A worksheet for therapists to help clients recognize and record the emotional meanings behind bodily sensations - beliefs which act to maintain conditions such as health anxiety and panic disorder.
Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
An editable Microsoft PowerPoint version of the resource.
Often, anxiety disorders such as panic disorder and health anxiety are exacerbated not just by the presence of symptoms, but by the interpretations individuals assign to these sensations. This worksheet guides clients to identify and challenge the catastrophic predictions they may make about their bodily sensations.
The Identifying The Meaning Of Body Sensations worksheet is a cognitive tool that allows clients to introspectively document their thoughts and feelings related to physical sensations. With practical examples included, this tool aims to facilitate cognitive restructuring in therapeutic settings.
This worksheet is designed to facilitate greater awareness and cognitive flexibility for clients struggling with anxiety. It is a cognitive restructuring tool designed to help clients reframe anxious interpretations into more balanced perspectives.
Clients with panic attacks often misinterpret bodily sensations, leading to heightened anxiety.
Individuals with fears about their health driven by catastrophic interpretations of bodily symptoms.
Clients with a tendency to worry about uncertain or ambiguous body sensations.
Introduce the concept by explaining how thoughts influence feelings and sensations.
Guide clients through the process of recording bodily sensations and their emotional and cognitive responses.
Encourage the systematic documentation of sensory experiences and corresponding thoughts.
Facilitate reflection on each recorded entry to identify patterns and triggers.
Promote reframing of catastrophic interpretations into balanced perspectives.
Use in-session discussions to explore and challenge maladaptive predictions.
Schedule regular follow-up sessions to monitor progress and make necessary adjustments.
Anxiety disorders such as panic disorder and health anxiety are often maintained not by the presence of bodily sensations themselves, but by catastrophic misinterpretations of those sensations (Clark, 1986). The Identifying The Meaning Of Body Sensations worksheet is grounded in this cognitive-behavioral understanding, helping clients examine how their interpretations — rather than the physical sensations alone — contribute to anxiety escalation and avoidance behavior.
In panic disorder, for example, benign physiological cues (e.g., increased heart rate, dizziness) are often perceived as signs of imminent catastrophe such as a heart attack or fainting. These interpretations trigger a feedback loop of heightened anxiety, intensified bodily sensations, and worsening panic symptoms — a cycle well-documented in Clark’s cognitive model of panic (Clark, 1986; Barlow & Craske, 2007).
Similarly, individuals with health anxiety may monitor their bodies closely and interpret normal sensations as evidence of serious illness (e.g., interpreting fatigue as cancer), a process sometimes referred to as interoceptive bias or interoceptive threat amplification (Abramowitz et al., 2007). Over time, this leads to increased symptom vigilance, reassurance-seeking, and further entrenchment of health-related fears.
The worksheet supports cognitive restructuring by encouraging clients to document their physical sensations alongside the automatic thoughts and emotional meanings they attach to them. It fosters metacognitive awareness by helping clients separate the sensation from the interpretation, and facilitates the generation of more balanced, evidence-based alternatives.
This approach aligns with well-established CBT techniques, including interoceptive exposure and cognitive reappraisal, which aim to reduce fear of body symptoms and promote more adaptive interpretations (Lee et al., 2006). The structured format provides a practical and repeatable method to help clients identify triggers, understand their thinking patterns, and challenge anxious predictions in real time or through reflection.
