Moving through feelings: A Somatic approach

There is a moment before we understand what we are feeling when a sensation happens in the body first, often somewhere unexpected, and the mind tries to catch up. This happened to me recently in a way I had never experienced before, and it taught me something important about what it actually means to feel your feelings rather than simply think about them.

What I Have Control Over

I can think about the pain, or I can think about how I am feeling it and eventually no longer feeling it, because of my own growth. That difference matters more than sounds. It acknowledges that sensation moves, changes, and eventually passes through us if we let it.

Step 1: Notice What You Are Feeling

For me, it started in the back of my head and neck, a sensation I could not name because I had never felt it before. It scared me. I did not know my body could feel that way and I didn't like it. Eventually I understood it as fear, terror, and horror all at once. It was hot at first, then cool. I imagined it was blue in its center and black in its surrounding. It traveled down into my chest as a dull ache, then into my stomach as a wrenching, twisting throb.

I talked out loud about what I was feeling and where it was moving. Naming it as it shifted kept me anchored, even while the sensation itself felt unfamiliar and frightening.

Step 2: Let the Body Move or Ground

I reached for a weighted comfort toy and held it tightly, rocking and crying. I let the tears come, including the deep, gut-wrenching kind that seem to rise from the belly, as if my body was purging something it had been holding for a long time.

When the intensity dropped to something more manageable, I lay flat on the floor. I felt the back of my head against the cool tile and let my spine arch and press into the hard surface beneath me. My hips and legs craved movement, so I let them sway. I rotated my head side to side, then tucked and untucked my chin. Eventually a bigger release came through my breath, a long exhale that let go of old air I had been carrying. I repeated it until the feeling eased, even just a little. I drank ice water through a straw, which grounded me back into my body.

Step 3: Process It on Paper

Afterward, I journaled about the experience itself, not just the feeling but the sensations, the shifts, and the movement through them.

Then I created through art, drawing with both hands without worrying about where the lines landed. Headphones and music helped get into the movement. Each color stood for a feeling, a sensation, or a memory. There was no goal beyond letting what was inside come out onto the page.

Build a Container for What Remains

A hand-crafted clay bowl, with colorful, torn paper pieces, symbolizing collected thoughts, feelings, and memories awaiting reflection.

Not everything resolves in one sitting, and that is okay. I tore and ripped pieces of colored paper to represent the thoughts and feelings still stuck inside me. Some pieces tore easily. Others were thick and resistant, and I had to work at them. I glued the torn pieces onto a handmade clay bowl, a container that could hold what was left and slowly transform it into something new.

Finally, I circled back to basic self-care, making sure I had eaten and tending to my needs through DBT's PLEASE skills, treating physical illness, balancing eating, avoiding mood-altering substances, balancing sleep, and getting exercise.

Why This Matters

Feeling your feelings is not passive but its an active process that asks you to notice, express, move, create, and eventually contain anything left over that isn't ready to pass. It will not look the same for everyone, and it will not look the same for you every time. But the invitation stays consistent to let the sensation move through your body instead of staying stuck in your head about it.

You Don't Have to Do This Alone

I share this because I want you to know that feeling your feelings, especially the big ones, doesn't have to happen alone.

At Brazen Therapy, our therapists understand this kind of work. We know what it looks like to sit with sensation as it moves and shifts, to hold space for the tears that come from somewhere deep, and to help you build your own container for what is still stuck. Whatever you are carrying, there is a therapist here who can help guide you.

If this spoke something in you, please reach out. Book a session with one of our therapists and let's start moving through it together. Therapists with immediate availability here.