A technique for integrating bodily experience into the process of mentalization. The therapist helps the client to establish the link between mental states and bodily sensations — to learn to "read" their body as a source of information about feelings. Especially important for clients with alexithymia, somatization, and dissociative states.
Step-by-step guide
- When the client speaks about feelings or struggles to name them, direct attention to the body: "Where in the body do you feel this?"
- Help to describe the bodily sensation in detail: "What kind of sensation is it? Heaviness, tightness, warmth, coldness?"
- Link the bodily sensation with the emotional state: "What, in your view, is the body trying to tell you?"
- Use the breath as an anchor for returning to bodily awareness
- Help the client notice how the bodily sensations change while talking about different topics
- Gradually build a "vocabulary" of the client's bodily sensations and their link to emotions
When to use
- When the client struggles to identify their emotions (alexithymia)
- When the client presents somatic complaints without a clear organic cause
- When the client tends to intellectualize and "go into the head"
- When working with dissociative states for "grounding"
Key phrases
Where in the body do you feel this?
Follow-up questions
If this sensation in the chest could speak, what would it say?
I notice that when you talk about this, you clench your fists. What is happening?
Alternative phrasings
What is happening with your breath right now?
Let us close the eyes for a minute and just listen to what the body says.
Warnings
- ⚠️ Do not force — some clients may be afraid of contact with the body (trauma, dissociation)
- ⚠️ Take the cultural context into account — not all clients are used to talking about the body
- ⚠️ With dissociative reactions — work slowly and with reliance on safety
Source: Luyten P. Fonagy P. (2012); Luyten P. Van Houdenhove B. Lemma A. Target M. Fonagy P. (2012)
Materials are informational and educational and summarize publicly available scientific sources. They are not medical or psychological advice, are not intended for self-diagnosis or self-treatment, and do not replace consultation with a qualified professional.