Body responses

Body responses are the physical side of an old pattern. A tight chest, a racing heart, a clenched jaw, a knot in the stomach, a restless urge to move, or the opposite, a heavy shutting down. They often arrive before you've had a single thought.

In our model the body response is one link in every Emotional Template. It's your body getting ready or protecting you, based on what it learned a moment like this might mean. That's why it can fire in a meeting that is perfectly safe.

Your body is a source of information, not an enemy. Noticing a sensation early can give you a few seconds of choice you wouldn't otherwise have. You don't need to make the sensation go away. Naming it is often enough to start.

Each page below covers one body response: what it's doing for you, which feelings and patterns it tends to travel with, and one gentle thing to notice. Feelings and Triggers make good companions to this section.