The Gut Is Called a Second Brain… But What About the Womb?

We often hear the phrase “the gut is our second brain.” It makes sense. Many of us know that feeling, when something feels right or wrong before we can logically explain why. We say we have “butterflies” when we’re anxious, or a sinking feeling when something doesn’t sit well.

Science shows the gut contains millions of neurons connected to the nervous system, which helps explain why emotions can feel physical. Many spiritual traditions place the solar plexus, the upper abdomen, at the centre of personal power and sense of self.

But I’ve often wondered about another area of the body that feels deeply connected to emotion and experience: the womb.

Learning to Listen to My Body

As a teenager and through most of my twenties, I experienced painful periods. For years I managed this with the contraceptive pill. When I entered my thirties and began paying more attention to my body and overall wellbeing, I decided to come off it. I wanted to feel more connected to my natural cycle.

My cycle returned quickly, but the pain did too.

One month, while waiting for pain relief to work, I searched for a meditation to distract myself. What I found instead suggested something different. Rather than pushing the pain away, I could try to listen to it.

It sounded unusual, but I was willing to try.

I placed my hands over my lower abdomen and quietly asked, “What is this trying to tell me?” After a few minutes, I felt a sudden rush of emotion. I began to cry, and thoughts surfaced that I hadn’t consciously acknowledged. After releasing that emotion, I fell asleep, and when I woke, the pain had gone.

This became a pattern. Not every time was the same, but often when I slowed down and allowed myself to feel rather than resist, emotions surfaced, and the pain softened. It felt, to me, as though my body had been holding onto things I hadn’t processed.

After Birth: Disconnection

After having my son, my relationship with my body shifted again. I loved pregnancy, the connection, the sense of life growing inside me. But after a difficult birth, I felt disconnected from my womb. Postpartum recovery can feel raw and confronting, and for a while I avoided thinking about that part of my body altogether.

When my periods returned, they were heavier and longer. One month, when my period was late (and I knew I wasn’t pregnant), I tried another meditation focused on reconnecting with my body. I found it surprisingly difficult to focus on my womb area.

So instead of trying to feel something specific, I simply offered gratitude. I thanked my body for carrying my son, for healing, for everything it had done. It brought up emotion, but in a gentler way.

The next day my period began, shorter and less painful than it had been since birth.

Could that have been coincidence? Possibly. But it reinforced something I’ve come to feel strongly: our bodies respond to how we relate to them.

Energy, Emotion, and the Body

In energy-based traditions, the sacral chakra, located in the lower abdomen, is linked to emotion, creativity, sexuality, and relationships. Whether you see this symbolically or spiritually, it reflects something many of us recognise: emotional experiences often show up physically.

For some people, this language may feel unfamiliar or “out there.” For others, it resonates deeply. For me, it’s simply another way of understanding the connection between mind, emotion, and body.

I don’t see this as replacing medical knowledge or advice. Instead, it’s an invitation to consider that our bodies may carry more than just physical processes - they may also hold stories, tension, and emotion.

Listening Rather Than Overriding

We’re often taught to override discomfort: to push through, numb, or ignore. Sometimes that’s necessary. But sometimes, gently listening can be just as powerful.

For me, learning to tune into my body, especially my womb, has become less about control and more about relationship. Curiosity instead of frustration. Appreciation instead of avoidance.

As Dr. Bessel van der Kolk wrote, “The body keeps the score.”
Perhaps part of healing is learning how to listen to what it’s been holding.