Week 2: Grounding our Bodies

Not only is trauma stored in our bodies, but our bodies communicate to us if we listen.

You might be curious about the prompts I offered in these newsletters: to notice what you feel in your body.

Not only is trauma stored in our bodies, but our bodies communicate to us if we listen. The Body Keeps the Score was a seminal work by Bessel van Der Kolk which has been built on by a whole embodied movement to notice and listen to our bodies. We’re often too busy, or we’ve not been trained in the importance of noticing these sensations, or we’re afraid what might come up. It feels uncomfortable so we shove it.

Over the past years, Ive been attending Embody Lab and other trainings where people are invited to share in the chat what sensations they feel in their body.

At first, I hardly had words to describe what I feel, or really any awareness of sensations. These guided prompts have made me more aware and curious about what’s going on in me . I’m beginning to notice more and more when I experience a sensation, which then prompts me to listen to my body.

Photo by Dingzeyu Li on Unsplash

Some of you may be familiar with the emotion wheel, this Sensation Feeling Wheel has been adapted to include bodily sensations.

Foot-tapping, fidgeting, heart-racing, numb hands are various ways our body might experience fear. Becoming more aware of these sensations can help us address our emotions, slow down, and tend to our selves.