Working with Sensations in the Body

A central point of my work with clients is to repeatedly bring their awareness directly into the present moment. The most powerful and effective way to accomplish this is by working directly with sensations in the body.

This is effective for many reasons:

• It focuses and quietens the mind
• Attention is directed within to the source of the problem
• The core tension and pain can begin to relax and release
• Profound healing can occur when light/love is directed into the area

As children we may often have become stressed, panicked or angry. However we may not have been allowed to express this outwardly. These emotions then become trapped in our body and held in what are called Target Organs. As a result of this, tight painful knots develop in our solar plexus, shoulders, jaw etc.

This painfully held tension is then continuously churning away in the background at times of stress – often beyond our conscious awareness.

However this tension drains us of SO much energy and vitality. I help my clients to bring conscious awareness deeply into the body in order to focus on these rigidly tense and painful areas. These areas are always very familiar and connect them right back to their childhood.

The innate wisdom within the body has an incredible capacity to soften, release and heal. It can only do this however when the mind is quiet and receptive.

Symptoms of Resistance

Whenever we encounter emotional, mental or physical pain there is a tendency to resist this in many ways:

• We distract ourselves away onto other issues
• Without any awareness, we project our pain onto another person or situation
• In an attempt to not feel the pain, we tighten and tense the area
• This is when we may even become addicted to something to rescue us away from the awful pain

However this resistance only locks the original pain more firmly in place. We’re then stuck with an ever repeating pattern of emotional/physical pain. This will always trigger an explosive overreaction which in turn creates more strife and suffering in our lives.

So how do we open the way to release and heal these “awful sensations”?

The Language of Compression

Whenever there is pain, there is always a form of compression occurring beneath the threshold of our conscious awareness. We tighten, stiffen, we tense up and we always hold our breath. In other words, “I’ll do anything to get away from this awful pain”. Sadly however, this only compounds the situation. Why is this?

Because the “awful sensations in the body” now driven underground, create more awful sensations, more turbulent emotions and the very energy of all this results inevitably in more awful thoughts

Bypassing Resistance with Hypnosis

When I direct my clients into these “awful sensations”, they’re doing this in a very safe supportive environment. They’re relaxed and highly focussed. Using hypnosis, I’m able to help them release the emotional charge that created these blocks in the first place.

This is where I work directly with sensations in the body. I do this by gently and carefully helping them to do the very opposite of their habitual response. I help them to really open and FEEL these sensations. They learn how to allow them to simply be there without pushing them away. As they open and soften into them they’re now allowing so much more healing space. This enables profound RELEASE.

Replacing Pain with Healing Energy

Then comes the lovely stage of introducing healing energy directly into the core of that area. I use the client’s own images. These vary enormously, but typical images are; Healing Ray of Light, Soft Luminous Mist, Healing Hands of Light, cool Aloe Vera gel or Cleansing Water.

All these images bring about a profound deep inner healing that goes right into the area that used to hold the compressed pain of blocked emotions.

Releasing the Pain of Betrayal – A Client’s Story

Here is a story of a client’s response to this treatment and illustrates how powerful it is. I only write this account with my client’s permission, and any identifying details have been changed.

Deirdre came to me deeply distressed after an argument with her best friend. She was deeply hurt by this because she relied upon this friend for his empathy and understanding. Their falling out left her feeling deeply betrayed and misunderstood.

As she described the circumstances of this to me, it was apparent that initially she had no desire to release this hurt. In telling her story she cried bitter tears. I kept guiding her back into the sensations of pain that were underlying this sense of betrayal. This was a big issue for her as she had been betrayed many times by her family in the past.

Transforming deeply held Trauma

She described the pain as a black bruise, lodged deep in her heart. Using hypnosis, I asked her to imagine her heart opening and expanding to occupy more space. As she did this she said that the black bruise now resembled an angry red wound. She was able to bring awareness directly into here and now by working with sensations in the body

In the deeply focussed state enabled by hypnosis, she was able to respond to my questions; “what does this angry red bruise need? How can this bruise begin to heal – what needs to happen there? Allow all that needs release to leave this area of your heart?”

The Miracle of Profound Release

She was silent for several minutes and then described a hot angry pain pouring out of her body. This wasn’t directed at anyone, it was simply being released. Asking her to take as long as she needed for this to be really thoroughly done, she continued to release and let go of this pain.

Her transformation after this process was a joy to see. She reported a sense of feeling far more centred and grounded than ever before.

It was as if she was really occupying her own body. Above all, she felt very relaxed about the falling out with her friend and was now thinking of ways to approach him to bring about a reconciliation. Bring awareness directly into here and now by working with sensations in the body

This was possible because the core/original pain of betrayal that caused her anguish had now been healed. So much pain had been released to be replaced by soothing, healing energy.

Two weeks later she had been in touch with her friend. She was now feeling calm and centred. It’s not possible to bring about a reconciliation if we feel potentially explosive anger and shaky, fearful pain. Above all, as a result of the work she did with me, she now genuinely wanted to bridge the rift caused by their argument. Needless to say, her friend responded very well to such a sensitive approach and their friendship was soon healed.

I use this example because it illustrates how it’s possible to bring awareness directly into here and now by working with sensations in the body. This in turn will bring about very deep, lasting transformation. Deirdre healed herself through the concentrated focus of her attention, her willingness to let her pain go and her ability to go way beyond the resistance and open and expand this area into healing.