Have a hard time accepting help?

Do you find that it can be challenging sometimes to actually accept support even when it’s being offered?

Here’s a lesson that I learned from my body about that.

My foot is still talking to me. This has been going on for a while as you might know if you’re following me.

I did an MRI and I’m happy to report that it shows a very minimal infection in my tendon.

This week I brought it to my somatic therapy session:

I was mapping my body for different sensations and then my attention was pulled to the discomfort in my feet.

I described what I was feeling in as much detail as I could: tight, irritated, dense.

Then I was invited to notice a place in my body where I didn’t feel “tight, irritated or dense”.

I noticed my belly felt soft and open and spacious. After spending some time with these sensations I was invited to let them expand towards my leg.

I was asked to notice where this more pleasant sensation ends and the discomfort starts and how these two experiences are interacting with each other.

My lower leg/calf area started growing in my imagination and inflating as if it were a balloon. At some point it was growing over and surrounding the ankle and heel area which is the area of discomfort.

My therapist suggested: “notice how much that area is able to receive what the other part is offering”.

At that moment the discomfort started transforming and fading away until it almost disappeared. It was as if it needed a little nudge, a little reminder to let itself receive the support that was being offered.

I immediately thought: “How many times have you been offered support, but you weren’t actually letting yourself accept it?”

What a great reminder that in order for the support to be helpful I actually need to actively engage with it.

Btw, this is one of the techniques that I offer in Somatic Therapy sessions.

You can try it on your own but I find that it’s so much easier to hold your awareness with the guidance of a skilled practitioner by your side.

If you’re curious and have questions about how this process works, feel free to send me an email at odelia@embodiedacceptance.com.