Describing Body Sensations
In sensorimotor therapy, and in any therapy session, you'll probably hear me ask you what you're feeling in your body. This is not only to encourage you to listen to the innate wisdom of your body, but to allow us to gain access to what needs to be felt, to be heard, to be let go of or called in. But sometimes words fall short in trying to describe what's happening within. Here's a starter list of the the most common words to describe body sensations during sensorimotor therapy:
Tension: Feeling tightness or constriction in muscles.
Warmth: A sensation of heat.
Tingling: A subtle, prickling feeling that can arise in various parts of the body.
Numbness: A lack of sensation in certain body areas.
Fluttering: A delicate, fluttery feeling in the stomach or chest, or elsewhere in the body.
Expansion: A sense of spaciousness or stretching.
Constriction: A feeling of tightness or holding back.
Weightlessness: A sensation of lightness, as if the body is floating or untethered.
Coldness: A chilling feeling in the body.
Pulsing: A rhythmic sensation.
Ache: A dull, persistent discomfort in specific body areas.
Release: A sense of letting go or unburdening.
Buzzing: A subtle, vibrating sensation.
Contraction: A tightening or pulling inwards, similar to bracing.
Lightness: A feeling of weightlessness or buoyancy.
Heaviness: A sense of weight or burden.
Softness: A gentle, tender feeling in the body.
Flowing: A sense of fluidity and movement within the body.
And here is a more comprehensive list of body sensations:
Achy
Airy
Alive
Bloated
Blocked
Breathless
Brittle
Bubbly
Burning
Buzzing
Chilled
Clammy
Closed
Cold
Congested
Constricted
Contracted
Cool
Cozy
Cramped
Dense
Dizzy
Dull
Elastic
Electric
Empty
Energized
Expanding
Faint
Fluid
Flushed
Fluttery
Frantic
Frozen
Full
Fuzzy
Goosebumpy
Gurgling
Hard
Heavy
Hot
Icy
Intense
Itchy
Jagged
Jittery
Jumbly
Jumpy
Knotted
Limp
Loose
Nauseous
Numb
Open
Paralyzed
Pounding
Pressure
Prickly
Puffy
Pulled
Pulsing
Quaking
Quiet
Quivering
Radiating
Ragged
Raw
Rolling
Shaky
Sharp
Shimmering
Shivery
Shudder
Silky
Smooth
Soft
Spacious
Spasming
Sticky
Still
Stretchy
Stringy
Strong
Suffocating
Sweaty
Tender
Tense
Thick
Throbbing
Tickly
Tight
Tingling
Trembling
Twitchy
Vibration
Warm
Weak
Wobbly
The body can become a canvas upon which emotions are expressed and insights are discovered. Learning the language of the body is a practice in mindfulness and present-moment awareness. See how much and how often you can pay attention to these sensations inside and outside of therapy.