The Art of Tracking: How to Listen with Your Whole Self

''Sit, be still and listen.'' -Rumi

Updated October 2026

Verbal tracking is a counseling microskill: you stay with the topic the client brings and show, in your own words, that you are following what they just said. It comes from Allen Ivey's microcounseling tradition, where it is one of the four parts of attending behavior. Somatic tracking, the focus of this post, widens the same attention to the body: breath, posture, voice and movement.

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and felt like they were not fully present? It's like they’re hearing your words, but they're not really listening. That's because they forgot the most important part of any conversation—tracking. Tracking is a psychotherapeutic skill where you pay close attention to the storyteller as much as the story itself. You learn how to listen with your whole self, paying attention to body movement, vocal tone, patterns of breath—everything that can help you better understand the person speaking. Let's dive deep into tracking so you can make sure your conversations are meaningful and effective.

What Is Tracking?

Tracking is about listening to what people don't say just as much as what they do say. It requires that we take time to observe our own feelings and reactions, as well as those of the other person in order to gain insight into their thoughts and feelings. This way, we can pick up on subtle shifts in energy or emotion that may be going unnoticed or unspoken by either party. As we learn more about tracking, we become more aware of our own stories and how we tell them.

When doing healing work with clients, it is essential to track them closely; this includes both their verbal cues (tone of voice, word choice) and non-verbal cues (body language). By listening closely for these clues, we can gain deeper insight into our client’s experiences and perspectives which can then be used to inform our therapeutic interventions. We must also remember that sometimes the storyteller is more important than the story—it is important to take time to focus on who is telling us something rather than just what they are saying. This helps us create an environment of safety for our clients by showing them that we are truly invested in understanding their experience without judgment or bias.

We must also be mindful of our own bodies when engaging in healing work with clients; if something doesn't feel right or true for us personally, then it probably isn't true for our clients either! Listening to your body will help you stay grounded and present during therapeutic sessions so that you can provide the best possible care for your clientele.

What Is Verbal Tracking in Counseling?

Verbal tracking means staying with the client's topic rather than steering the conversation toward your own. It is one of the microskills Allen Ivey began developing in the late 1960s to make listening teachable. In Ivey's model, attending behavior has four parts, the "3 V's + B": visuals (eye contact), vocal qualities, verbal tracking and body language. They are still taught in Intentional Interviewing and Counseling (Ivey, Ivey and Zalaquett, 10th edition).

It has two halves. You notice the words a person emphasizes, repeats or leaves out, and you show you are following, usually by briefly restating what you heard, without sudden topic jumps.

Verbal tracking examples

Staying with the topic. Client: "Work has been nonstop, and my sister called again last night." Tracking: "Work's been nonstop, and your sister called again." Jumping topics: "How are you sleeping?"

Noticing a repeated word. Client: "It's fine. It's fine, really. I just keep thinking about the move." Tracking: "You said 'fine' twice, and then the move came up."

Noticing what is missing. A client describes a family reunion and mentions everyone except her father. A gentle response: "I haven't heard about your dad yet." She can take it up or leave it.

Verbal Tracking and Tracking the Body

Verbal tracking follows the story. Somatic tracking follows the storyteller. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, described by Pat Ogden, Kekuni Minton and Clare Pain in Trauma and the Body (2006), places the body "central in the therapeutic field of awareness." Ron Kurtz, who developed Hakomi, put it this way: "we're constantly aware of the bodily signs of the client's present experience."

The two kinds of tracking work best together. A client says, "I'm over it now," and as she says it her shoulders lift and her breath stops for a moment. A response that tracks both: "You're over it. And as you said that, I noticed your breath paused a little. Would you be willing to notice that with me?"

How to practise tracking

1. Listen for key words and topics the person returns to or avoids, and say a few back now and then.
2. Watch one channel at a time: breath, then posture, then voice.
3. Name what you notice as an observation ("I noticed..."), not an interpretation ("You're anxious").
4. Treat your own body's reactions as a cue to get curious and ask, not as proof of what the other person feels.

Tracking starts with vocabulary — explore roughly 150 words for inner sensation:

The Sensations Wheel — free and private, from Practice Harbor. Open the full tool.

Tracking is an invaluable tool for anyone who does healing work with clients; it allows us to connect deeply with those we are working with while still honouring boundaries between therapist and client. If this skill resonates with you, consider signing up for a mini workshop on tracking! Together, let’s explore how tracking can enrich your life and those around you!

Frequently asked questions

What is verbal tracking?

Verbal tracking is the listening skill of staying with what another person is talking about and showing that you are following. You notice the words they stress, repeat or leave out, and you reflect key parts back in brief restatements. Anyone can practise it, not only counselors.

What is an example of verbal tracking in counseling?

A client says, "My boss criticized my report, and I couldn't stop thinking about it all weekend." A tracking response is, "Your boss's comment stayed with you all weekend." It stays on the client's topic and uses their own key words. Asking about holiday plans would not.

What is tracking in therapy?

Tracking in therapy means closely following a client's experience as it unfolds in the session. Verbal tracking follows their words and topics. Somatic or body-oriented tracking also follows nonverbal signals such as breath, posture, gestures and tone of voice. The therapist may name what they notice so the client can get curious too.

Written by the Somatopia team. Reviewed October 2026.

Photo credit: Cowomen Qziao @Unsplash