, that I was good enough.
Well enough about me, lets talk about what exactly are these charts, and how did they come about?
What is the Roby Chart Emotional Body Map?
The Roby Chart Emotional Body Map was developed by Cheryl Roby back in 2004. Cheryl, influenced by pioneers like Louise Hay and Caroline Myss, created this visually appealing chart to map emotional and belief patterns directly onto physical body parts. It beautifully illustrates how specific emotions, such as fear, anger, or self-worth, connect to certain organs or body regions. For instance, you’ll find that fear is often linked to the kidneys, while anger may reside in the liver.
Origins: How Emotions Were Framed in the Body
Ancient Wisdom
But this isn’t a new concept at all. Ancient healing traditions have long believed that emotions directly impact our physical well-being. For example, Ancient Mesopotamian texts associated emotions with organs such as the liver (happiness, love) and feet (anger). Eastern medicine e.g. Korea’s DongUiBoGam and Traditional Chinese Medicine, for thousands of years, associated emotions like anger with the liver and grief with the heart & lungs and fear to kidneys.
Similarly, Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of medicine, also maps emotions to specific organs. Anger is often linked to liver imbalance, grief with the lungs, and anxiety affecting the colon. Ayurveda beautifully describes how unresolved emotions become “emotional ama” or toxic residues, clogging our energetic pathways and causing physical discomfort or disease.
Western Mind-Body Research
Interestingly, even the west also echoed similar connections. Back in 1884, the James–Lange theory proposed something fascinating—that our emotions are actually created by bodily sensations. Simply put, it’s not that we tremble because we are afraid; rather, we feel fear because we tremble! Even earlier, in 1872, Daniel Hack Tuke’s book Illustrations of the Influence of the Mind upon the Body vividly documented numerous instances where people’s imaginations and emotional states directly led to physical symptoms. Isn’t it amazing how interconnected our bodies and emotions truly are?
Modern Science
Even modern science has begun to support these age-old beliefs. A groundbreaking study from Finland in 2014 visually mapped out bodily sensations related to different emotions. They found astonishing consistency across cultures, revealing patterns such as fear activating sensations in the chest and sadness causing numbness in the limbs.
The Science Behind “How Emotions Affect the Body” & “Emotions Stored in the Body”
- This connection is rooted in the idea of something known as interoception which means how our body internally senses emotions, creating a tangible physical response.
- The biopsychosocial model also acknowledges that health is shaped not only biologically, but also by psychological and social factors. The Roby Chart Emotional Body Map is a great visual for that interplay.
- Somatic therapy and other embodiment practices (usually negated by “modern science”) also teach us how unresolved emotions can become trapped, causing chronic pain, tension, or even illness.
Why this mind-body connection chart matters?
This mind-body connection chart matters because it empower us with awareness. Noticing and acknowledging emotions in the body can help shift unhelpful beliefs. Understanding how our body stores emotions can guide us toward healing, both emotionally and physically. It helps identify the root emotional causes behind unexplained (and explained) aches, pains, or injuries. And it also gives a clear visual connection between feelings and physiology. And it helps release emotional root of physical pain through mind-body practices such as yoga, breathwork, bodywork etc.
Last Word
The Roby Chart Emotional Body Map brings together ancient insights, Western theory, and modern neuroscience, grounding abstract emotions in real physiological and belief-based patterns. Rooted in interoception and supported by studies mapping emotional sensations, it’s a powerful tool for self-discovery, therapeutic growth, and holistic wellness.
These charts have not only enriched my understanding but have also been instrumental in my personal healing journey. So, go ahead, become curious and explore these emotional body maps, become curious about your own body signals, and embrace this profound mind-body connection for holistic well-being.
Recommended Reading 📚
If you’d like to dive deeper into understanding the emotional roots of your health, here are some highly recommended books that align with what we explored in this post:
- The Body Keeps the Score — Discover how trauma lives in the body and how to heal.
- When the Body Says No — Learn how suppressed emotions can lead to illness.
- You Can Heal Your Life — A timeless guide to the emotional root of diseases.
- The Emotion Code: How to Release Your Trapped Emotions — Practical tools for releasing trapped emotions.
Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself — How your beliefs and emotions impact healing.
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