Incorporating a self care practice into our daily routines can be a powerful means of promoting healing by regulating the nervous system, soothing painful emotions, and facilitating personal transformation. When considering mindfulness and other body-centered practices, remember that consistency, rather than the duration of practice, is the key. Dedicating just fifteen minutes to somatic awareness can be effective in easing emotional activation and bringing balance to the body.
Somatic Awareness: Awakening Your Senses
One of the most common questions I encounter from those interested in somatic psychology is, ‘What does somatic mean exactly?’ The term ‘somatic’ refers to the felt experience the body and how bodily sensations are connected to various processes, including thoughts and emotions.
Somatic awareness serves as a personal anchor, particularly in moments of tension and reactivity. It facilitates nervous system regulation, emotional and physical healing, and psychodynamic discovery. And when the body is prompted, it becomes more capable of pinpointing sensations, allowing us to valuable insights residing within.
Sensations may take various forms, such as density, texture, temperature, shape, or even qualities reminiscent of a distinct flavor or scent. Through the practice of sensory awareness, we may expand our understanding of the body’s wisdom, and rooted in the present moment, sensory awareness nurtures self-compassion and empowers us to explore unmet needs and their origins.
3-Step Somatic Healing Self Care Practice
This practice combines sensory (somatic) awareness with self-inquiry. You can practice it at any time, or choose to utilize it the next time you experience an emotion, feeling, or sensation that piques your curiosity. Set aside a minimum of ten minutes and see what unfolds. Relax into the process and remember, there is nothing you are supposed to achieve.
Step 1: Getting In Touch With Your Emotions
Take a comfortable seated position and breathe deeply. Are you experiencing an emotion right now?
Examples:
- Sadness
- Joy
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Excitement
- Frustration
- Contentment
- Fear
- Gratitude
- Enthusiasm
- Confusion
If you’re currently experiencing an emotion, proceed to Step 1A.
If you’re not feeling any noticeable emotion right now, jump to Step 1B.
Step 1A: Assessing Emotional Distress
As you tune into your emotion, gauge the level of distress it carries.
- Use a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 indicating ‘no distress at all’ and 10 representing ‘the highest distress imaginable.’
Make a mental note of your number, or write it down in a journal. Then, proceed to Step 1B.
Step 1B: Exploring Bodily Sensations
Tune into one of the most prominent bodily sensations you’re currently experiencing and identify its location. If you notice multiple sensations, choose the one that feels the most pronounced or activated. Don’t worry if you don’t sense much at all — sensory awareness can still be practiced and you can use your imagination to explore things in more depth. Even when the body feels numb or vacant, we can usually describe what that feels like. Simply choose an area of your body to focus on and proceed with the self care practice.
- Set a timer for at least five minutes, or longer if you can make the time.
- Breathe slowly and deeply into the chosen area and think about the sensation relating to a quality.
- When practicing sensory awareness, it is helpful to use adjectives and descriptive words, rather than emotions or feelings.
- Notice its weight, texture, temperature, and density. You may also choose to explore the sensation’s shape, color, fragrance or flavor.
Examples of Sensations: bright, warm, cold, hard, soft, tight, bound, swirling, spiky, rough, wirey, spinning, square, smooth, sharp, etc.
- Now, simultaneously observe both the location in the body and the sensation at the same time.
Examples of Sensations with Location: a tightness in the chest, an emptiness in the stomach, a restriction in the throat, a tingling in the hands, a heaviness in the legs, a buzzing in the head, a sharpness in the shoulder blade.
- Notice its weight, texture, temperature, and density. You may also choose to explore the sensation’s shape, color, fragrance or flavor.
- When practicing sensory awareness, it is helpful to use adjectives and descriptive words, rather than emotions or feelings.
- Describe the sensation either mentally or in writing.
- If you experienced an emotion in Step 1A, consider how it might be connected to the sensations you’re currently noticing.
Avoid overthinking: instead, observe the connection between your initial emotional state and your current sensations.
After exploring these sensations for five minutes or more, recall the distress level you noted earlier (1–10) in Step 1A.
Observe whether your original distress level remains the same, decreases, or increases. Then proceed to Step 2.
Step 2: Somatic-Relational Exploration
Does anything about this sensation and its associated emotion seem familiar to you? If so…
- When was the last time you noticed this bodily response?
- Can you recall a specific situation that triggered a similar sensation?
This could be a situation that relates to your own personal process (intrapersonal), or one that involved another person or people. (interpersonal) - Did you sense it in the same area of your body?
- If others were involved, what was your relationship or dynamic with them?
- Can you recall a specific situation that triggered a similar sensation?
- Take as much time as you need for reflection.
- Cultivate self-compassion rather than self-judgement, regardless of your discoveries.
You are welcome to make note of any keywords, themes, or patterns you identify between your current sensations and past experiences.
When you are ready, proceed to Step 3.
Step 3: Reflecting On Your Core Needs
Continue to observe the sensations as they arise and reflect on the aspects that feel familiar. Deepen your understanding of your body-mind and how sensations play a significant role in your life.
- From this point, inquire: “What do I currently need or desire?”
- Can you sense a deeper need or desire connected to the sensations you observed in Steps 1 and 2?
These needs are usually emotionally centered, typically associated with our more vulnerable aspects or parts carrying unmet needs such as unconditional love, presence, or attention.
- Pay close attention to the underlying need or desire concealed within the sensation.
For instance, tight shoulders often indicate anger or frustration, which can arise when we feel unheard or misunderstood. A heavy or tight heart-center might signify sadness stemming from our yearning for love and acceptance.
Examples of Needs & Desires:
“I desire deeper connection with others.”
“I need to feel safe.”
“I desire love.”
“I need to be heard.”
“I desire intimacy.”
- Take a few more deep breaths, and once you’ve uncovered the deeper need or desire connected to your body wisdom, feel free to spend a few more minutes reflecting and journaling about it.
You can also share this entire practice with a loved one when desiring improved communication and connection with them.
If you experienced an emotion during Step 1, check your current distress level on a scale from 0 to 10. If it hasn’t reduced, take a five-minute break for box breathing to provide additional self-support, then begin the practice again if it feels right for you.
Integration
This three-step somatic self care practice facilitates nervous system regulation, healing, and transformative self-inquiry. As you continue to make space for body-centered practices in your life, you will not only expand the body-mind connection, you will learn how to forge a more compassionate, connected relationship with yourself and with others.
Whether you choose to journal your discoveries, share them with others, or simply hold them in your heart, know that your exploration of somatic wisdom can be a source of strength, healing, and resilience on your path personal transformation and growth.
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