Welcome to this brief body scan.
The body scan has been shown to be helpful in increasing our awareness and acceptance of physical sensations and pain,
As well as increasing our awareness to how our body responds when feeling emotions.
Body scans have also been shown to be an effective tool for grounding when experiencing anxiety or trauma related symptoms.
Begin by getting into a comfortable position,
Either sitting upright in a relaxed,
Yet alert position,
Or lying on a floor or bed.
Gently close your eyes,
Or have your eyes open with a soft gaze,
Looking down about 4 to 6 feet ahead of you.
Take a few deep inhales in through the nose,
And slowly out through the nose or mouth.
Now,
Place your awareness at the crown of your head.
Observe what sensations are present.
We're not trying to change or manipulate any sensation,
Nor are we trying to force any sensation to be there.
You can also say to yourself,
No sensation,
If one is not present.
Now slowly,
As if you were scanning your body with a laser,
Move your awareness down to your forehead.
Observe what is there.
The scanner now moves down to the eyeballs,
Eye sockets,
And nose.
Moving the scanner down to the chin and jaw.
Then taking a moment and bringing your awareness to your entire face and head as a whole.
The scanner now moves down to the neck and shoulders.
Next,
Place your awareness on your chest,
Abdomen,
And pelvic area.
Scanning your upper back,
Middle back,
And lower back.
Now moving to the tops of the arms,
Your elbows,
Forearms,
Wrists,
Hands,
And all 10 fingers.
Place your awareness on the middle of your body as a whole.
Reminding yourself that you're not trying to change or manipulate any sensation,
But just being present,
Aware,
And non-judgmental to whatever arises.
The scanner moves now to the upper thighs,
Down to the knees,
The shins and calves,
Then to the ankles.
Scanning the top of your foot,
The soles of your feet,
The heels,
And all 10 toes.
Now scanning all the way from your hips down all the way to your toes.
Take a moment and bring your awareness to your entire body as a whole.
Perhaps you may note how you feel after the body scan compared to how you felt before.
There is no wrong way to do this and no wrong way to feel at any part of this process.
Please thank yourself for taking this time to be in presence and awareness and for practicing self-care.
