Comprehensive Body-Felt Sensations Reference Chart
Healing of the nervous system starts with getting to know felt sense in your body. Learn the language of senses and get familiar with noticing sensations first before you move to trauma work. It’s a perfect and simple tool to become more grounded in your body, awareness, and the present moment. For dissociate states, freeze states, neurodivergent groups and “thinking” bodies.
Practice noticing specific bodily sensations three times a day during daily activities like washing dishes, taking a walk, or having conversation with someone pleasant or unpleasant. Use the chart below to help articulate these sensations in each category if possible:
------------------------------------------------------------- | **Comprehensive Body-Felt Sensations Reference Chart** | |------------------- | ---------------- | ----------------------- | | **Sensation** | **Movement** | **Image & Awareness** | |------------------- | ---------------- | ----------------------- | | Tingling | Trembling | Grounded | | Numbness | Shaking | Centered | | Aches | Restlessness | Floating | | Pulsing | Flowing | Connected | | Vibrating | Swelling | Empty | | Tension | Flexing | Full | | Relaxation | Twisting | Vibrant | | Constriction | Expanding | Hazy | | Expansion | Contracting | Sharp | | Fullness | Fluttering | Blurry | | Lightness | Surging | Weighted | | Heaviness | Darting | Light | | Pressure | Spiraling | Hollow | | Release | Bouncing | Solid | | Warmth | Pounding | Liquid | | Coldness | Rolling | Flowing | | Heat | Sliding | Expansive | | Chill | Stretching | Constricting | | Prickling | Coiling | Scattered | ------------------------------------------------------------- | **Sound & Expression** | **Emotional States** | **Behavior & Action** | |----------------------- | --------------------- | ---------------------- | | Crying | Calm | Fidgeting | | Screaming | Anxious | Freezing | | Silence | Relaxed | Tensing | | Sighing | Euphoric | Stretching | | Laughing | Fearful | Curling | | Grunting | Joyful | Frowning | | Moaning | Angry | Smiling | | Whimpering | Sad | Clenching | | Yelling | Confident | Releasing | | Whining | Doubtful | Curling | | Shouting | Loving | Stiffening | | Mumbling | Excited | Expanding | | Singing | Overwhelmed | Collapsing | | | Insecure | Biting | | | Guilty | Lashing Out | ------------------------------------------------------------- | **Texture & Surface** | **Speed & Intensity** | **Weight & Pressure** | |----------------------- | --------------------- ---------------------- | | Soft | Rapid | Light | | Hard | Slow | Heavy | | Rough | Intense | Weightless | | Smooth | Gentle | Crushing | | Grainy | Gradual | Floating | | Sticky | Abrupt | Squeezing | | Slippery | Steady | Enclosed | | Coarse | Hesitant | Expansive | | Prickly | Quick | Confining | | Bumpy | Steady | Supported | ------------------------------------------------------------- | **Taste & Smell** | **Size & Shape** | **Temperature** | |----------------------- | ------------------- | ----------------------- | | Sweet | Expansive | Warm | | Bitter | Contracted | Cold | | Sour | Twisted | Hot | | Salty | Long | Cool | | Savory | Short | Freezing | | Floral | Round | Scalding | | Earthy | Square | Icy | | Fruity | Amorphous | Lukewarm | | Chemical | Jagged | | | Metallic | Curved | | | Clean | Jagged | | | Pungent | Narrow | | ------------------------------------------------------------- © PTSDTraumaRecovery.com
