This is very similar to the previous Symbolic Somatic Priming System. However, this system serves to help the person feel a sense of flow through their body, to “fill in” areas that may feel less aware and alive, or to just connect with a particular area for some other awareness purpose. This can be good for aiding the state change that is a good part of reprocessing. When they are able to tolerate it, clients who are out of touch

For example, a person who has experienced a difficult childhood may not be very aware of their heart area.

When you are at a point in your relationship where the client can begin feeling that area, you might talk about what it means to “reclaim feelings” or to “be more fully alive in your own body.”

At the same time, you can gently sweep your hands upward from the abdomen up through the heart area over the sternum. Because clients with difficult childhoods are often frightened by the feeling of emptiness where their hearts should be, you can help them reclaim their awareness with such a gesture. Of course, this is just part of a larger collection of interventions.

In another example, when you’re talking to a person who is prone to controlling others in order to protect his flagging self-esteem, it can be helpful to connect him to the somatic experience that comprises the knee-jerk response to feelings of insecurity. This feeling has become a reflex of anger and feels justified in punishing the person who “made” them angry. This can be a formula for domestic violence.

You might talk about how amazing it is that the body can go into a totally different state the moment someone says something that hits a nerve.

As you do that, you might tense your chest and bring your fists up toward your chest while pulling your shoulders up into a tense position.

Again, this can be a moderate or subtle gesture. There is no reason for it to be extreme, because you are directing awareness, and this is easy to do with mild gestures that do not call too much attention to themselves and distract the client from the process you are conducting.

With the client more aware of how their body reacts, it will be easier to move into working on creating alternate responses.