What Is Embodiment? A Guide to Reconnecting with Your Body
- Morgan Loewen, MA, RCC
- May 21
- 5 min read
In recent years, more people have begun to talk about embodiment and body-based therapies. But if you’ve ever paused and thought, “Wait—what does being embodied even mean or look like?”—you’re not alone.
As an embodiment therapist and researcher, I’ve found embodiment to be one of the most powerful frameworks for healing, self-understanding, and connection. And while the research continues to grow, its real power lies in what it actually means for you in everyday life.
In this blog, we’ll explore what embodiment really is, why it matters, and how therapy can support you in becoming more safely and deeply connected with your body. We’ll also explore common misconceptions and offer gentle steps toward embodied healing.
What Is Embodiment?
At its core, embodiment is the experience of being connected to and living in your body—not just intellectually understanding your body, but actually inhabiting it.
Modern embodiment research owes much to Dr. Niva Piran, who developed the “Experience of Embodiment” construct from a longitudinal study on women and girls. Her framework outlines five dimensions of embodiment:
Body Connection & Comfort: Feeling at home in your body, rather than at war with it.
Agency and Functionality: Trusting your body’s capacity to move, feel, and act.
Experience and Expression of Bodily Desires: Feeling your wants, needs, and preferences—and allowing yourself to express them.
Attuned Self-Care: Responding to your body’s needs with compassion and curiosity.
Subjective Immersion: Being immersed in bodily experience, not watching yourself from the outside.
These dimensions describe not only what embodiment is but also the quality of our embodied experiences—something that can shift over time based on life circumstances, trauma, safety, and healing.
Why Does Embodiment Matter?
Embodiment helps us reconnect with the part of ourselves that many of us have been taught to ignore: our body’s voice.
When we’re embodied, we can:
Feel and express emotions more clearly.
Set boundaries that align with our needs.
Experience joy, pleasure, and connection more fully.
Make choices that are attuned to our internal experience—not just what looks “right” on the outside.
In therapy, embodiment is about supporting you in returning to your body—not as an object to be fixed or looked at—but as a place to come home to.
Common Misconceptions About Embodiment
Let’s clear up a few myths I often hear as an embodiment therapist.
1. “Being Positively Embodied All the Time Is the Goal”
It’s not. In fact, it’s unrealistic. While we may have moments (or seasons) of feeling beautifully connected to our bodies, embodiment is not a permanent state. Stress, grief, trauma, or overwhelm can cause our bodies to disconnect—this is protective and wise.
Embodiment isn’t about “staying connected no matter what,” but about building the ability to return to connection when the time is right.
2. “Embodiment Looks a Certain Way”
Nope. Embodiment is not about performance—it’s about experience. For one person, embodiment might look like lifting heavy weights. For another, it might mean curling up in oversized clothes and resting.
It’s not about what’s visible from the outside, but what feels aligned on the inside.
3. “Knowing About Embodiment Is the Same As Being Embodied”
This one’s for my overthinkers. 🧠 Learning about embodiment is important—it can even be a gateway into therapy and healing. (It certainly was for me!) But knowing about embodiment is not the same as being embodied.
Embodiment happens in the body, not the brain. It involves felt sensation, discomfort, pleasure, vulnerability, and presence. It’s messy and real, and it can’t be perfectly executed or mentally mastered.
4. “Learning to Be Embodied Is Easy, and Everyone Will Cheer You On”
I wish. While connecting more deeply to your body can bring immense clarity and joy, it also comes with growing pains. You might find yourself needing to set new boundaries, grieve old versions of yourself, or re-evaluate certain relationships. This can be difficult—but it’s also deeply freeing.
How Therapy Can Help You Reconnect with Your Body
If you're reading this and resonating with any of these experiences, know this: you're not broken, and you’re not alone.
In therapy, we begin gently. The first step toward embodiment is not “doing more,” but noticing more. We focus on building safety, slowly introducing somatic practices, and cultivating curiosity about the body’s messages.
One of my favourite tools from trauma-informed therapy is the concept of glimmers—a term coined by Deb Dana, based on polyvagal theory.
Finding Your Glimmers: The First Step Toward Embodiment
If trauma or chronic stress causes us to become hypervigilant to danger (aka “triggers”), then glimmers are their quieter counterparts. Glimmers are micro-moments of safety, joy, and connection that often go unnoticed—like a warm breeze on your face, a belly laugh, or the comfort of your favourite blanket.
These moments may seem small, but they’re powerful. They signal to your nervous system: “You’re safe now. You can rest.” Over time, noticing these glimmers helps the body relax, feel, and reconnect.
Here’s a small exercise you can try today:
Think of a recent moment that made you smile—even just for a second.
Pause and notice what happened in your body.
Did your breath deepen? Did you feel warmth? Did your shoulders drop?
That’s a glimmer. That’s your body saying yes.
Embodiment Is Not a Destination—It’s a Practice
You do not need to be perfectly embodied to start. (spoiler alert: there is no such thing as perfectly embodied.) In fact, many of my clients begin therapy not even sure how to feel anything in their body. That’s okay. We work together to build the foundation slowly, rooted in safety, trust, and compassion.
Embodiment therapy isn’t a quick fix. But it’s a path back to wholeness—to reconnecting with your inner voice, your boundaries, your needs, and your joy.
Work With Me: Start Your Embodiment Journey in Therapy
If you're longing to reconnect with your body, to feel more like yourself again, or to stop living from your head up—I’d love to support you.
I specialize in working with clients who are:
Burnt out or chronically stressed
Recovering from trauma or people-pleasing
Struggling with body image, binge eating, or over-exercise
Feeling disconnected from pleasure, emotion, or desire
My approach is relational, somatic, and grounded in the science of polyvagal theory and nervous system healing. Together, we create a space where your body is not something to be fixed—but a place to be heard and honoured.
✨ Ready to Begin?
If this post resonated with you, I invite you to:
Book a free consultation to explore whether embodiment therapy is right for you.
Follow me on Instagram where I share insights, personal reflections, and embodiment resources.
You deserve to feel at home in your body. I look forward to connecting and journeying with you.
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