Hi,
My name's Callie.
I'm a physiotherapist,
And I work primarily with people with pelvic health concerns.
Issues with vertigo and dizziness,
And people with chronic pain or persistent pain conditions.
So one of the tools that I've found to be quite helpful for a lot of my clients with persistent or chronic symptoms is a technique called somatic tracking.
So somatic tracking is essentially a mindfulness or awareness type of exercise.
It can take 10 to 30 seconds,
Or it can take 10 plus minutes.
But essentially what we're doing is we are intentionally observing a symptom,
Whether that's dizziness,
Fatigue.
Pain,
What have you.
Through a lens of curiosity.
Rather than meeting that symptom with the diagnosis.
Perhaps the typical lens we usually see it through,
Which is this.
Usually fear,
Anxiety,
Avoidance,
Pushback,
Or something else.
So we are often looking at what is the size of this area that is affected?
What are the borders of it if it's pain,
For example?
What is,
You know,
Is there a temperature or color associated with it?
Does it move?
What are the characteristics that might describe my dizziness,
For example?
Is it wavy?
Is it spinning?
What is it?
So we are helping to essentially calm down the threat level.
That our brain has traditionally associated with that symptom.
So your brain's job is to let you know when there is a real or potential threat.
The challenge is it really doesn't necessarily know the difference.
And over time,
Your brain can learn.
Ways that it protects you.
So for example,
If you typically experience dizziness when you lay down on your back,
Your brain can start to predict that you are going to get that sensation or that that is not a safe place to be,
And it will contribute to those symptoms.
Usually along with that will come fear or anxiety or even just total avoidance.
So somatic tracking can be a really helpful tool to just begin to rewire.
That learning.
That is not to say at all that these chronic symptoms are normal.
Made up or in your head.
It is just to say that often at least a component of persistent or chronic symptoms can be due to the fact that your brain has just kind of gotten used to the fact that this is part of your life.
It has learned that this is a way that it protects you.
And now we want to see if we start to rewire that.
Is there a way that we can kind of calm that experience down a little bit?
I hope that that helps you understand what this technique is all about.
And if you're curious to try any of these techniques,
I have several recordings on my insight timer that can help guide you through the first steps.
