Welcome.
My name is Dr.
Yonit Arthur and thank you for joining me today for our somatic tracking for dizziness exercise.
To get started,
Put yourself in a comfortable position.
You can be lying down,
You can be in a recliner,
On a bed,
Sitting on the floor,
On a chair,
Or on a cushion.
Whatever is comfortable for you.
Now go ahead and close your eyes and slow your breath down.
Breathe in a couple times just to get yourself centered.
Focus on breathing into your back,
Belly,
And sides.
360 degrees all around.
Remember that slowing your breath and focusing on it like you are right now is a good way to ground and remind your brain to release relaxation chemicals.
I want you to see if you can bring your attention to the dominant physical sensation in your body right now.
Where is that dizziness producing a sensation?
It might be in your head,
Your eyes,
Your neck,
Your belly,
Or wherever you feel it most.
Right now,
Just let your attention go there.
Where is that sensation settling the most?
It's okay if you're feeling that sensation in more than one place.
Just pick the one that's strongest.
Now I want you to see if you can focus on the physical sensation itself.
Sometimes when we experience a physical sensation like dizziness that we don't like,
We try to shut it down or distract ourselves from it.
But for right now,
I want you to see if you can do the opposite.
I want you to breathe into that physical sensation wherever it is,
Whatever it feels like.
Give it some breath.
Give it some air.
Give it a little space.
Focus on that physical sensation and just look at it.
You're just watching that feeling.
You're not trying to do anything to it.
You're not reacting.
You're not trying to get rid of it.
You're not trying to stop it or change it.
You're just familiarizing yourself with it.
You're exploring it with curiosity.
Breathe in and pay attention to this physical sensation.
Just notice it.
Is it pleasant?
Is it unpleasant?
It doesn't matter if it's pleasant or unpleasant.
You're just gathering information.
One isn't better than the other.
You're just noticing.
And just notice now.
Is it widespread or focused on just one specific place?
Now,
I want you to just watch this sensation as though you were an audience member at a play or a hiker looking out over the horizon at the mountains.
So you're not judging what you're seeing.
You're just observing it.
You're just looking at it with curiosity.
You're watching it with interest.
You're just noticing it.
This sensation is just a sensation.
It's not dangerous.
It is safe.
What you're feeling right now is safe.
You're not trying to get rid of it or change it.
You're just watching it and getting to know it.
Now,
As you sit here noticing it,
What does the sensation feel like?
Does it tingle?
Does it feel spinny?
Do you feel rocking or rotating?
Does it feel heavy or light?
Does it feel tight?
Is it warm or cool?
Think of other words you could use to describe the sensation without judging it.
You're just gathering information.
You're just noticing.
You're assessing.
You're paying attention.
You're gathering information about the sensation and just noticing what's going on.
Be curious as you pay attention to the sensation without trying to change it.
And as you pay attention to the sensation,
Just see if you can notice what happens,
Knowing that whatever happens is okay.
It just is.
Does the sensation get stronger?
Does it fade?
Does the sensation move around?
Does it change in how it feels?
Does it stay exactly the same?
No one quality is better than the other.
You're just gathering information.
You're just noticing what happens as you attend to this sensation.
Knowing that as you pay attention to this sensation,
You're actually communicating to your brain that the sensation is safe.
It's okay to have this sensation and you're just getting to know it.
Right now,
At this very moment,
You're developing new neural pathways,
New neural patterns in your brain.
These patterns are teaching your brain a new way to pay attention to this physical sensation.
A new way without fear,
Without judgment,
Without goals.
You're just watching.
You're just noticing.
You're just taking it all in as it comes.
Breathe into this sensation and notice what happens.
If it gets stronger,
That's okay.
Just follow it.
Just ride it.
If it fades,
That's okay too.
If it gets stronger,
That's okay also.
You're just getting to know it.
It doesn't matter what it does.
If it moves around,
If it stays the same,
That's all okay.
You're just strengthening those brain muscles.
You're learning to pay attention.
It doesn't matter what the sensation does.
The only thing that matters is that you watch it and notice it.
It's like you're watching clouds pass by and looking at the shapes they make.
You're just watching,
Just looking,
Just feeling it out.
And know that by doing this,
You are communicating a powerful message to your body and your brain that these sensations are safe.
This powerful message is changing the neural pathways in your brain,
The patterns in your brain,
So your brain knows how to respond differently to these sensations.
Let's take a couple more moments to breathe in to the sensations.
Follow it wherever it goes.
If it goes or changes or moves,
Just lean into it.
Keep following it.
In a moment,
I'm going to have you open your eyes.
Before you do,
Just take a couple more breaths to ground yourself.
Take a breath.
Slow exhale.
And another.
Feel the physical sensations of the breath coming in and going out.
One more breath in and slow exhale out.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes and stop the exercise for now.
