When the Body Says “No”: What Migraines Teach Us About Boundaries, Energy, and Healing

catherinekates2
Jun 18
5 min read

I didn’t always know how to listen to my body.

For years, I powered through tension, ignored exhaustion, and smiled through discomfort — until my migraines became impossible to ignore. They weren’t just headaches. They were full-body shutdowns, often coming after moments where I’d stretched myself too thin, said “yes” when I meant “no,” or tried to preserve peace for others at the cost of my own.

Eventually, I realized: these migraines weren’t random. They were intelligent signals from my body — desperate attempts to protect me, force a pause, and restore integrity to the parts of me I kept abandoning.

One of my clients had a similar moment. She made the brave choice not to attend a family gathering that had historically left her feeling violated and unseen. For the first time, she said no. And shortly after? A searing migraine hit. Her body, just like mine, was processing the emotional magnitude of that decision — integrating the fallout of choosing herself.

Migraine as a Somatic Messenger

In somatic therapy, we understand the body not as an inconvenience, but as a storyteller. Our tissues, breath, and nervous system all hold and express our life history — especially the parts we’ve learned to suppress.

From this lens, a migraine is more than a symptom — it’s a form of somatic communication:

Overload. Suppression. Conflict.When we stay in places, roles, or relationships that violate our inner truth, the body eventually says, “No more.”
Boundary ruptures. Emotional tension. Unprocessed grief.The head becomes the pressure valve for everything we’ve tried to manage alone — the final stop for unspoken needs and unexpressed anger.

Migraines often appear at the edge of transformation — when we’re starting to reclaim ourselves, but haven’t yet built full safety in doing so.

The Energetics of Migraine — According to Eastern Traditions

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), migraines are often understood as the result of Liver Qi stagnation and upward movement of energy — especially when emotions like anger, resentment, or suppression have been chronically held in.

The Liver governs flow — of emotion, energy, and expression.
When blocked, this energy has nowhere to go but upward, causing head pressure, visual disturbances, and pain.

Energetically, a migraine can represent:

A struggle between expression and containment
An internal conflict between your truth and your obligations
A signal that something in your life — or your lineage — is demanding transformation

In Ayurveda, migraines may be related to an excess of Pitta dosha — fire energy — often stirred by stress, ambition, overworking, and suppressed anger. They’re a fiery protest when the system is overheated and under-supported.

What Neuroscience Says About Migraines

The science confirms what somatic and energetic medicine have long intuited: migraines are not just “in your head” — they’re deeply linked to your nervous system.

Migraine is now understood as a neurovascular event, involving the brainstem, blood vessels, and pain pathways.
They’re often triggered by stress, emotional upheaval, hormonal shifts, or sensory overload — all of which are nervous system stressors.
People with migraines often have sensitized brains, especially in the areas responsible for threat detection, sensory input, and emotional regulation.

In short? Your brain is doing its best to protect you — even if the pain feels like betrayal.

Healing with Somatic and Energetic Tools

The goal isn’t just to stop the pain — but to understand and listen to it.

Here’s how I work with migraine in an integrative way:

💠 Somatic Acupuncture & Acupressure

LI4 (Hegu): Clears stagnation and calms the nervous system.
GB20 (Fengchi): Relieves head pressure and calms upward-rising energy.
LV3 (Taichong): Unblocks Liver Qi and supports emotional flow.

When combined with somatic presence — like breathwork, body awareness, and mindful tracking of sensations — these points can support the body to process emotions and come back into balance.

💠 Nervous System Repatterning

Orienting and grounding: Simple tools to bring safety back into the body when the system feels overwhelmed.
Polyvagal-informed practices: Support the vagus nerve in shifting out of fight/flight/freeze into regulation.
Restorative touch and self-holds: For soothing inner protectors and re-establishing body trust.

💠 Self-Inquiry and Journaling

Ask yourself:

Where am I ignoring or overriding myself?
What boundary did I cross — or finally enforce?
What needs attention, expression, or rest?

Migraines as Threshold Moments

The beauty — yes, beauty — of migraines is that they are often threshold experiences. They arrive when we are crossing from one state of being to another.

From suppression to truth.
From self-abandonment to self-honoring.
From over-functioning to rest and repair.

The pain is real. But so is the wisdom.

Final Thoughts: Your Body Is On Your Side

Your migraine is not a betrayal — it’s a cry for integrity.

My migraines ended when I started listening. When I built relationships where I could be fully myself. When I began to honor the sacred “no” — and trust the wisdom of my “yes.”

My client’s migraine wasn’t a failure — it was a sign her nervous system was doing its job: processing the radical act of choosing herself.

What if your migraine isn’t something to fight — but something to honor?

What if it’s the voice of your truest self — finally getting your attention?

So What Can You Do Right Now?

If you’re in the midst of a migraine or feeling one build, here are some body-based tools to ease pressure, support regulation, and help your system reorient:

✅ Reduce input: Lower light, sound, and stimulation. Create a dark, quiet cocoon.

✅ Hydrate and nourish: Warm fluids, herbal teas (like ginger or chamomile), and grounding foods like root vegetables can help settle and soothe.

✅ Acupressure: Gently press or massage:

LI4 (Hegu): Between thumb and index finger — for head tension and Qi movement.
GB20 (Fengchi): Base of the skull — for releasing upward pressure.
LV3 (Taichong): Top of the foot — for easing emotional tension and supporting the Liver meridian.

✅ Body scan: Drop your awareness out of your head and into the body. Feel your feet, your breath, your belly. Soften wherever you notice gripping or holding.

✅ Ask yourself:What am I carrying that I no longer want to hold?What truth is trying to emerge through this pain?

✅ Hot water on the feet:Soaking your feet in hot water (as hot as is safe and tolerable) can draw energy downward from the head and help relieve migraine symptoms.

Why it works:

From a TCM and energetic perspective, it helps redirect rising Qi and excessive pressure out of the head and into the lower body.
It grounds the nervous system, signaling safety and supporting vagal tone.
It activates foot acupoints like Kidney 1, which helps calm the spirit, ease anxiety, and bring the body into rest-and-digest.