Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy (MABT) is a structured, evidence-based model developed to teach clients how to access, sustain, and make meaning of their internal bodily sensations. MABT builds interoceptive awareness—the foundation of embodied emotional insight—and offers a trauma-sensitive approach for clients who struggle to connect with or tolerate their internal world.
What Is Interoceptive Awareness, and Why Does It Matter?
Interoception is the perception of internal bodily states—hunger, heartbeat, muscle tension, or visceral emotions like “butterflies” in the stomach. Neuroscience research has shown that the brain’s ability to process interoceptive signals is key to emotional regulation, decision-making, and a coherent sense of self.
For clients who have experienced trauma or chronic dysregulation, these bodily signals often go unnoticed, misinterpreted, or entirely avoided. MABT was developed specifically to retrain interoceptive awareness using mindfulness, body-oriented techniques, and structured therapeutic guidance.
Overview of MABT
MABT consists of three primary components:
Identifying Bodily Sensations
Through guided body awareness practices, clients learn to notice and describe internal physical sensations.Accessing Internal States Volitionally
Clients build the capacity to intentionally focus on internal sensations, moving from passive noticing to active engagement.Appraising Internal Experience
Clients reflect on the meaning of their sensations, linking body experience with emotion, memory, and insight.
MABT has shown particular benefit for individuals with substance use histories, chronic pain, PTSD, and emotional dysregulation. Its emphasis on safety, pacing, and collaborative practice makes it especially suitable for trauma-informed care.
MABT Intervention
Phase 1: Developing Somatic Awareness
Goal: Help clients become aware of internal bodily sensations.
Guided Body Scan + Inquiry
Slowly move through the body, prompting clients to notice sensations. Follow with open-ended questions:
“What do you notice in your stomach right now?”
“How would you describe that sensation?”Sensory Vocabulary Expansion
Introduce language for body states—tight, tingly, fluttering, dull, pulsing—to help clients articulate their experiences with nuance.Neutral Anchoring
For clients with trauma histories, begin with safer sensations (e.g., contact with the ground or breath in the belly) before exploring discomfort.
Phase 2: Volitional Access to Sensation
Goal: Teach clients to intentionally shift attention inward.
Directed Attention Practice
Guide clients to bring awareness to a specific body part, sustain focus for 30–60 seconds, then share what they noticed.Shifting Awareness
Have clients start by tracking breath, then move to another area (“Now shift to your chest—what’s there?”), reinforcing agency in attention.Journaling Interoceptive Moments
Encourage clients to record instances of body awareness, what they felt, and what was happening emotionally or situationally.
Phase 3: Sustaining and Appraising
Goal: Help clients stay with internal sensations and explore their meaning.
“Sit With the Sensation” Practice
Invite clients to focus on a single uncomfortable or confusing sensation and stay with it for 1–2 minutes, using breath as an anchor. Process afterward:
“Did the sensation shift?”
“What was the emotional tone that came up?”Emotion Labeling Through the Body
Connect sensation to feeling:
“That pressure in your chest—does it feel more like sadness or anxiety?”
“What emotion might live there?”Insight-Based Reflection
After somatic work, ask:
“What do you think your body was trying to tell you?”
“Did staying with that sensation lead to any new realizations?”
Integration into Daily Life
Goal: Support real-world application of interoceptive skills.
Pause Practice in Triggering Moments
Teach clients to pause when emotionally overwhelmed and scan their body:
“Where am I feeling this in my body?”
“What would it mean to listen to that sensation instead of pushing it away?”Somatic Check-Ins During Routines
Link awareness practices to everyday tasks—brushing teeth, making coffee, driving—to normalize interoceptive reflection.Body-Based Decision-Making
Explore how bodily signals can guide choices:
“What does your body say about each option?”
“Does one path feel more grounded or open?”