"Trust is being comfortable with the unknown combined with hope – an optimistic perspective."
Trust is a big word
Trust runs deep in our nervous system. It’s one of the earliest embodied experiences we develop — often before we even have words to describe it. And yet, when we talk about trust, our focus tends to turn outward:
Can I trust this person? Is this system or situation safe?
Trust, at its core, is about comfort and safety — and for many of us, the past few years have deeply shaken that foundation.
What we once relied on has shifted. Familiar structures have dissolved.
So where does that leave us?
How do we cultivate a grounded sense of safety in an uncertain world?
And perhaps most importantly: how do we trust ourselves when nothing around us feels steady?
The Challenge of Trust
In our recent Embodiment Lab: The Challenge of Trust, we explored these questions from the inside out. The conclusion?
We can’t predict what will happen next — not really. But we can practice being with that not-knowing from a place of inner alignment.
One participant shared,
“I have to trust that what comes next won’t be devastating — that I’ve done the work, and that I’ll be okay.”
This kind of self-trust doesn’t come from control. It comes from experience, presence, and embodied awareness. It’s not about certainty, but about capacity — knowing that, whatever comes, we can meet it.
Where Do You Feel Trust?
We began with a centering practice to locate trust in the body. What we discovered was: trust doesn’t live in just one place.
- One person found trust in the support of the ground beneath their feet.
- Another experienced it as a horizontal openness from the hips.
- A third noticed it by contrast — by recognizing where panic lived, they uncovered trust in the throat, where breath could flow freely.
We also saw that trust is fluid — it can shift depending on the day, the environment, or even our current state.
Which is exactly why the practice of embodied awareness matters. It gives us a way to listen, adapt, and return.
When I am trusting, my breath is open. I am not tight; I feel healthy and nurtured.
Life Is a Lab
Trust isn’t a one-time decision. It’s a practice — and like all embodiment practices, it deepens through repetition.
In the exercise Taking an Embodied Step, we looked at how trust shows up in real-time. Every step forward involves a moment of imbalance — a mini leap of faith.
“You move because some part of you believes your foot will land. But there’s always a moment in the air — a moment of uncertainty.”
This micro-experience mirrors a larger truth: we can never be entirely certain. But we can practice moving with faith.
Accessing Inner Trust
In another exercise, Embodied Trust, we imagined situations where we had to rely on ourselves. The aim wasn’t to eliminate discomfort, but to strengthen our capacity to be with it — to notice the sensations and regulate from within.
- For some, breath was a guide:
“When I’m frozen or anxious, deep breathing brings me back.” - For others, imagery helped:
“I picture a deep lake. No matter the chaos on the surface, it’s still and steady below.” - And for one participant, it was a clear felt sense:
“Trust lives in my spine. I access it through my hands.”
What we found is that accessing trust is both imaginative and somatic. By pairing a body location with a word or image, we can more easily return to a grounded state when life throws us off balance.
The source of trust is in my back/spine. The opening to trust is in my hands
When Trust Is Hard to Find
By knowing what we trust and how we can access that in ourselves, we can return to that again and again in the face of the unknown.
Practicing Trust in a Shifting World
Trust involves mystery, vulnerability, courage, and faith — none of which are easy to master.
But through embodied awareness, we can get curious about what trust feels like in our own unique system. We can build the capacity to:
- Pause and regulate when stress arises
- Move from reaction to response
- Reconnect to our center under pressure
- Navigate uncertainty with steadiness and care
Every step we take is a practice — not in knowing, but in trusting.
And every time we return to the body, we strengthen that trust from the inside out.
Want to Explore This Practice for Yourself?
Join us in the next Embodiment Lab — a free monthly online session where we explore nervous system regulation, resilience, and embodied leadership tools for healthcare professionals and purpose-driven individuals.
