What does “where do you feel that in your body” actually mean?
By nature, I love to know how things work, and I’m all about demystifying therapy processes and terms. I love to peel back the curtain for clients so they understand the reasoning behind different terms, questions, approaches, or techniques in the therapy room. There are so many words and phrases that are thrown around, and you may wonder what they actually mean. That’s normal!
One such phrase is “Where do you feel that in your body?” Since our therapists specialize in somatic (body-centered) therapy, we likely toss this phrase, or some version of it, around a lot. You may also see it on social media or in books. For good reason!
Our bodies are wise, intuitive, and always on the lookout to keep us safe. This means that they store a lot of information related to our experiences in life – emotions being a big one. The fun fact is that whether we are aware of it or not, our bodies sense an emotion before our brain notices it and we try to make sense of it. Learning to approach our bodies with curiosity and compassion is a vital step in safely processing and experiencing those emotions. This is the difference between knowing what you are feeling and actually feeling it.
Remember, there’s no right or wrong answer to this question. Maybe you feel heavy, light, hot, cold, tight, tense, free, floaty, buzzy, electric, warm, full, or any other sensation you can think of. Our bodies are creative and get our attention in unique ways. “I don’t know” is also a perfectly acceptable answer. As therapists, we come alongside you so we can work together to understand what your body is saying. This can take time, but it’s all a part of the process. Saying “I don’t know” is a beautiful, honest way to figure out how to move forward.
For some people, there’s a lot of safety found in understanding the “why” behind the therapy process. If that’s you, I encourage you to always ask questions! No question is bad or wrong, and we are always open to sharing what we are doing and why. Maybe this can help you along in the process of befriending all of your body’s signals and feelings, both inside and outside of the therapy room.