Understanding SIBAM:
A Return to the Body
This article is about language, whether it's the words we choose to speak to ourselves or the way we explain our experience in a session. Ask 100 people what "somatics," "sensation," and "presence" mean, and you'll get 100 different responses.
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“Working with the body” or “processing through sensation.” Most of us have an idea of what it means to sense or feel, but we may be missing a deeper level of experience. The body can use this disconnection as a way to dull pain, avoid challenging emotional experiences, or otherwise "protect" us.
Part of somatic work is reconnecting with our humanness. And one of the easiest ways I've found to speak the language of the body is through SIBAM. This simple framework is used in Somatic Experiencing® to describe how our experience, whether in life, stress, or trauma.
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A SIBAM comes up regularly in a first or second somatic session, so I’d like to expand on it here.
mind
body
S = Sensation:
The physical feelings in your body. Examples could be tightness in your chest, tingling in your hands, or heaviness in your stomach.
I = Imagery:
Mental pictures, visualizations, or impressions. Sometimes it’s a memory, sometimes it’s symbolic, like a flash of light or an image of a person or place.
B = Behavior:
What your body wants to do, or actually does. Physical movements like trembling, crying, fidgeting, reaching out, or even collapsing inward.
A = Affect (Emotion):
The emotions you feel and label, such as fear, sadness, anger, or joy.
M = Meaning
The story we tell ourselves about what happened. How we interpret, believe, or attach a narrative we attach to an experience.​
What Does SIBAM Stand For?​
Notice that sensation is a fully "body" based experience, whereas meaning or story comes from the mind. There is no "wrong" way to experience. There are, however, other routes to experiencing if we are stuck.
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When we experience this full range, our bodies and minds operate in a healthy way. But trauma or chronic stress can keep us stuck on one end of the spectrum or the other. Maybe you feel sensations accompanied by panic or confusion. Or you find yourself in talk therapy, repeating the same story, hoping to feel better, but you don't.
Talk Therapy | Bodywork
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Think of SIBAM as a spectrum:
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Bodywork and massage lean heavily toward the Sensation (S) side. We can support you in feeling what’s happening in your body and letting some of that physical tension move.
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Talk therapy or counseling leans more toward the Meaning (M) side of the spectrum. It’s about the stories, the beliefs, and making sense of what happened. If you ever use the phrase "I feel like..." you're in story mode, not feeling.
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Our goal is to help your body experience the full range of awareness, from body to mind, calm to alert, and back, without getting stuck.
How Somatic Therapy Bridges the Gap
Somatic therapy connects sensation and meaning, with the other channels (image, behavior, and emotion) in between. It helps you notice what’s happening in your body and link it to pain, impulses, and symptoms.
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For example, in a session you might:
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Notice a tightness in your chest (Sensation)
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See an image of a place you used to feel unsafe (Image)
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Feel the impulse to curl in or protect yourself (Behavior)
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Recognize the fear that’s still living in your body (Affect)
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And realize, “This is my body remembering. I’m actually safe now.” (Meaning)
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Clearly, this is an oversimplification. But this kind of integration is what helps the nervous system reset, releasing stuck stress or trauma cycles.
How SIBAM Supports Healing
What makes SIBAM so helpful is that it gives us a clear, human way to understand what’s happening in our bodies and minds. Most of us are used to living on one end of the spectrum. Maybe you stay in your head, analyzing and trying to “figure things out,” or maybe you’re more in your body, noticing aches and stress but not connecting them to any meaningful resolutions.
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SIBAM reminds us that healing doesn’t happen in one channel. If you only focus on the story and never tune into the body, it can feel like you’re talking in circles. If you only focus on physical release without connecting to real-life integration, it can feel temporary. By weaving all five pieces together: sensation, image, behavior, affect, and meaning, experiences can actually be completed, instead of staying stuck.
