If this practice surfaces thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please reach out before continuing.
US: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 24/7) · Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 · UK: 116 123 Samaritans · AU: 13 11 14 Lifeline · International: findahelpline.com. This practice is a complement to clinical care, not a substitute.
Quick Answer
Trauma-Sensitive Body Anchoring is David Treleaven's modification of the classical body-mindfulness practice, written for people who find that turning attention inward makes things harder. Drawn from Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness (2018), external anchors, feet on the floor, three things seen, two heard, hold the practitioner without asking them to look inside.
Tradition and source
Tradition
Trauma-sensitive mindfulness (contemporary clinical-contemplative integration)
Classical source
Adapted from MBSR and vipassanā body-awareness practice, with modifications drawn from Stephen Porges's polyvagal theory and Peter Levine's Somatic Experiencing
Modern source
David Treleaven, Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness (2018), the seminal modern text
What this practice does
Treleaven's 2018 book is the most important contribution to Western mindfulness teaching this decade. The premise is unflashy: meditation can make trauma worse, and most teachers were never trained to notice. This anchoring practice is the entry-point for any state where inward attention is unsafe. I teach it to every new student before any silent practice.
How to practice
The instructions below run 2 to 10 minutes. Read through all the steps before you begin. The practice is not the goal; you are.
Press your feet firmly into the floor. Notice the contact.
Name three things you can see in the room.
Name two things you can hear.
Name one thing you can touch (other than your own body), a wall, a chair, a textile.
Continue for 2 to 10 minutes, until the hurry has gone out of it.
What to notice, and when to stop
Best for which inner weather
According to Aria's comparative-traditions framework, this practice is the matched prescription for the following inner weathers. Tap any to read the full weather prescription.
Take the 12-question Inner Weather Reading → to find your dominant weather today.
Difficulty and duration
Duration
2 to 10 minutes
Difficulty
beginner
Category
Body and Somatic
Crystal companion
In Crystal Cassandra's work, certain stones are the somatic companion to certain practices. The pairing is not magical; it is a steady weight in the palm that becomes part of the noticing.
Lepidolite
Lepidolite is the stone most commonly held during storm-weather practice in modern Western crystal healing. It is a lithium-bearing mica, a fact of geology that has nothing to do with why the tradition reaches for it. What recommends it here is plain and physical: it is soft, flat and pleasant to hold. Many practitioners simply keep it in the hand for the length of the practice.
Related practices
These practices complement Trauma-Sensitive Body Anchoring, same category, or matched to overlapping inner weathers.
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Mindfulness Practice Library
Return to the full 25-practice library, organised by category and tradition.
Open →Inner Weather Reading
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