Why I Sometimes Have Clients Hit a Punching Bag in Therapy
If you walked into my office and saw a punching bag, you might do a double-take.
That’s fair.
It’s not exactly what most people expect when they think of therapy.
And to be clear, this isn’t about teaching people how to fight.
It’s about something most people don’t realize they’re missing.
There Are Things Talking Doesn’t Always Reach
I believe in talk therapy. Obviously. It is a whole other side of my practice.
Couch-based conversation has been my bread and butter for most of my career, but I saw a need—something that brings the body into the conversation—something that moves a client forward when there isn’t enough traction through talk alone (can’t blame the comfy couch).
“I know this… so why am I still stuck?”
A phrase I have heard. And through structured exercise combined with talk therapy we became unstuck.
Something deeper hadn’t been engaged yet.
Because part of you isn’t just thinking your way through life.
Part of you is living it through your body—whether you realize it or not.
What Happens When You Can’t Think Your Way Through It
This is where things shift.
Sometimes, instead of sitting back and analyzing, we do something different.
We slow things down.
You notice your stance.
Your breath.
The way your body feels before anything even starts.
And then we begin.
Not aggressively. Not chaotically.
Just enough to notice what happens.
This Is Where It Gets Real
People usually don’t expect what comes up.
It’s not just physical.
It’s thoughts like:
“This feels awkward.”
“I don’t want to do this.”
“I feel stupid.”
That moment right there?
That’s a part of the therapy.
Because those same reactions tend to show up everywhere else too—just in less obvious ways.
Avoidance. Hesitation. Holding back.
Except here… we don’t move away from it.
The Shift Most People Don’t Expect
At some point, I’ll ask for a little more.
Not recklessly. Not to push someone past their limits.
But enough to test where those limits actually are.
And this is usually where something changes.
People realize:
“I didn’t think I could do that.”
Not because they learned a technique.
But because they experienced themselves differently.
That moment matters more than anything I could explain to them.
It’s Not About “Letting It All Out”
There’s a common idea that hitting something is about releasing anger.
That’s not really what we’re doing, though, channeling various energies into the heavy bag is one meaningful emphasis.
It’s more about learning that you can:
Feel intensity
Stay present with it
And come back down without shutting off
A lot of people haven’t had that experience.
They either hold everything in…
or feel like it all spills out at once.
There’s another way.
Where It Connects Back to Your Life
Afterward, we talk, but it’s different.
Because now there’s something more embodied to work with alongside the content of conversation.
Not just ideas.
Experiences.
What made you hesitate?
What helped you push through?
Where else does that show up?
And suddenly, it’s not about a punching bag anymore.
It’s about how you respond when things get uncomfortable, when you need to find a new angle or opening for insight to strike.
So Why Use Something Like This at All?
Because sometimes your body shows you something your mind has been avoiding.
And when you experience that shift—not just understand it—it sticks in a different way.
A Different Kind of Work
This isn’t for everyone.
But for people who feel:
Stuck in their head
Like their body is betraying them
Disconnected from themselves
Or like they “know better” but can’t seem to do differently
This kind of work can open something up.
Not by forcing change.
But by letting you experience it while it’s happening.
Final Thought
Most therapy helps you understand yourself.
There’s real value in that.
But sometimes the next step isn’t more insight.
Sometimes it’s finally feeling:
“Oh… this is what it’s like to move through it.”
This kind of work is what Rooted Motion is built around.
Rooted Motion is a therapeutic approach developed by Joshua T. Adams, LISW-S, and offered through Joshua Tree Therapy in Columbus, Ohio. It integrates structured exercise with clinical talk therapy—treating the body as a full participant rather than a bystander in the room. That means the self-awareness, understanding, and breakthroughs you're working toward can come from multiple directions at once.
Whether you're navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, chronic stress, or simply want a more embodied therapeutic experience, Rooted Motion opens up more of you to the process.
If you're looking for a more active approach to mental health therapy, visit JoshuaTreeAdams.com/RootedMotion to learn more and get in touch.
