disappointmentand notice what experience emerged. In this kind ofmindful exploration, the therapist can track external signs of internal experience in thefine changes in the clients face, emotional temperature, breathing, and voice quality. Asboth participants carefully attend to present experience in this manner, something deeperthan rational conjecture can occur.In this case, Jane said, I feel really hot! She looked down and noticed that hershoulders and the top of her chest were turning red. As with many clients who arebeginning to explore unfamiliar territory, it was easier for her to recognize the physicalsensation than the underlying emotion. I encouraged her to stay with the heat and theredness, and asked her to notice the mood that went with it. She said with surprisedconsternation, but also curiosity, Oh, Im ashamed . . . of my needs!There are, of course, contraindications to this procedure. Immersing a client in atrauma memory, for instance, risks his or her hyper- or hypoarousalbecoming flooded,immobilized, or even retraumatized. Its important for the therapist to track the clientcarefully, remaining alert to signs of dissociation and disconnection, and to titrate theimmersion in immediate experience to avoid overwhelming the client. Exploringexperiences slowly, and noticing sensations and motor activity in particular, can yieldmore information and change in the long term than dramatic, multiple-tissue-in-thegarbage-can sessions that release explosive feelings. Before, and alternating with,immersion in traumatic or negative memories, clients should be focused on the feltexperience of their own resourcesthe places, people, things, and experiences that bringcomfort, along with a sense of self-confidence and expansiveness.Every experience we have, conscious or unconscious, is a mix of other,underlying experiences, many of which are unconscious, stored in the neural networksof implicit memory. Consciousness of one part of the neural network tends to evokerelated parts. Janes sense of invulnerability was comprised of many associatedcognitive, emotional, and somatic experiences, including tension in her muscles, a rigidposture, a belief that to show softness exposed her to danger, and a memory of beingshamed for her vulnerability.Lets make lots of room for shame, I said. We can hold it gently. Just let alittle bit of it be here. Go ahead and stay with it, and lets see where it takes you.I was intending to follow her lead, but the suggestion took us to what appeared tobe a dead end. The feelings stopped and she sat up straight, wiping her eyes. As Janestarted to explore the feeling of shame, something inside her obviously shut down. On asomatic level, her posture shiftedshe sat up straight, no longer resting against the backof the couch.Drawing on her immediate present experience for clues about where to go next, Isaid, Youre sitting really straight, and it seems like your feelings just went away. Letyourself be with that uprightness. Feel all the muscles involved, and notice what theyremember. Eliciting a memory, in effect, from the feeling in her muscles, sheremembered when her father taught her about the limits of trust: he told the 7-year-oldJane to jump from a kitchen counter into his arms, and then purposefully let her fall,without trying to catch her. Never trust anyone, he instructed her. She learned thislesson well.To