Learning how to give a voice to what we are feeling, and then using that voice to repeat or fine tune the original voice, usually intensifies the feeling that your body is generating. It may even resonate with trauma information so well that your body begins to release more information for your consideration. When this happens, we are witnessing the slow re-assembly of the imprint. This is what we are after. We do things that coax the embodied sensorimotor trauma artifacts into their energy state. This, in turn, allows the information content to approach consciousness, where it can be organized and intelligently responded to…rather than just reacted to. Remember: each sensorimotor event is energetically connected to the many others that make up the unprocessed survival responses, the total of which we might call an imprinted distress complex….or, Imprint.
Another way of helping this process along is to physically locate or “mark” the area of discomfort. Someone may report a feeling of heaviness in their chest. This is an amorphous feeling. By asking him to place a hand over the area…to experiment, such that he places it exactly over where it’s being experienced, may lead to an intensification of the feeling. As the feeling intensifies, we track it and give a voice to whatever comes to us out of that location. Remember, this can be a word, sound, phrase, movement, etc. Whatever shows up, give it a voice. Stay with it as long as you can. And, see what happens.
Thank you Amanda.
Yes, exactly…I learnt this in the hakomi method to To put a hand on the area of pain (if it feels right to do this….) and then explore support exploration of the pain. feels Like it creates safety and an easier way of honing into the Felt experience. I mix a bit of everything primal, sensorimotor following….and sometimes physical connection. Love your blog Jim.