I invite you to consider anxiety as an unspoken voice, just as depression, debilitating fatigue, migraines, feeling like one is living in a fog, unexpressed rage, helplessness could be calls for help. Dr. Peter Levine, the founder of the healing modality, Somatic Experiencing®, identifies the nervous system as an immediate entry to experience greater ease and regulation. His book, In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness, captures what we often miss – that which has no voice – the parts of us that need time and support to come into greater awareness.

Our bodies will speak if we invite them into connection.

Anxiety as an unspoken voice could have many ways to express itself.
Anger, sadness, triumph, indignation may all be wrapped up in the somatic experience of anxiety.

Together, my clients and I listen in to what the stomach or throat or kidneys have to tell us. Or it could be the head, shoulders, hands and feet that want to communicate a story.We listen and follow the cues of what the body needs to complete its story.

Consider stomach rumbling. The medical term is fun to say: bor-bo-ryg-mus. It is funny when our stomachs rumble. And many will be embarrassed and apologize for this uncontrollable voice.

As a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, I welcome these sounds. I hear an unspoken voice saying, “I’m here”, “Digestion is happening”.  When digestion is available, it means the fight/flight/freeze response of our sympathetic nervous system is resting. The body feels safe and calm enough to digest. Feelings of anxiety are usually less pronounced as the nervous system regulates. By connecting with the gut, anxiety as an unspoken voice, has a chance to express itself.

You may hesitate to connect with your body. You may understandably be thinking:
“Why would I want to feel into anxiety or depression?”.
“I just want to get relief – to get away from the distress.”

Somatic Experiencing invites a type of mindfulness practice that directs us to first pay attention to what feels pleasant or neutral. What feels ok? What feels manageable? What might feel good? Then, with support, and in small increments, the difficult areas are addressed. 

For those familiar with loving kindness or compassion practices, this could be a form of kindness and friendliness first to oneself. “May I notice anything in my mind and body, however miniscule, in this moment, that is free of pain”.

Touch Helps Us Connect

Self-touch is a strategy that can establish and reinforce a safe connection with our bodies.
Consider how natural it is for us to hold a hurt finger, or seek heat or ice for a sore muscle.

When there are less obvious areas of pain, or when we feel “awful all over”, touching into small areas of our bodies is a way to move our attention away from distress. From a more settled and balanced place, we can then explore the areas that are painful.

Here are some exercises to try:

  1. Feel your feet on the floor. Is the temperature cool or warm? Are all the toes evenly weighted?
    Is there a tingly sensation? Or no sensation?
    Just notice and feel what it is like to have feet.Can you give a little nod of appreciation to your feet?
    “Yes, my feet get me places, even when it’s hard to move”.
  2. Put your attention to bodily sensations while sitting in a chair or lieing in bed.
    What do you notice most? Your bottom and legs? The back?
    Is there a difference between the left and right sides of your body?
    Is there a difference between your legs and arms?
    A difference between your torso and your head?
    The intention is to bring your attention to your sensory awareness in the here and now.
    Notice how sensations change. Anxiety and depression are not just one thing
    even though though these states can feel big and overwhelming.
  3. Connect with something that is pleasing to  touch.
    Do you have a favourite texture? Smooth? Corrugated? Silky? Bumpy? Squishy?
    Go into a toy store and touch some objects. See what makes you smile.
  4. Get ideas from others as to what they find pleasing.
    Here are some lovely stories and images from an article on the BBC website of people showing objects they find soothing and supportive. Their examples may give you some ideas to try.  This link is to the BBC website.

I wish you ease, and a little dose of fun, on your path of healing.