Feeling into places that scare us

“I feel this odd feeling in my chest but I don’t know what it means. It scares me a little.”

Recently, I have had a few clients coming to me to talk about feelings that they have but have no words for. Usually, these are clients who have had therapy and are able to articulate their internal experiences. Suddenly, they are faced with these sensation they have no words for, not necessarily emotions or thoughts that can be cleanly explained away. These feelings bring up a lot of different reactions in them. Some feel apprehensive of it. Some just want it gone. Some are curious but are scared about what it will bring to the table if touched upon.

So…what is it, actually?

And what do we do about it?

These feelings are signals, coming from the body before the mind has caught up and made sense of it. They might feel like a weight in the chest, a tightness in the throat, a buzzing in the belly.

Not quite thoughts. Not quite emotions.

Just something. Insistent, unfamiliar, and often unsettling.

Often, these are the early stirrings of emotions we’ve never had the safety or space to fully feel.

Stored tension. Old grief perhaps. Dread. Desire. Need.

The body registers it first. Meaning comes later.

They probably didn’t appear out of nowhere. They have been there all this while, quietly pulsing beneath the surface, waiting for the opportunity to unfold, like a cat stretching awake after a long nap. 

And many of us, when we’ve started on this journey of listening to ourselves, find ourselves with the urge to explore and unpack what it means. To analyze it. To trace it back. Make it make sense.

But sometimes, the cat just needs to stretch.

To shake off that sleep.

To feel itself fully before doing anything else.

Maybe it’s tension that needs to move.

Maybe it’s a hunger surfacing.

Maybe it’s just a sign that something in you is ready for more space.

Not everything needs to be understood immediately.

Some sensations just need room to breathe.

So, the next time you feel the stirring of unfamiliar sensations

Try this:
1. Put your attention on the space where you feel it. (Put a hand on it if it helps you focus your attention)

2. Breathe into it. (5 breaths)

3. Watch and describe it. (Temperature - activity - size - texture etc)

4. Not fixing or changing. Just observing.

Notice what happens when you don’t turn away.

And then?

Sometimes it fades.

Sometimes it speaks.

Sometimes it opens a doorway into something deeper.

If you’re ready to stay with what’s surfacing and want support doing that, you’re not alone. This is the work I do. Reach out when you are ready.

**Disclaimer: Check in with a doctor to rule out physical causes, especially when the sensations are new or intense. Once that’s clear, we can begin to explore what the body might be holding emotionally.