If you feel disconnected from your physical self, constantly stuck in your head, or struggle to trust what your body is telling you, you may benefit from finding a new way of relating to your body. When you have chronic illness or health issues, it can be really hard to trust your body and feel safe in it, which can then contribute to escalating anxiety, low mood and or numbness.

This short guided audio exercise uses interoceptive awareness: the ability to perceive and interpret internal body signals like breath, heart rate, and tension to help you build deep, lasting bodily trust.

Rooted in the clinical Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) framework, this somatic practice guides you through:

• Body Listening: Tuning in to subtle internal cues without trying to fix them.

• Emotional Awareness: Noticing how feelings present physically in the body.

• Self-Regulation: Using bodily awareness to ground your nervous system and restore safety.

• Trusting: Learning to view your physical sensations as safe, reliable guides rather than threats.

To explore this practice with more support, there are more resources and opportunities for live feedback on Body Mind Connect (bodymindconnect.club)

Guided audio delivered by Dr Sula Windgassen, Health Psychologist