How to manage difficult emotions using sensory modulation
Emotions are a normal part of the human experience - we feel a range of emotions, sensations, urges, and feelings in response to our day-to-day experiences. Emotions can be very helpful for us when we navigate interpersonal relationships, however, it can be challenging when emotions become difficult, painful, or even unbearable.
One method we can use to navigate difficult emotions is sensory modulation.
Sensory modulation is a term used to describe our ability to regulate and process sensory stimuli. It offers an opportunity to respond behaviourally to the stimulus (Brown, Tse & Fortune, 2019). In a nutshell, we can use our five senses to change our internal experience of distress. This might involve adding stimulation, or taking stimulation away.
Here are some examples below to try, this list is by no means exhaustive! Be curious about your own sensory preferences and how they might change for different emotions.
Sensory modulation examples for self-soothing:
Touch: Using items of different textures, temperature, pressure to regulate our mood.
Examples: Comfy soft blanket, clicking a pointy pen, a cool drink of water or holding a warm cup of tea.
Taste: Playing around with different flavours to elicit different emotions.
Examples: Sour lollies, peppermint, lavender, spicy foods
Smell: Adding or taking away smells.
Examples: Lighting a scented candle, using a scented body wash, or getting fresh air.
Hearing: Notice if you need more or less stimulation.
Examples: Playing a tv show if needing more stimulation, or noise cancelling headphones if less stimulation.
Sight: Noticing visual cues and stimulation.
Examples: Turning the lights up or down
If you’d like to explore sensory modulation more together, you can book in directly with me online or send through an enquiry.
Reference:
Brown A, Tse T, Fortune T. Defining sensory modulation: A review of the concept and a contemporary definition for application by occupational therapists. Scand J Occup Ther. 2019 Dec;26(7):515-523. doi: 10.1080/11038128.2018.1509370. Epub 2018 Nov 20. PMID: 30457401.
