Tracking physical symptoms back to anxiety, defense, and avoided feeling while maintaining medical caution and anxiety regulation.
Step-by-step guide
- Clarify the symptom and medical context
- Identify the trigger immediately before the symptom
- Track anxiety channel
- Ask what feeling may have been activated
- Link symptom, defense, and feeling carefully
- Regulate pressure according to somatic response
When to use
- With functional somatic symptoms
- When symptoms appear during emotional activation
- When medical causes have been considered
Key phrases
What was happening emotionally just before the symptom appeared?
Follow-up questions
Where is the anxiety in the body now?
What feeling might your body be holding back?
Alternative phrasings
Let us follow the symptom back to the moment it began.
The body may be carrying a feeling that cannot yet be felt.
Warnings
- ⚠️ Do not dismiss medical risk
- ⚠️ Do not overpressure smooth muscle anxiety
- ⚠️ Coordinate care when needed
Source: Abbass, A. et al. ISTDP for functional somatic disorders
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.