Continuous attention to the bodily markers of emotional change: tightening, expansion, warmth, cold, trembling — as a navigator of the therapeutic process.
Step-by-step guide
- Ask regularly: "What are you noticing in your body right now?"
- Name what you see: "I noticed your shoulders dropped"
- Link body and emotion: "This tightness in the chest — what do you think is behind it?"
- After experiencing: "How has the body changed?"
- Note transformation markers: expansion, lightness, deep breath
- Use the body as a compass: where is the process heading?
When to use
- Throughout the session, especially at transitions between states
- When words do not capture the experience
Key phrases
Pause for a second and scan — what is your body doing right now? Where is it holding? Where does it want to breathe?
Follow-up questions
What shifted in the body when you said that?
If the tightness could speak, what would it say?
Where is there more space now than before?
What does the body want next?
Alternative phrasings
If feeling the body is hard, tell me — we'll start smaller.
Any sensation counts — temperature, weight, a small movement.
Warnings
- ⚠️ Do not impose bodily experience. If the client does not feel the body — that is also information (possibly dissociation).
- ⚠️ Track without pressuring; stay with what is available.
Source: Fosha, 2000; Ogden, 2006
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.