Hi,
Everyone.
Today I'm going to share a part two video with you on self-hold.
Or self-containment exercises for trauma symptoms.
A lot of times when we have trauma,
It can leave us feeling really unsafe or disconnected from our own bodies.
And we can also feel symptomatic in a number of ways.
And one of those symptoms can be feeling really fragmented.
Like we're not an integrated whole person,
Like there's parts of us existing.
Out here,
Up here,
Or just not inside of us where we're used to being.
So these exercises are helpful to help us reconnect a little bit with our own body.
Be curious about establishing some safety in our own bodies and also to help us learn how we can use our own hands.
On our bodies to create a sense of change in our nervous system,
To create something a little bit different than what the nervous system is currently doing.
So I have a part one video on self holds with some options to start with.
Feel free to start with that video or you can just.
Join in this video instead and try some other ones.
So I invite you to find a comfortable seat for these exercises.
You can also lay down if that's more comfortable for you.
The goal is to have your body in a supported and comfortable shape,
Comfortable posture.
So that you can relax and settle in for the exercise as much as possible.
So the first thing that we'll do is.
.
.
Just bringing one hand,
Choose either hand,
Up to the base of the skull where the head and the neck come together.
And the upper neck area,
And you might explore which hand feels better,
Which hand is more comfortable to hold that place.
Feel free to close your eyes here if that's more helpful for you to sense inward and to feel your body.
Or maybe you just lower your gaze at a single point and let your eyes start to relax and unfocus as we move our attention.
Just gently.
Into the area where we're holding.
So starting to bring some curiosity to just the sensation of that hand.
That's resting on the back of your neck.
Noticing things like.
Is your hand firm?
Is it holding with a lot of pressure?
Or is it making a feather light contact?
Or somewhere in between.
And then you might make any adjustments you might like to,
Just kind of exploring what feels best there for your hand.
A firmer pressure or a gentler touch.
Notice if there's any sense of temperature in your palm.
And then let's be curious about feeling that point of contact between your hand.
And the back of your head at the back of your neck.
Where they meet.
What is it like to just bring your awareness into that place?
And sense.
The physical sensation.
If you're sitting up and at any point your arm gets tired of holding there,
You can feel free to switch arms at your convenience.
And then let's bring our attention underneath the hand and more into.
The brainstem area.
You might feel for the skin on the back of your neck and head.
Any hair texture there.
And you might be curious about moving awareness a little more deeply into the head and sensing into that place where you're Spinal cord is your spine.
Your brainstem where they meet.
And just simply noticing without judgment.
What sensations are present there.
And being curious.
What happens in the rest of your body.
How does the rest of you respond?
To holding your brainstem.
To supporting the back of your neck and head.
You may have any number of experiences with this.
When I first started to do this technique on my neck and brainstem,
I cried a lot.
And had a lot of energetic release.
And emotional release.
And then over time.
Now when I hold that area.
My body goes into a nice internal quiet place.
Everything just.
Settles.
So I'm curious to hear from you.
What's it like to contact your brainstem?
Where fight or flight.
Emerges.
Also that place where.
We need to be held when we're a baby.
To keep our head up.
So maybe you can offer that same kind of tender touch to your own hair.
Head and neck as if you're holding up your own baby head.
Just being gentle and curious about how it is to feel into that support.
As you feel ready,
Very slowly.
Release your hand,
Maybe even peeling one finger away at a time.
See if you can still sense the imprint of your hand as you.
Let that hand release and relax down.
And just take a moment there to again notice how your body's responding and if things are feeling okay to continue.
Or if that might feel like it was enough self-touch for you today.
And again,
No judgment,
Sometimes these exercises can bring up a lot of emotion.
So if that happens for you,
Then I invite you to do something to support yourself and Reach out for support if you need.
But know that sometimes a good cry is a good release as well for stress.
And if you do want to move into part two of this exercise,
Then the next self-holding we're going to do is an adrenal gland hold.
The adrenal glands.
Pump out our hormones that create adrenaline.
They sit like little hats right on top of our kidneys,
In the low back,
The mid back,
Just below the ribs.
So this might be a harder place to bring your hand.
I'm going to invite you to bring your hands.
Somewhere on that low to mid back.
Now you might only be able to bring them onto your low back and that's okay because we can actually sense into the correct place where the kidneys are.
Even if we're not touching exactly where the kidneys are.
But I invite you to play around back there and kind of explore.
Sensing into where your kidneys might be,
Below the ribs on either side.
And just again,
Letting both hands,
Both palms.
Really hold and support and then.
Resting back again as much as possible.
This one sometimes can be nice to do lying down as well.
Just sliding your hands underneath your low back.
Offering some love to your adrenal glands.
Softening your gaze or closing eyes again.
Let's begin bringing that gentle curiosity into our hands.
How are they resting?
Are they gripping?
Are they firm?
Are they?
Just gently.
Holding and cupping the low back.
Are there any adjustments your hands want to make now that you're sensing into them?
Any repositioning.
And then begin to move awareness.
To the place of contact between your hands and your back.
Feel the line of connection between your palms.
And your body.
Where your hands are simply saying hello.
To your kidneys,
To your adrenal glands.
Hi there.
And if it's okay in your nervous system.
Invite your awareness to move about two inches in.
From the skin on your back.
Under your palms.
Moving that awareness deeper into the back where the organs,
Where the kidneys are.
And noticing what sensations are there.
And if you've been feeling stressed or you have some illness happening,
Just.
Know it's common for things to feel really tender or raw.
In the adrenal glands and the kidneys.
And that's okay.
This is a chance for us to offer tenderness,
Nourishment,
And support.
So that's part of our body that works really hard.
So as you just hold.
Tenderly,
You might invite a thank you message.
To move from your palms.
Deep into the back,
Into those kidneys and adrenal glands.
And.
Be curious if.
.
.
Your adrenal glands can receive that message somehow.
What happens.
When you say thank you.
And what happens when you just simply hold and offer support.
And noticing the effect of this on your whole body.
Sensing the full body in one.
Glimpse.
How is this treating you?
And you might choose to stay here as well,
As long as it feels comfortable.
This can be very restful for some folks.
And really help us to calm and settle.
So hang out as long as you want.
And when you do choose to come out of the position,
Just come out slowly.
Just like we went in,
We're going to be really nourishing for our body.
So letting one.
Hands slowly slide off the back and then the other.
Maybe feeling for that same kind of imprint from your hands,
From your contact,
Even after your hands have released,
Can you still feel their presence?
And that awareness.
On your back.
Giving yourself another few breaths here just to settle in and take stock of how you're doing and what else you might need.
Before you complete the exercise.
And I hope you'll receive my gratitude for watching today and joining in with this self-holding exercise.
See you next time.
