Listening to the Body and the Spirit in Therapy
- Ashley Brooks, PhD, LPC-S
- May 29
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 1
Post #4: Soul Change Series
The body keeps the score. —Bessel van der Kolk (2014)
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. —Romans 8:16
In most counseling rooms, two voices are often overlooked: the voice of the body and the voice of the Holy Spirit.
We are trained to listen to words, track patterns, identify emotions, and follow stories—and all of this matters. But if we want to move from insight to transformation, we must also learn to attune to subtler signals: the tension in a client’s shoulders when they mention a parent, the flat tone in their voice when they talk about faith, the sudden change in breathing when shame surfaces.
And beyond that: we must develop ears to hear what the Spirit of God is speaking—through silence, through tears, through holy nudges that defy easy categorization.
The Soul Change Model helps therapists listen to both.
The Body as a Source of Truth
For centuries, Western culture, and even much of Christian thought, has viewed the body with suspicion. It’s been seen as secondary, problematic, or merely a container for the “real” self. But Scripture tells a different story.
Our bodies are not separate from our souls. We were created as embodied beings. Jesus took on flesh. The Spirit indwells our physical form. And our bodies hold both memory and meaning.
Trauma researcher Bessel van der Kolk (2014) argues that “the body keeps the score”—a phrase that has become a clinical shorthand for the reality that trauma is stored not only in the brain, but in the nervous system, the gut, the posture, and breath. A person may not be able to name their trauma in words, but their body may be reliving it daily.
Christian counseling must not ignore this.
In the Soul Change Model, we treat the body as both a witness to suffering and a participant in healing. Somatic cues, embodied practices, and nervous system regulation are not just trendy techniques—they are deeply spiritual acts of re-integration.
Spiritual Listening: The Counselor as Co-Discerners
But the body is not the only quiet voice in the room. As Christian therapists, we believe the Holy Spirit is active in every session—not just as a concept, but as a living Presence.
Siang-Yang Tan (2011) defines Christian counseling as “Spirit-directed and prayerfully dependent,” emphasizing that discernment is as essential as diagnosis. The role of the therapist is not just to analyze, but to listen with God for what the client may not yet see or say.
This kind of listening requires stillness, humility, and openness.
It may look like pausing when the client’s story evokes a strong internal sense that something more is happening.
It may mean inviting the client to be curious about what the Spirit might be surfacing—not in a forced way, but with gentle invitation.
It may mean discerning when not to intervene—when the Spirit is doing a deeper work that we must not rush.
Langberg (2015) speaks to this sacred task:
“We must never run ahead of the Spirit, assuming we know what people need before we have sat with them long enough to hear the echoes of God’s heart for them.”
In Soul Change, we train therapists to attend to both the natural and the supernatural, recognizing that some shifts happen through method, and others through mystery.
When Both Voices Speak Together
Often, the body and the Spirit are saying the same thing. The body tightens when a client enters shame. The Spirit stirs the counselor with compassion. The client’s breathing shortens, and the Spirit whispers: Slow down. Stay here. This is holy ground.
In these moments, something sacred happens. Not always dramatic—but deeply healing.
The client may begin to notice: My body isn’t betraying me; it’s alerting me. They may realize: The Spirit is not watching from afar; He is present in my pain.
And as the counselor holds space for both the somatic and the spiritual, the client begins to reconnect to themselves and to God.
Practical Applications in Session
In the Soul Change framework, listening to the body and the Spirit is not abstract. It’s embodied in specific practices:
Somatic awareness: Gently helping clients notice where they feel emotion in the body and what those sensations might be telling them.
Regulation strategies: Using breath work, grounding, and movement to help clients return to safety in the body.
Spirit-led pacing: Slowing down the session when you sense the Spirit highlighting something tender or unspoken.
Therapist discernment: Taking moments to silently ask, “Lord, what are You doing here?” and following that guidance with humility and restraint.
Client invitation: Creating room for the client to ask the Spirit, “What do You want me to see?” in the middle of reflection or emotion.
None of these practices is rigid or formulaic. They require attunement to both the client and to God.
The Power of Co-Regulation and Communion
Curt Thompson (2010) reminds us that the brain is wired for relationship, and that co-regulation—experiencing safety in the presence of another—is one of the primary ways healing occurs.
But in Soul Change, we go a step further: the therapist is not the only regulating presence in the room. The Spirit Himself is present, creating a deeper sense of safety, grounding, and restoration.
Clients don’t just experience healing through you. They encounter healing with you, because you are attuned not only to them, but to the One who made them.
That changes everything.
Reflection
In your counseling work, how attuned are you to the physical cues your clients give you? How comfortable are you slowing down and allowing embodied emotions to speak?
When was the last time you sensed the Spirit leading you during a session? How might you create more space to listen to Him, not just your client?
References
Langberg, D. (2015). Suffering and the heart of God: How trauma destroys and Christ
restores. New Growth Press.
Tan, S.-Y. (2011). Counseling and psychotherapy: A Christian perspective. Baker
Academic.
Thompson, C. (2010). Anatomy of the soul: Surprising connections between neuroscience
and spiritual practices that can transform your life and relationships. Tyndale
Momentum.
van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of
trauma. Viking.
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