The Embodiment Method is a universally useful tool. You can use this whenever you feel the urge to relapse and it will help you immediately. You can also apply this to:
- Anxiety
- Overthinking
- Difficult emotions like sadness, anger and grief
- Fear
In each case, the Embodiment Method is fast and effective.
How to Practice the Embodiment Method
Here are the exact steps to practice. We'll use porn addiction as the example problem here, but as mentioned above, this method also works in many other contexts.
Use this approach the next time the urge to relapse hits or whenever any difficult emotions related to quitting come up.
Step 1: Label
Notice the feeling and label it, in your mind. Or even better: grab a notepad and label the feeling in writing!
For example, I might write down: "right now, I'm feeling a strong urge to relapse."
Step 2: Focus on Your Body
Now, sit down in a comfortable position, close your eyes and bring your attention to the physical sensations in your body.
What does it actually feel like to have an urge? Where in your body are you feeling this? Does it have a shape, a size, a color?
Now, simply rest your attention in these physical sensations without judging them or trying to change them.
Step 3: Follow the Sensations
If the sensations in your body change or move, simply follow them with your attention.
For example, I might initially feel tension in my stomach. As I pay attention to it, it feels like the tension "moves" and I start to feel a constriction in my throat. As this happens, I simply go along with it and focus on this new sensation in my throat.
Awareness, Not Clinging
The key to this exercise is that you direct your awareness, but you aren't clinging to to what you notice.
The Embodiment Method is NOT a relaxation exercise. We're not taking deep breaths trying to relax the sensations or make them go away. We are also not trying to keep the sensations once we notice them.
The only task you have is to shift from mind to body and stay aware of what's happening.
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