Does your Focusing process have to take place in the middle of your body? Read on…
Amanda writes:
I find that when I tune into my body I am most likely to feel things on the periphery like significant muscle tension in my jaw, calves and arms, with a lot of emotional content.
Should I Focus on those or keep waiting for something to show itself in the center of my body?
Dear Reader:
I’m going to be answering very carefully, because almost anything I say could lead to trouble!
For example, if I say that felt senses are subtle and form freshly, so they are not our chronic muscle tensions… then you might think I’m telling you to ignore and dismiss those places of “significant muscle tension” in your jaw, calves and arms.
I’m not! To create an accepting inner attitude — “radical acceptance of everything” — we want to say Hello to whatever we feel, wherever we find it.
On the other hand, if I say, “Yes, it’s OK, sure, start with those places in your jaw, calves and arms, that’s fine”— then you might miss the transformative power of spending time with a more subtle and quiet felt sense.
So the actual answer is a kind of “both/and.”
- Start by acknowledging what you’re feeling in the periphery.
- Describe it… and check the description. (Be sure you are describing how it feels now… and not just how it usually feels.)
- Then stay with it… and sense if you can feel there is more to it… something emotional or meaningful.
At the same time, keep some of your awareness in your core: throat, chest, stomach. It’s likely that as you spend time with the muscle tension, you’ll also feel emotional reactions that emerge in the inner area.
Everyone is different. Some always start Focusing in the same place in the body. Others get images more easily than sensations. And so on. I love that about Focusing… it’s so flexible and fits so many types of people.
Simple answer to your question: Try and see if it works!
