Focusing Tip #797 – “I don’t know if this is coming from my body or my head.”

How can you tell where the words or images are coming from? Read on…

A Reader writes:

Thank you for last week’s Tip where the person asked about “the feeling that I’m making it all up.”

I’m new to Focusing, and sometimes I just can’t tell, when I get a word or an image, where did this come from? From my head? From my body? Yesterday I was Focusing and the word “discouragement” popped in but I didn’t know where it came from.

Dear Reader:

I have some very good news for you. It actually doesn’t matter where it came from!

What matters is what you do with it next.

Let’s say you’re doing Focusing with feelings and reactions to some news that you got from a friend. The news hit you hard, but you’re not really sure why. A perfect situation for doing some Focusing.

You sit down in a quiet place and bring awareness to your body. You invite the whole feel of the news from your friend, and sense something in you that carries the impact of it.

There’s a feeling in your heart area… and it’s heavy… dark… and you can tell there is something more, something that’s not yet in words.

Then the word “discouragement” pops into your head.

Where did it come from? Not as important as what you do next.

You take the word “discouragement” and you bring it down to that feeling in your heart and you check: “Does this fit? Does this feel true? Or is it partly right but there’s something more?”

If you get a big breath, that’s a very good sign! Your body is saying “Yes! Discouragement fits!” Your body is shifting, changing in this very moment.

You might feel, “That’s partly right…” and then what is more right will probably come.

Or if the word doesn’t fit at all, if it brings nothing, you simply let the word go and sense again. The process of checking whatever comes back with the body feeling itself is a powerful, respectful, and forward-moving process. It takes you somewhere. You can trust it. What a relief!