The last 3 months have been really trying emotionally for so many people. We humans are wired for social connection, the social engagement part of our nervous system which is in our face, neck and the back of our neck is designed that way. We are designed to attune to each other through our facial expressions.
Now we find ourselves in a time where we can see few of our loved ones close up. I don’t know about you but I am really missing hugs. The Corona Virus also makes us face our own mortality. The whole situation has brought so much fear up for so many people. Fear is a very difficult emotion for many people to process, we tend to push it away and try ignore it. Yet it sill runs in the background when we do this.
How can we be with our Emotions?
We let ourselves feel the emotion, we let it run. This can be hard when we have repressed them for years.
One of the best exercises I have found to let ourselves be with them is to access them via the Felt Sense. The Felt Sense is somatic language that we can use to describe the sensations we are feeling inside our bodymind. I say bodymind because they are one thing, we aren’t walking heads.
So I have prepared a practice for you to use that you can find below that you can use to scan your body and practice tuning into your felt sense and the sensations and emotions. You can download it. Also there is a felt sense dictionary which comes from Peter Levine who is one of the founders of somatic experiencing.
How do you use it?
Firstly, review the felt sense dictionary so you can get a sense of the felt sense words you use to describe the sensations in your body. It will probably resonate with you because when you ask a child how they feel inside they often use these words. Itchy, wiry, purple, cloudy. They seem silly and culturally, the english language is not really geared to this terminology, to describe emotions and feelings. Many latin based languages that are typically more emotive, are better in these descriptions.
Then lay in a comfortable spot, put the audio on and follow the instructions. As you scan your body from top to bottom or vice versa, pay attention to what you notice, tension, stiffness, discomfort and really hone in on in and how it actually feels.
What you may notice as you pay attention to these sensations is your body may start to relax or it may bring up the emotion underneath the sensation. So if you feel like you need to cry, thats OK. Let it out. If you notice anger come up bash the pillow next to you. If you feel Fear and then need to move, go for a run or a walk. Whatever comes up is OK.