Are you leading body scans in a trauma-informed way?

Body scans can be a supportive tool. That said . . . When we lead someone through a body scan, we could be forgetting that there are places in their body that might not feel accessible.

When we lead someone through a body scan without offering grounding resources, we are not offering support for potential activation.

When we lead someone through a body scan without using invitational language and adaptations, we are not honoring their autonomy or needs.

If it is our practice to lead folks through body scans, let's check in with our client around their comfortability with their body and accessing it via somatics and mindfulness.

We might find that focusing on smaller areas better meets the needs of our client. We might find that our client prefers a different modality for checking in. Listen to your client. Consent is key.

Body scans can be a supportive tool at best, and re-traumatizing at worst. We might not have been taught to offer body scans in a trauma-informed way, but it’s never too late to shift our practice.

What’s your experience with body scans, either as a client or practitioner? You’re invited to share below, if you’d like.