Stabilization First: Before You Heal, Learn to Ground

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Sometimes it’s not easy to connect with the body. In some cases, the body may shut down or pull away from sensations, making it difficult — or even impossible — to stay present. When this happens, it’s important not to force anything. Jumping straight into somatic work isn’t always the first step — especially when trauma is involved. But what we can always begin with is stabilization.

The stabilizing phase is a crucial. It helps expand your capacity to stay with emotional experiences without becoming overwhelmed. This kind of work is especially helpful for those who struggle with emotional regulation or experience intense shifts in their nervous system states.

You might feel that the “zone” where you function well in life — at work, in relationships, in everyday tasks — is quite narrow. With stabilization work, we aim to gently widen that zone.

Over time, these practices help widen what’s often called your “window of tolerance” — the range in which you can think clearly, regulate your emotions, stay present and respond to life’s challanges with greater control and clarity, even under stress. If that range feels narrow for you right now, somatic work can gently expand your capacity, helping you feel more grounded and resilient in everyday life.

Somatic techniques are simple but powerful and reliable tools that help you increase your tolerance for stress, anxiety, and emotional intensity.

As you practice, you become more aware of your body’s early signals—like a tightening in the chest or a knot in the stomach—and start to respond before those sensations spiral into a full stress response. Over time, you become more familiar with the language of your body and more skillful in regulating your state.

This doesn't mean you’ll never feel anxious or stressed again. But those states become less intense, less frequent and easier to recover from. You will know how to find your way back to balance — and back to your body in the here and now.

This kind of stabilization work is often a valuable preparation for deeper healing — but it’s also helpful for anyone, because stress is part of life. Even as a preventative tool, it can help reduce the long-term impact of stress and prepare you to navigate future challenges with greater steadiness.