Quote by Paul Miller

One thing I find in my work with developmental and attachment trauma is a complex and strained relationship with emotions. And a disconnect from their bodies.

Often I find that my clients cannot identify their own emotions as growing up this was unsafe for some reason. So now as adults, they don’t know how they feel.

In order to begin identifying how they feel, we must help them to start paying attention to what signals their physical body is sending them, and that is where we start. And we have to simply start by building tolerance for noticing what is going on in their bodies.

Once we have built this tolerance I help them to learn what bodily sensations and signals might be trying to tell them. For example, a lump I the throat and a heaviness in the body might signal sadness. Feeling hot with tense back muscles and a clenched jaw might signal anger. A churning stomach and tense shoulders might signal anxiety or fear.