Making the Unknown Known

When using Body Rocking to help others manage stress, one useful approach is to make the unknown known by asking thoughtful, intuitive questions. Rather than encouraging people to analyse or overthink, invite them to trust their first instinct or inner feeling.

You might ask:

• What percentage of your life have you felt truly safe?

• What percentage of your life have you spent living in overwhelm?

• What percentage of your life have you felt worthy or genuinely loved?

These questions are not about finding exact answers. They are designed to help people become aware of patterns they may never have consciously recognised.

In my experience, many people—particularly those who have experienced significant trauma such as sexual abuse—give surprisingly low answers to the question of feeling worthy or loved. Low self-esteem is a common struggle for many people.

One way of understanding these responses is to think of them as old survival programmes. These patterns may once have served a protective purpose but can continue long after they are needed. The encouraging news is that, with awareness and practice, those patterns can begin to change.

Once a person has identified an area they would like to work on, ask more specific questions such as:

• If you could name the predominant emotion associated with this issue, what would it be?

• For what percentage of your life has this emotion been present?

• Where do you notice this emotion most strongly in your body?

Again, encourage intuitive rather than analytical responses.

Everyone experiences emotions differently. One person may feel anger in their back, another in their hands, while someone else may feel anxiety in their stomach or chest. There is no right or wrong answer.

Once people become aware of the connection between their emotions and their body, they have an opportunity to combine that awareness with gentle Body Rocking. The aim is to help calm the nervous system, reduce physical tension, and create space for new responses.

Some people notice meaningful changes quite quickly, while for others the process is more gradual. As with any personal growth practice, each person's journey is unique.