The Layers We Collect: Returning to Ourselves Through Somatic Resourcing

As we grow up, we build a sense of who we are, and at the same time we drift away from parts of ourselves. Many adults carry layers of expectations, roles, and beliefs that never belonged to them. It can feel like moving through life covered in clay that has hardened with time. Some of it came from family patterns, some from cultural pressure, and some from the speed of daily life.

You might feel like you’ve stepped into a version of yourself that works on the surface but feels disconnected underneath. You can see another way of living that feels more honest, yet taking a step toward it feels unfamiliar. The patterns that once protected you now feel restrictive, but they also feel known.

It is strange that staying limited can feel safer than expanding into who we actually are.

Why Your Disconnection Affects More Than You

When we hold ourselves back, the impact is wider than we realize. People who could benefit from our insight, creativity, and presence never receive it. Our relationships feel the distance. Our communities feel the absence of the person we have not allowed ourselves to become.

Our inner contraction does not just affect us. It influences the entire field around us.

A Dream That Shifted My Perspective

I once had a dream where several wrapped gifts sat beside me. They were for me, and I knew it, but I resisted opening them. Others around me opened theirs with ease and joy. Someone in the dream gently reminded me that if I never opened my gifts, the giver would never experience the joy of giving.

That dream stayed with me. It showed me that even when we dedicate our lives to growth, there are still parts of us waiting to be seen. We have more receiving to do and more expression available than we realize.

Most of us were not taught to explore our internal gifts. We were taught to be productive, agreeable, and responsible. We were not always taught to be whole. So we enter adulthood trying to reclaim what we left behind and move through the discomfort of releasing old conditioning.

Returning to the Parts You Lost

This is why I offer somatic sessions and short somatic practice series. These sessions help you reconnect with yourself through slow, grounded attention. Words alone cannot loosen the patterns that shape how you respond to life. The body holds information that talking cannot access.

You do not need a whole new life to return to yourself.
You do not need to wait until everything looks perfect.
You simply need consistent space to sense what is happening inside you.

Your body already knows how to guide you back.

Resourcing: A Way to Come Home to Yourself

In somatic work, resourcing means finding what helps you feel more present when you feel pulled away from yourself. A resource can be a sensation, image, memory, place, or movement. It does not have to feel inspiring. Sometimes neutral is enough. Neutral can be a relief when everything else feels tense.

Resourcing gives your system something to hold onto when discomfort appears.

Tracking: Noticing What Your Body Is Telling You

Tracking means noticing what shifts inside you as you pause.
You might feel the weight of your body on the chair.
You might sense your breath move in a new way.
You might catch the first signal of tension or the first sign of settling.

Tracking teaches you to observe your internal world instead of overriding it.
It helps you respond instead of react.

Pendulation: Moving Between Challenge and Support

Pendulation is the natural rhythm of moving between something challenging and something grounding. This gentle movement teaches your system that it does not have to stay stuck in one state. You learn that you can feel something uncomfortable and still return to what anchors you.

Pendulation builds capacity without force.
It helps you approach your experience without becoming overwhelmed.

A Week of Somatic Practice

If you want a space to reconnect with yourself in a supportive way, I offer a five-day somatic practice series.
Each session is 30 minutes.
You can join online or in person.
We focus on simple practices that help you sense your internal world, work with discomfort in manageable pieces, and reconnect with your own internal resources.

If you feel drawn to begin, you can explore offerings here:

Book a session: https://www.vagaro.com/healingartscenter
Learn more: https://www.healingartsvb.com

You do not need to wait for a perfect moment.
You can begin with one small choice that brings you back to yourself.