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Read Your Body & Mind
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Introduction to The 3 Levels of Being
Our bodies talk, but do we know how to listen? Learn how to translate the messages of your inner experience.
The metaphor of the Three Registers- or as I refer to it- “3 levels of being” (Shelley, 1999) challenged the idea of a two-system mind (conscious & unconscious only). This concept made counselling processes so much easier for me to understand. The 3 Registers can help professionals cultivate a holistic approach and help clients understand their present experience more deeply.
The First Register (Level)
The first level is the present moment, where “awareness,” “consciousness,” “mindfulness” and “feeling awake” exist. Being in the moment allows you to take “response-ability” and direct your attention to the safety and calmness of the present that can be cultivated.
This first level focuses on parts of your experience that you may be “unaware” of or only partly aware of. So the unconscious experience is a part of your awareness that is not yet understood. Anxious anticipation, traumatic experiences and triggers often exist here.
The first level focuses on how the body speaks, for example, through discomfort and pain. Somatization is the translation of psychological and emotional pain into body symptoms- think of a “nervous tummy,” “nervous bladder,” or some chronic pains. This register also carries the past, present and future, as it is the site of “embodied aging, of cellular growth and eventual decay.”
So with this understanding, how can you learn from your body & mind?
Healing on The First Level
Think of a negative emotion that you experienced recently. You might have felt worried, angry, sad, anxious, stressed, or frightened. Strategies to manage symptoms on this first register include mindfulness, self-soothing, grounding, and calm breathing.
Cognitive behavioural therapy strategies work by examining the relationship between automatic thoughts and behaviours. Because the 3 registers overlap, strategies often help ease the body and mind at the same time.
Here are some practical tips to calm your emotions (and nervous system):
Holistic Strategies for the First Register
Physical Grounding
- Walk slowly, noticing each footstep, saying “left” or “right” with each step.
- Describe your environment in detail (out loud if you can) using all your physical senses. Describe the objects around you, colours, shapes, smells, textures, amounts and temperature. You can silently say/think to yourself: “I am here. I am present in this moment in this space,” and “I am safe,” or I” am calm.”
Mental Grounding
- Redirect attention. This exercise is helpful to redirect focus from emotional and felt sensations of pain. Look at your surroundings and practice the 54321 grounding exercise.
- Describe a task that you know very well in detail (out loud if you can). Act as if you were teaching someone who didn’t know anything about it. You might describe how to ride a bicycle, plant a garden, set up a shot to photograph, cook your favourite meal or perform a challenging physical task, for example.
Self-Soothing
- Calm place exercise. Remember a place that you find very soothing (perhaps the beach or mountains, or a favourite room). Focus on everything about that place- the sounds, colours, shapes, objects, textures, smells. Breathe calmly and slowly as you remember this place.
- Practice mindful breathing. Sitting comfortably, inhale for 5 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds. If this strains you, shorten the timing of each step. You can also practice box breathing. Notice how your breath feels. Practice this exercise for as long as it takes to feel calm. You may find that you only need 1 to 3 minutes to relax into a calmed state.
The Second Register
Exploring symptoms on the Second Register is best to do with a counsellor. Strategies like guided exploration and projective techniques explore how your body stores and interprets memories. Learning how you formed your personal beliefs requires a gentle approach, and often specialized knowledge and training.
Some questions you may begin to explore are:
- When I think about the way I am feeling right now (mentally/physically), what am I reminded of? Is there a place, time or memory that comes up?
- When I am experiencing this feeling or sensation, what belief(s) do I have about myself?
These questions begin to tap into the patterns that therapies like EMDR and Lifespan Integration help to heal.
The Third Register
What if your primary concern is a bodily symptom? Do you have problems with restlessness, or suffer from pain in your chest? Perhaps you have problems with digestion, or chronic neck tension.
The very first step on this level is to see a doctor to rule out any physical causes. This will often require a physical exam and potentially bloodwork analysis. Once physical causes are ruled out, the somatic can begin.
Exploring the third register is recommended to do with a skilled counselling professional who can monitor you and recognize and calm emotional flooding. There are some self-guided reflections that you can explore on your own. Some examples of questions may include:
- (For stomach pain) What memory or experience am I trying to “digest”? What in my life is “hard to stomach”? Is there something my “gut” is telling me? Am I trusting my “gut” or going against my instincts? Am I avoiding dealing with feelings?
- (For neck pain) What areas in my life are the biggest “pain in the neck”? What can I do to decrease this tension? How can I bring more compassion to soften the differences?
- (For chest pain) Do I need to get something “off my chest”? Where in my life can I add more self-care? Does self-love flow easily for me, or am I resisting it and why?
In addition to self-exploration, engaging the body in a physically relaxing way can redirect attention and allow sensations to exist and flow through you. Activities like yoga, swimming, dancing, gardening, stretching and running can be passive ways to engage your body. Keep your attention focused on the movements- not how it feels to do, but how the body mechanically accomplishes the task.
What Happens Next?
With this understanding of the Three Registers, you can increase awareness of your emotional, psychological, and physical experience. This will improve your self-understanding and can contribute to your self-healing process. Enjoy the exploration process, and record your insights in a note on your journal. Remember that speaking to a professional counsellor can enhance this experience, and help you navigate challenges and blind-spots.
let’s work together
Explore all the levels of knowing yourself.
Book a consultation or appointment to begin your therapy journey with me.
In this article, I introduce my CATSERN acronym for a low anxiety lifestyle. Learning to decrease anxiety can improve your mental well-being and increase your
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Understand Your Body’s Symptoms
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What is Your Body Trying to Tell You?
Have you ever had strange a symptom in your body during stress or a time of high emotions? It’s relatively normal, for example, that a twitching eye can indicate increased or prolonged stress. Your body might be telling you something with the sensations you experience. But can you understand the message?
Organ Jargon
Unexpressed emotions, stress, and trauma can manifest in your body. This is the basis of somatic therapy and somatic work. Did you know that Alfred Adler coined the term “organ jargon” to refer to the physical manifestation of psychological pains in the early 1900s? Similar to modern “bodywork,” Adler might ask a patient with stomach pains if something in their life made them feel “sick to their stomach.” In this way, organ jargon or “organ dialect” is a symbolic expression of a true feeling that corresponds with an individual’s lifestyle.
If this sounds like a heady topic, you can read about organ jargon on Adlerpedia to become more familiar with this concept.
Special note: Self-exploration questions may trigger an emotionally charged memory. If you feel triggered by certain bodily sensations or activities, exploring your symptoms can enhance this experience. If you find yourself becoming triggered, switch your focus from your symptoms to grounding exercises to calm yourself.
Recommended Reading:
The Three Registers by Chris Shelley
let’s work together
EMDR is a pathway into somatic healing.
Book a consultation to learn how EMDR can help you.
In this article, I introduce my CATSERN acronym for a low anxiety lifestyle. Learning to decrease anxiety can improve your mental well-being and increase your
Read More
