Waiting for the impact giving space for the clientto explore and notice as well as tracking on thetherapists side for their experience.4. Asking the client to open her attention to what ISoccurring (not what has happened) keeps theexplorations current and continuous.I feel a tightness, I dont like it Lauren whispers,holding her body even more tightly.Lauren, you notice that when you stay with the shallowbreath, a tightening happens and uncomfortablefeelings arise.Now, this is a critical moment, as this client is phobic toexperiencing any pain, change or hardship, so she willinevitably go towards resistance or avoidance, or abortingthe experiment of self-discovery.I follow up by: Lets try the Lunar breath right herewith me.The Lunar breath is a soft, long sustained exhalethat resembles the image of a silken mist diffused in themorning summer sun. It involves an exhale through thenose, mouth closed, in the back of the throat. Barely audible,it streams out of the nose with its intention to softenany boundaries or hardness in the body. With the Lunarbreath one is invited to sink, soften and release into oneself.A normal inhale follows and again the slow, deliberateexhale stream through the nasal passages and back ofthe throat. The attention softens and can be directed attimes towards body areas that want to be engaged, suchas a tight place in the chest or neck.Lauren tries this and finds great pleasure thatshe can do something. As doing gives her great comfortshe is more pliable in trying this. This is, of course,feeding the part of her that wants to fix her state ratherthan change herself. I invite her into sensing, into openattention of what is occurring right now. She experiencesa softening in her breathing and in her chest and reportsa spaciousness and an opening, which surprises her.Feelings of anxiety are not there right now, she says. Ididnt know you were anxious, I reply. I wasnt either. Ithink I live most of my life in fear, in fact, there is no safeplace anywhere, she bows down her head with that laststatement. She has clearly entered a feeling state.In the spaciousness of the moment she is feelingherself, a first in the session. Without having to make itexplicit she is feeling her un-safety in a contained way. Thevehicle of the lunar breath gives her the safe structure toexplore and yet, paradoxically, opens her into deeper layersof herself. I direct her into more of the lunar breath. Sheis discovering small movements that want to follow in hershoulders and neck, she has renewed energy and curiosityto follow this now. Gently, she is changing before my eyes.Introducing small breaths and movementexplorations such as these can be a tremendously valuablepathway into the body and into working with deep-seatedbelief systems. They can provide a physical way into whatthe client might otherwise argue with or try to understanddesperately in her mind.Shifting the reference point of the therapy intobreath, movement, and sounds can be in itself a shift inperception of how we are doing therapy. Therapy can beheavily patterned and the therapist can fall prey to theirpredictions and routines. Even in Hakomi Therapy, wherewe are striving to stay with the present