Healing from dissociation comes through getting back in touch with our bodies and a key way to do that is to be able to focus attention on our bodies and put into words the sensations we can feel.
This poster gives a helping hand by offering a choice of words as a starting-point.
This is a free downloadable PDF.
Page 1 is a full-colour poster.
Page 2 is a low-ink, print-friendly version.
When I first put this poster together, it was a challenge to come up with sufficient words, starting at A and finishing at Z, to describe body sensations. ‘Hot’ and ‘Cold’ were okay, but what else? That’s the problem that many of us as trauma survivors have.
In order to survive trauma, we’ve had to dissociate from, and shut off from, our bodies. But healing comes through getting back in touch with our bodies again, connecting up what has become disconnected. And a key way to do that is to be able to focus attention on our bodies and put into words the sensations we can feel.
This poster gives a helping hand by offering a choice of words as a starting-point. A useful exercise, in therapy or at home, is to develop your own list of words that describe what’s going on in your body. What’s your body saying right now? What is it feeling? What is the word for that?