Somatic Practice #3

Somatic experiencing uses a color metaphor to help us understand our nervous system’s responses. Red represents trauma vortices—the sensations and experiences that trigger threat responses, the feeling of being “bad.” Blue signifies healing vortices—sensations that calm us, create feelings of safety, and “goodness.” Our inner experience constantly shifts between these states. Tracking involves noticing the subtle clues our body provides: thoughts, images, movements, emotions, and sensations. When we follow these clues, we trace the path of our inner experience. Cultivating blue allows us to connect with our inner sense of aliveness, freeing us from the need to seek constant external stimuli. Think of blue and red as interconnected, like yin and yang. Red always contains a spark of blue, and vice versa. Observe this in your thoughts and conversations. Someone might say, “I got my dream job”—that’s blue. But then they add, “I’m worried I won’t be good enough,” swinging into red. Or unexpected wealth could bring excitement—blue—followed by anxiety about managing it—red. Even a painful experience like job loss—red—can eventually lead to the realization that it was a necessary change—blue. So how do we cultivate blue and strengthen our ability to stay centered? Let’s do this simple practice called pendulation. You’re going to start by noticing what feels safe or pleasurable in your environment and letting those sensations resonate within you. This is anchoring in the blue, and it can trigger a gentle, calming response. You might yawn, breathe more deeply, or relax your posture—just pay attention to these subtle shifts. Begin by letting your eyes wander and notice what attracts you. Is there something pleasant—something that registers as blue—like a bird perched on a branch? Or something else in your environment that resonates as feeling good to you? Allow your attention to rest there. What happens in your body? What tells you that this is a blue experience? Maybe you see a drawing your child made and feel a warm sense of connection. Or that same drawing might trigger the memory of a stressful morning, creating tension. Now close your eyes and bring your awareness to a feeling or sensation inside your body. Most people tend to land somewhere that doesn’t feel good. So if you’ve landed in the red inside, notice a sensation there. How do you know it’s red? Now bring your awareness to somewhere in your body that feels neutral or good. This is the blue. How do you know it’s blue? Are there sensations, emotions, or images that come up? Or is there a movement, like the beating of your heart or your chest rising and falling with your breath? How do you know it’s blue? Maybe you find your awareness now going back to the red. If it has, it’s totally fine. If it hasn’t, allow your awareness to pendulate back to the red now, and see if you can bring it back to the blue. Each time you pendulate back to the blue, see if you can spend a little more time there, even if it’s just for a few seconds. Continue the pendulation practice, seeing if you can expand the amount of time in blue. Now you can relax your efforts and, as you’re ready, open your eyes. I encourage you to bring this practice into your everyday life. When you notice big emotions or discomfort coming up, can you anchor in something externally or internally that feels neutral or good? Anchor in the blue, even if it means spending just a second there.