Somatic and Body Oriented Therapy
The human body has a natural tendency towards balance or homeostasis. In my work, I encourage the use of somatic tools including sensory awareness, breathwork, movement, posturing, and physiology education to develop an alliance with your body’s natural tendency to find balance.
As innovations and technologies are introduced into our society and culture, I believe some of the ancient wisdom of what it is to inhabit a body has been lost. With this loss there is a forgetting of the innate healing potential that exists within our body, the vessel with which we move through the world..
The field of Somatic Psychology has the perspective that emotions, stories, memories, and attitudes are held within the body and that the body is one access point to the psyche. While working with my clients, I incorporate movement and physicality (i.e., walking, stretching, dancing, active play, and body explorations) into my sessions. Often simple movements will liberate that which has been stuck or unconscious. When this material or energy is brought into awareness; it can be moved, processed, digested, and supported.
Too often, therapy emphasizes cognitive, intellectual, and analytic skills, which contributes to a mind/body divide. While there is value in traditional talk therapy, I encourage my clients to attend to their bodies and their present moment, sensorial felt-experiences as an approach towards greater self awareness.
Trauma resolution and the body
Trauma is often defined as an overwhelming experience that a person is struggling to contact, feel, make meaning of, and integrate. A common response to trauma is to vacate the body (Dissociate) in an attempt to avoid feeling painful and traumatic emotions.
Working somatically can offer ways to re-inhabit the body that feels safe. By slowing down and observing your habitual tendency to physically brace against re-triggered traumatic memories, you can create more of a sense of agency, personal power, and choice. When you approach a traumatic memory with a deeper sense of embodiment and resource, at a pace that your nervous system can process; resolution can be reached.
“Our bodies know they belong; it is our minds that make our lives so homeless”
-John O’Donohue