What the Body Still Needs: Exploring the Sensory Foundations of Safety
Even after years of deep therapy—whether that’s parts work, somatic trauma healing, or cognitive-emotional insight—some nervous systems still don’t feel fully settled. Why?
Because for some of us, the missing piece isn’t just unprocessed trauma or outdated patterns of protection. It’s something more foundational.
It’s that our bodies never fully received the sensory experiences they needed to develop a deep, felt sense of safety in the first place.
When early sensory nourishment is interrupted—by trauma, medical procedures, neurodivergence, or even just a misattuned environment—the nervous system may continue searching for regulation in ways that never quite land.
This isn’t about regression. It’s about finally having enough internal and relational safety to notice what was missing—and begin to offer it.
Let’s explore four sensory systems that shape how safe, grounded, and whole we feel—and what we can do when they still need support.
1. The Tactile System: Safety Through Skin and Surface
Tactile input is the very first sensory foundation to develop. It tells the body: You are here. You are held. You are comforted.
Without enough safe, regulated touch early in life, the body may struggle to feel contained. Some people become hypersensitive to contact, while others crave it constantly or feel shut down around physical closeness.
Signs of tactile undernourishment:
Overreacting to touch
Avoiding physical closeness
Craving constant sensory input
Ways to nourish the tactile system:
Wrap in weighted blankets or wear soft, comforting clothing
Take warm baths or showers
Explore gentle skin brushing
Try slow, rhythmic self-massage with lotion or oil
2. The Proprioceptive System: Safety Through Sensing Where You Are
Proprioception is your body’s internal map. It tells you where you are in space and gives you a sense of groundedness and physical presence. It says: I am here. I take up space. I have weight.
Without enough joint loading or deep muscle input, the nervous system can feel floaty, chaotic, or disconnected. Many people instinctively seek impact, pressure, or intense movement without knowing why.
Signs of proprioceptive undernourishment:
Feeling clumsy or disoriented
Constant need for movement or stimulation
Craving deep pressure or physical exertion
Ways to nourish the proprioceptive system:
Carry weighted objects (like backpacks or laundry baskets)
Do resistance band exercises or wall push-ups
Hug a heavy pillow or squeeze something with resistance
Engage in grounding chores (sweeping, digging, pushing, or lifting)
3. The Vestibular System: Safety Through Balance and Orientation
Vestibular input comes through movement—rocking, spinning, swinging, climbing. It helps the nervous system track motion, orient to space, and regulate arousal states. It says: You are upright. You are balanced. You are oriented.
When vestibular development is interrupted, motion can feel overwhelming or disorganizing—or it may be craved obsessively in an attempt to self-soothe.
Signs of vestibular undernourishment:
Anxiety or dizziness with motion
Difficulty feeling stable or oriented
Repetitive rocking or need for spinning
Ways to nourish the vestibular system:
Gentle rocking (in a chair, on hands and knees, or standing)
Rhythmic walking or barefoot movement on natural ground
Hammock swinging or side-to-side swaying
Light rebounding on a mini trampoline
4. The Interoceptive System: Safety Through Listening to the Inside
Interoception is your inner compass. It allows you to feel what’s happening inside—hunger, thirst, temperature, pain, emotion. It bridges your physiological state and your emotional reality.
When early attunement to internal signals is missing—or when trauma or overwhelm leads to shutdown—this system can become unreliable. You might not know if you're hungry, tired, in pain, or sad until it’s extreme.
Signs of interoceptive undernourishment:
Difficulty sensing hunger, fullness, thirst, or pain
Emotional flooding or numbness
Disconnection between emotion and body sensation
Ways to nourish the interoceptive system:
Practice gentle body scans
Try hand-on-heart breathing while tracking warmth, weight, or rhythm
Journal internal shifts: “After I ate, I noticed…” or “During that call, my chest felt tight”
Track subtle changes in heartbeat or breath before and after movement or rest
Why This Matters
When we give the nervous system the inputs it missed—not conceptually, but through real, lived experience—the body begins to feel safe enough to soften, connect, and grow.
Not because we force it. But because we finally offer it what it’s been waiting for.
This work isn’t about fixing you. It’s about feeding the parts of you that have gone undernourished for too long—offering them the touch, effort, movement, and attunement they never stopped needing.
These systems are still alive in you. And it’s not too late to meet them.
Keep Exploring With Me
This article is part of a 3-part series exploring the deeper, often overlooked layers of nervous system healing.
In the last post, I explored how unresolved somatic needs can underlie even the most insightful therapy work. This post offered a deeper look at what your body might still need.
In my next post, Climbing the Ladder, we’ll explore how Polyvagal Theory helps us recognize where we are on the regulation map—and how to support ourselves through real-time sensory input, rather than self-judgment or cognitive strategies alone.
