In the Welcoming Curve exercise, we come into relation to our felt sense, and listen to what it might have to say.
Sometimes, however, it doesn’t have anything specific to say. It just stays quiet. This can be because we need to give it sufficient safety to speak, or, it can be because what it needs is reassurance. This exercise offers it that.
- Bring to mind a scenario that causes concern or anxiety.
- Take your attention to the felt sense, in the body, associated with this scenario.
- Ask yourself, is this scenario actually a concern? Is there anything dangerous about it?
- If the answer is “no”, offer the felt sense reassurance that there isn’t a real danger here.
- If the answer is not “no”, does the actual concern line up with the degree of concern in the felt sense?
- Can we offer the felt sense some reassurance?
- This could be through saying things like, “It is okay, we will both be there. Together we will be able to handle this.”
For this to work, we need to be honest. If the scenario is still dangerous (e.g jumping out of a plane without a parachute!), and we say to the felt sense that it’ll be safe, the felt sense will see right through us. So we need to be honest and congruous. Only offer it reassurance that you (perhaps an older, more mature you) can genuinely offer.