Body Sensation List
- Brittani Antunes, MC, LPC
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
"When you feel that, how is it showing up in your body?"
"What do you feel in your body right now?"
"and where do you notice that in your body?"
Sound familiar?
Having the right word that describes what you're noticing in your body can go a surprisingly long way. Depending on your therapist's style, they may often ask you to tune into your body and tell them what you're feeling... easier said than done, right? Most of us aren't used to this- we didn't learn it in school, we weren't asked this at home, we don't talk about it with our friends, this is new. You're not alone.
As a therapist who is very curious on what's going on in the body as we're working through things (primarily in EMDR and Accelerated Resolution Therapy sessions), I ask a lot of questions about body sensations.
Something I've noticed, after sharing space and hearing vulnerably honest thoughts from many people, is that finding a fitting word that captures what you're feeling can....
Feel validating
It transforms something vague or overwhelming into something tangible, making it easier to understand and express.
Feel Seen/Acknowledged
Not by me, but by yourself.
You are aware of the knot in your stomach.
You are not running away from it immediately, complaining about it, ignoring it, trying to fix it... right now, you are simply aware of it.
Perhaps it's been trying to get your attention.
Heal Deeper
So much is stored in the body- trauma, feelings, experiences. The shoulder clench from the time when you heard the boom, the icy frozen numbness your entire body felt that time it didn't know what to do, that lump in your throat from the time you didn't get to shout what you really felt. (To understand this waaay more I recommend reading The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk)
When we find words like 'shrinking', 'heavy', 'suffocated', 'hollow', 'shaky', 'floaty', 'light', 'glowing', 'smooth' we can be one step closer in healing from within the body, not just regarding the thoughts we're having.
Propel Processing
Sometimes, the word we choose can elicit imagery (frozen, prickly, pulsing, piercing, draining), which activates a part of the brain that might perceive the sensation in a slightly different way. This can lead to metaphors, speedy processing, insights, you name it.
For example, if you find the word 'frozen', your brain might begin to play with some ideas of ways to melt the ice, realize it's warm today and it's no longer frozen in that fear.
Body Sensations
Here are some words that can help describe what you're feeling in your body.
I recommend reading through this list prior to a therapy session so that when you're searching for the word in the moment, your brain will have access to some options.
What words would you add?
Curious about some therapies that tune into body sensations?
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