
Clearing your inner space is the first step in Somatic Psychotherapy. This process focuses on imagining a space within your body, where many of us carry our issues, resulting in a cluttered inner experience. When we check in with our bodies, we often feel the weight of these burdens physically. What if it were possible to clear that inner space and remove those weights, leaving it clean, empty, and peaceful? What if we didn’t need to carry all our difficulties within us all the time? In fact, it’s healthier and more effective to have a clear inner space from which we can address each challenge individually.
Clearing your inner space involves a body awareness practice where we gently focus on the trunk of our body—throat, chest, and abdomen. We check inside for sensations related to what we’re carrying (e.g., family, work, anxiety, excitement). We then set each issue aside, one by one, until there’s nothing left.
This practice aims to help us step back from our burdens, allowing the body and mind to feel lighter and less weighed down. It’s important not to delve into the stories behind each issue during this process. Instead, we gently focus without judgment, simply setting things aside for now, knowing we can revisit them later. Picking up one issue at a time can feel less overwhelming than carrying them all at once.
When clearing your inner space, it’s essential to create distance between your sense of self and the issues you’re experiencing. There is You and there is That. The more space you create between your awareness and your feelings, the better you can work through and resolve those difficulties.
When we are enmeshed with our thoughts and emotions, we lose a sense of control. In Somatic Psychotherapy and Internal Family Systems Therapy, we refer to these as our inner "parts." We are not defined by our inner parts; we simply have them. We are a collection of many parts—some healthy and helpful, others less so.
This practice focuses on clearing away the emotional and mental clutter until our inner space feels clear, light, and peaceful. Once our space is clear, we can focus on one issue at a time, allowing those parts to reveal themselves safely. We create the right mental and emotional space for authentic healing to occur.
Clearing Your Inner Space Instructions
Get Comfortable: Take a moment to settle, allowing the couch, chair, bed, or floor to support your weight as you relax.
Scan Your Body: Begin by doing a quick body scan from your feet to your head, noticing any sensations and allowing them to be.
Focus Inward: Gently direct your attention to the space within you, from your throat to your pelvic floor. Imagine this space as vast enough to hold everything happening in your life.
Observe Your Inner Space: Picture your inner space as a spacious room filled with objects representing your worries, concerns, fears, doubts, and hardships.
Ask Yourself: "What’s between me and feeling just fine?" Allow one object or issue to come into your awareness, as if you’re entering that room and encountering a box.
Acknowledge It: Name the object or issue briefly. For example, "Oh, it’s about this…" without diving into the story. Notice its emotional quality: "It has a … feel to it."
Set It Aside: Imagine placing this issue aside in a way that resonates with you—on a park bench, on a beach, in a cupboard, or attached to a balloon that floats away.
Repeat the Process: Ask yourself again, "What else is between me and feeling just fine?" Name the next object, acknowledge its emotional quality, and set it aside without spending too much time on it.
Enjoy the Clear Space: Once you’ve cleared your inner space of everything that needs attention, recognize that you are perfectly fine in this moment. Visualize a clean, spacious inner area, complete with comfortable furniture where you can relax.
Breathe and Relax: Spend time in your inner clear space, embracing the possibility of feeling just fine, even amidst life's challenges.