Deep Listening Exercise
Is it just me or does it feel like there’s always a lot of noise happening? It’s never fully quiet. There’s a low level static hum and it’s not only coming from the overhead light in the kitchen.
The internal chatter. Obsessive thoughts. Intrusive thoughts? The kids’ schedule. Did I turn on the crockpot for dinner? Can’t forget to call the *any number of things* to schedule that appointment. And why the hell am I thinking about something that happened in High School where I should have said this incredibly intelligent thing instead?!? Because that obviously matters now. And there was something else… what was it?
So much muchness.
And do you know what most of us ignore or don’t make time to listen in on? What the body is telling us. Those aches and gut feelings are the body’s way of communicating.
Here’s a secret. When you take the time to get curious and explore this idea of listening to your body, you might be amazed at how much it’s telling you and how many ways your life can shift.
Deep Listening Exercise
This rabbit hole is deep. The psychology research behind this is outstanding. They discovered that people innately or instinctively using this technique were going to be successful with their therapeutic desired outcomes. Of course, there are many different views on how to go about this process, but as always, I’m going to simplify it.
- Lean into it. If you’re in a safe space to do so, close your eyes, take a moment to settle in, and focus on that pain or sensation that grabbed your attention. Don’t try to run from it or avoid it. Without trying to force everything else away, just keep bringing your awareness back to this sensation. Observe it. Be curious about it.
- Name it. What is it? What does it feel like? What is the emotion attached to it or underneath it? Again, be curious. This felt sense may surprise you. Images, words, different qualities of the feeling may pop up. You’ll know when you’ve identified it, because it will start to shift. Lighten. Lessen. Naming it tends to dissolve the charge around it.
- Sit with it. Leave the blame, shame, and judgment out of it. Simply feel what it is. Your voice is your power and you can use this here by saying out loud, “This is *emotion*. This is what *emotion* feels like. I’m feeling *emotion*.” Breathe into it. Again, identifying it and acknowledging it allows the charge surrounding it to dissolve.
- Connect it. The deep divers can take this a step further and use your conscious, logical mind to connect where in your life this feeling is relevant. What have you been experiencing in your life where your body decided you should no longer ignore these feelings? Where is this awareness coming from and what is out of alignment with it? Once again, you’ll know when you’ve connected to it, because the charge around it will shift.
- Act on it. Awareness creates change. Having the knowledge of what it is, and how it connects, gives you the power to choose how you move forward.
Try not to get frustrated. This takes practice. Honestly, each step can be difficult to get through. But the deeper you sink into it, the easier it gets.
The key is taking the time to connect with your body.
