Support Yourself

RESOURCING Like many of you my lockdown experience and been an erratic series of highs and lows. At times like these I would usually seek Craniosacral Therapy to assist in restoring balance to my nervous system, giving me time and space to process and refresh. I know my monthly sessions always prepare me to cope for the challenges ahead. So, as I'm not able to go for therapy I have been practicing Resourcing. The term named by trauma specialist Peter Levine and is a way return awareness to the body and the sensations,   to be in the present moment and a way to regulate your nervous system when it is becoming overwhelmed and challenged. 

This process is heavily reliant on awareness of body sensation as explored in a previous newsletter.  Resourcing is a technique I use every day in every Craniosacral Therapy to settle a client and to assist them when their system is resolving an uncomfortable or traumatic experience. You may also recognise it from the opening of class and during our relaxation. There are two methods of resourcing; Internal resources and external resources.  

Internal resources Taking your awareness inside of your body finding somewhere that feels good. This could be somewhere that feels either warm, supported, grounded, relaxed, spacious, open. I f we are particularly stressed it may be difficult to sense your body, in this case you may work with an external resource.  External resources Find something that brings you a sense of happiness. This could be a person, place, pet, a memory, an activity, a sport or a song.... actually anything. 

Once you have found your resource spend 5 minutes (or longer if you have time) finding some stillness either laying or seated, focus on it and answer the following without judging or trying to change your experience.   How does it make you feel? Excited, happy, calm, amusement, love, pride, joy Where do you feel it? Return to body sensation, what can you feel? Heartbeat, warmth, fluidity, tingling, vibrations, sinking, softening, breathing How do the sensations change? Do they spread, stay still, do other areas or sensations come into your attention, do the sensations intensify or soften? Can you feel your whole body? How would you describe the feeling of your whole body? Are you able to feel the whole or are some bits harder to feel? Finish by landing your body and bring your awareness into your surroundings. Take a couple of deep breaths and move slowly.  Resourcing is a simple technique you can use at any time when you need some space or feeling under pressure.