In somatic therapy for anxiety and trauma, glimmers can be powerful tools for nervous system regulation.
A term coined by Deb Dana, LCSW and author, glimmers are brief yet powerful moments that signal safety to our nervous system. They are the little things that bring a sense of calm, connection, or even quiet joy.
Glimmers are micro-moments of our ventral vagal experience, the part of our autonomic nervous system that governs connection and regulation. (If you’re curious about how this fits into the larger picture, you might want to check out my post on Polyvagal Theory and the nervous system hierarchy.)
A glimmer might look like catching a kind smile from a stranger. Or hearing a familiar bird call on a morning walk. It might be the way sunlight falls on your kitchen counter. The texture of a warm mug in your hands. The right song at the right time. The hard part is that we often miss them.
Because of our negativity bias, our brain’s evolutionary habit of prioritizing danger over safety, we’re wired to scan for threat more than for peace. This bias once helped us survive. But now, in a world saturated with fear-based algorithms, anxiety-fueled headlines, and the overstimulation of modern life, it can be hard to remember that safety, too, is always quietly available. That regulation is possible, even if fleeting.
I’ve found myself stuck in those anxious or disconnected states too, especially in seasons of stress, uncertainty, or overexposure to the noise of the world. And it’s in those moments that I try to gently return to this practice of glimmers. Not to bypass the hard, but to resource myself alongside it.
A Somatic Practice for Noticing Glimmers
If you’re exploring somatic therapy for anxiety or working with a dysregulated nervous system, glimmers can be a gentle way back to your body, to what’s real, to what’s safe. Feel free to try this:
Prompt:
- Identify your glimmer cues: What do you feel in your body when you’re in a glimmer moment?
- What shifts in your breath, posture, or thoughts?
- What softens?
Practice:
- Begin to notice glimmers as you move through your day.
- Scan your environment with curiosity.
- What feels good, grounding, or even neutral?
- What brings the tiniest sense of “okayness”?
Anchor:
- Identify places, people, or times when glimmers tend to appear.
- Make a habit of returning to them.
- Set an intention each morning to remain open to unexpected glimmers.
A Tip: Keep a Glimmer Journal
- Start collecting moments—like small treasures.
- Write down the expected glimmers and the surprising ones.
- You’ll start to notice a shift, not just in your awareness, but in your body’s sense of what’s possible.
This is how we rewire. Gently. Repeatedly. Intentionally.
If you’re exploring somatic therapy for trauma or trying to reconnect with a sense of safety after anxiety, I invite you to begin with glimmers.
They’re small, but they matter. And they’re waiting to be noticed. Everyday.
Image Source: @orfayo
Resource/Source: Deb Dana’s Polyvagal Card Deck