The felt sense and why it matters…

Most massage therapists are trained to work with the physical body — the muscles, fascia, posture, and nervous system.

And this work matters deeply.

But there’s another layer I’ve spent years studying — the felt sense of the body.

And from my experience, the emotional body is worked on through the felt sense.

Coined by Gene Gendlin, the felt sense is defined as a bodily, holistic, initially vague sense of a situation. It is your body carrying the meaning of something before you fully understand it in words. Gendlin described it as the body’s deeper, intuitive knowing — something beyond physical sensation alone.

It’s not just that your shoulder is tight. It’s the sense of what your shoulder has been carrying, bracing against, or protecting as you move through your life and the emotions that have been associated with being in that state for so long.

The felt sense is a layer that needs to be acknowledged if we are invested in healing our relationship with our bodies.

It’s the sense the body gives us — before we eat, move, get bodywork or otherwise. And when we connect deeper to this felt sense — this is when we can start intuitively choosing what feels most supportive for our bodies.

When we connect to the felt sense, we begin to listen to our bodies instead of overriding, dismissing or abandoning them.

I’ve extensively studied and practiced Focusing as well as worked with an energetic mentor for five years. I’ve had deep lessons in learning to differentiate between all the felt senses and emotions I’m feeling all the time while staying in my body.

I guide my clients through felt sense language, tracking with them what I sense in their bodies and what they sense, and use nervous system tools and energetic visualizations to move energy and be with big emotions. I couple this with massage and bodywork techniques to bring touch and relationality to the body to ease pain and tension and bring healing.

Book online here or message me through my contact form for more information about my services. I look forward to seeing you on the table either in my studio in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida or in the comfort of your home!