Daily Somatic Tracking For Chronic Pain

This 10-minute somatic tracking session encourages you to gently observe chronic pain and other symptoms with curiosity and lightness, helping you reshape learned neural pathways. By approaching discomfort without judgment, you’ll learn to observe sensations in your body without the need to control or change them. This practice creates a safe space to explore shifts in your body’s sensations and reactions, helping to reduce the fear-symptom cycle over time. Consistency with this daily practice can retrain your nervous system, bringing long-term relief from chronic symptoms.

Note: Somatic tracking is most effective for neuroplastic symptoms at mild to moderate intensity (below 6/10). It is not recommended for unexplained symptoms or those at severe intensity levels. Always consult a medical professional to rule out a structural cause or disease process if you are unsure about your symptoms.

Transcript

Chronic pain,

And similar symptoms,

Often come from learned patterns in our nervous system.

It's possible to feel intense,

Debilitating sensations even when there's no structural cause.

The nervous system has simply created a habit to try and protect us.

The great news is that these habits can be reshaped over time.

With daily somatic tracking,

We can shift from reacting with fear,

Which often makes the symptoms worse,

To approaching them with acceptance and ease.

This practice has helped me and many others reduce or even eliminate many neuroplastic symptoms over time.

So let's saddle in,

Find a comfortable position,

And close your eyes or relax your gaze.

Feel the ground beneath you,

Providing some support,

And take a few slow,

Calming breaths.

Feeling the rise of your torso on the inhale,

And the fall on the exhale.

Know that if things ever get a bit intense as you perform somatic tracking exercise,

You can always return to the safety of the sensation of the breath,

Or the feeling of support from the ground beneath you,

Or any other pleasant or neutral sensation in your body.

Begin to scan your body now,

From head to toe,

Just noticing any sensations that come up along the way.

If there's a predominant sensation or feeling in your body right now,

I invite you to gently turn your attention towards it.

And remember,

We're endeavouring to come at this with a sense of curiosity and lightness.

Just noticing whereabouts that sensation sits in the body right now,

Whether it feels localized or broad.

Is it a sharp and easy to define sensation,

Or perhaps a bit more ambiguous?

Does it have a shape or some sort of texture?

There's no right or wrong answer.

Now,

This is not always easy,

But we're trying our best not to judge or change the sensations at all.

I know deep down you might just want to scream at the pain,

Or a difficult sensation or emotion like it's a sudden storm ruining your sunny day.

We can acknowledge that frustration and that rage,

But the reality is we we can't change the weather,

Unfortunately.

The best we can do is offer ourselves some self-compassion,

And from there look to alter our response to the situation.

So we don't have to love it,

But we can learn to observe it from a more neutral position.

A position where we have our own back,

And we're just curious about the cloud formations and the changes in temperature.

We don't have to change anything.

Back to our inquiry.

Is the sensation static today,

Or is it moving around the body?

If it is moving,

Are you able to gently follow it,

Not trying too hard to get it perfect?

Wearing it loosely.

Does this sensation have a color or a form associated with it?

And are there any emotions coming up right now that you associate with this sensation?

So not always,

But sometimes when we practice this neutral observation of sensations,

We come to a layer of emotional difficulty beneath the surface.

It might be fear,

Anger or rage,

Guilt or sadness.

There might not be anything today,

And that's fine too.

But if you do start to get the hint of an emotion,

See if you can sit with it in the same way that you sit with the sensations.

So watching,

Observing through this lens of safety,

Allowing whatever wants to come up,

To come up.

Remember if a sensation or emotion feels overwhelming,

You can always gently return your focus to the breath.

It's always there for you.

You are safe in this moment.

Just a few more minutes now.

Has anything changed since you started observing the sensation or the emotion?

Has it lessened or intensified?

Remembering that either is okay for now.

We're practicing equanimity.

Being okay either way and knowing that we're safe either way and that this is a long-term process.

Just noticing that sensation for a few more moments in quiet now.

And you can let go of that focus now.

Let the mind wander,

Do whatever it wants to do.

Whenever you're ready,

You can open up your eyes or lift your gaze.

Well done,

My friend.

You've just done a really courageous thing.

Turned your attention towards discomfort when everything is screaming at you to look the other way.

Remember that changing learned pathways or habits takes time,

It takes consistency and patience.

Every time you practice somatic tracking,

Whether the sensations are intense or not or whether they reduce in intensity or not,

You're taking another brave step on your healing journey.

And I'm proud of you for that.

Come back tomorrow and we'll do the same again.

Take care.

Reviews

Very nice intro to somatic healing I've tried almost everything to deal with my severe 24/7 pain. It's my first time so am not sure how I feel yet but am willing to give it a try. I shall return and see where it will take me. Thank you for the assurance.