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Why the Energetic Body Matters in Therapy
The Energetic Body in Therapy: The Physical Pathway to Deep Healing
In modern psychotherapy, we often focus on thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, yet there is a deeper layer of healing available when we include the **energetic body**. Our physical body is not separate from our energy system—it is the most tangible and accessible path inward to our subtle energy. Integrating the energetic body into therapy allows for profound healing by bridging the gap between mind, body, and spirit.
Understanding the Energetic Body
Many wisdom traditions recognize the existence of an energy system that influences our health and well-being. In Chinese medicine, this is known as *Qi*; in Ayurveda, it is called *Prana*; and in Western somatic practices, we may refer to it as *bioelectric energy* or *the felt sense*. These are different languages pointing to the same truth: that we are more than just a thinking mind—we are living, breathing fields of energy.
But this isn’t just spiritual metaphor—there is literal electricity in the human body.
Our nervous system runs on electrochemical signals: neurons fire using ionic exchanges, muscles contract through electrical impulses, and even our heartbeat is governed by its own internal electrical system. Devices like EEGs and EKGs measure this energy in real time.
So when we speak of the energetic body, we are talking about both the measurable bioelectricity that drives our physiology and
the subtle, intuitive awareness of how energy moves through us.
This is where the concept of the felt sense
comes in. Popularized by Eugene Gendlin and beautifully expanded by Ann Weiser Cornell, the felt sense is the body’s way of holding and processing complex inner experiences. It’s not a thought or a feeling, but a deeper bodily knowing—often described as a sensation, a vibration, or a “charge” in the body.
As Cornell writes:
"Your body is not a machine; it’s a living process. When you listen to it with presence and kindness, it will tell you everything you need to know."
— Ann Weiser Cornell, *The Power of Focusing*
The Physical Body as the Pathway Inward
While energy may seem abstract, the physical body gives us direct access to it. Breathwork, movement, grounding practices, and somatic awareness all help us connect with this energy flow.
In therapy, when we invite clients to slow down and notice what’s happening in their body—heat in the chest, tightness in the throat, tingling in the hands—we begin to access the energetic body. These sensations are expressions of both bioelectric and emotional movement. They often hold the key to experiences that words alone can’t touch.
Trauma, for instance, can create energetic stagnation—what many experience as numbness, heaviness, or chronic tension. Practices like EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), or somatic tracking help restore flow by guiding clients to notice and engage with these felt sense experiences.
Why This Matters in Therapy
1. Healing at the Root
– Energy stagnation often underlies emotional distress. By addressing the energetic body, we access deeper layers of healing beyond cognitive processing.
2. Regulating the Nervous System –
The vagus nerve, breathwork, and mindful movement all support both emotional and energetic regulation.
3. Restoring a Sense of Self – Trauma disconnects us from our bodies. Reconnecting with our physical sensations and energy system allows us to come home to ourselves.
4. Bridging Science and Spirit
– Acknowledging both the bioelectric nature of the body and the intuitive felt sense creates a truly integrative therapy experience.
Bringing Energy Awareness into Your Practice
Your Therapist may begin incorporating energy awareness by:
- Encouraging you to track physical and energetic shifts during sessions.
- Using breath and somatic practices to facilitate the release of emotional blocks.
- Integrate nature-based or grounding techniques to help regulate the energy body.
- Exploring sound, vibration, or visualization to shift stuck energy.
In Closing
By honoring the physical body as a gateway to the energetic realm, we invite you into a fuller, more embodied healing experience. We are not just working with thoughts and emotions—we are working with living energy. And when we bring our awareness there, transformation becomes not only possible but inevitable.
Reach out to our Client Care Coordinator to get scheduled with a therapist who will support you in reconnecting to your felt sense.
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