Somatic Practice: Grounding by Changing your Attention

Reach out if you need help or want to understand how your somatic symptoms may be influenced or caused by your brain and nervous system. I offer individual assessments and coaching as well as weekly group coaching. If you are interested please go to my website below to learn more.

Today I bring you through a somatic practice of moving your attention to ground yourself into something neutral vs. overfocusing on symptoms or unpleasant sensations. Overfocusing is called hypervigilance and is one of the ways we keep symptoms alive and is a sign of anxiety. So we want to start to shift our attention away from pain or chronic symptoms or unpleasant sensations as a way to teach our brains there is no danger or threat and to reduce the anxiety that may be contributing to our symptoms.

[chihuahuapixieprincess]

As an ME/CFS sufferer with Orthostatic Hypotension I was super hyper vigilant, I can feel every unusual heart beat, how low my BP is (hospital staff were amazed that I could feel and prove what was happening) however I've gone from it amplifying symptoms and making me so unwell that I virtually couldn't leave my house to just noticing it and letting it all go by not focusing on my body. By practising what you say I have become SO very well insofar as I seldom take painkillers now and my anxiety has gone; my wellbeing has never been so healthy. Thank you ❤

[sarastein]

This is fantastic- thank you! So healing

[kathleenbull]

Absolutely love this. So good for hyper-vigilance

[dgvokes]

Oh THANK YOU! This is exactly what I need to counter the hypervigilance. I find myself constantly scanning for the dizziness sensation, and this helps me soften the focus on it. I will be practicing this when I catch myself scanning. Hang in there everyone!

[tinacowie]

This is great advice, I found once my burning sensation in my legs was really bad so I used a a Tens machine on my (pain free) shoulders to divert the attention, but
I think teaching your brain in a natural way is way more lasting.

[Thunderdance]

Great practice! I love your videos and feel the content you provide is excellent and the fact that it is grounded in scientific data makes it exceptional. Thank you!
In terms of somatic practices, please allow me to make a suggestion. Could you Please consider actually having pause in talking to give us the "moment", you tell us to take, to go in our body and do as you are guiding us to do. The continued talking and direction without pause from your direction doesn't allow for really sinking into the experience and allowing the practice to be as effective as it could. Thank you for considering.

[staceypollack]

Amazing thank you. I noticed that broadening was much more effective for me also instead of focusing on something in a room or other part of the body I focused on a pleasant memory that helped. What my biggest challenge is and I’m putting it out there because I’m certain others think it as well is the constant worrying that this isn’t TMS and something else is wrong which for me 5 years ago had a bad injury head neck that to this day no one can tell me what actually happened causing this debilitation. With no understanding of symptoms it’s pure mindful hell. It’s rare any success stories on anyone in the mind body field has someone discuss post injury they just say the body heals it and TMS is left

[marly]

Thank you so much, this concept seems to resonate so much with me and I feel that it will help a lot..🙏🏼

[mayhorseradish]

Jim, I get confused because to heal we need to "feel it" and focus on it and allow it to exist. But then we are told to take our attention away from it and don't focus too much. Could you tell me how to balance this and how to do both things?

[robinelliott]

Does this work for the sensation of anxiety or not able to take a deep breath?

[cg]

I worry about focussing on another area of the body in case I transfer the pain there ! Think I'll focus on something inanimate in the room or out the window