somatic therapy

My offering is a combination of modalities that centre the present-moment experience through inner body sensing, also known as interoception. My main areas of training and how they might benefit you are described below:

Focusing is a therapeutic process developed by philosopher and psychotherapist Eugene Gendlin while at the University of Chicago in the 1970s. Under the guidance of Carl Rogers, Gendlin found that meaningful change through psychotherapy could be predicted based on a person’s ability to access the “felt sense,” or the internal, implicit sensory aspect of perception. Focusing was developed as an accessible framework for tuning into this intuitive process of self-knowledge. Inner Relationship Focusing, the type I am trained in, is a type of body-based parts work.

Somatic Experiencing is a body-based approach aimed at resolving of the effects of traumatic stress. Its originator, Dr Peter Levine based his research on the observation that wild animals, though frequently threatened, are rarely traumatized. Prey animals benefit from innate mechanisms that regulate and discharge high levels of nervous system arousal. The defensive behaviours associated with fight, flight and freeze are necessary to our survival but can become inhibited, amplified or prolonged in the wake of overwhelming events. Humans have been socialized to impede these animalistic tendencies and, in the case of thwarting responses that would bring us back to homeostasis, our highly developed brains can act against us, creating dysregulation of our nervous systems.

Somatic Experiencing employs mindfulness of sensations to support the renegotiation of trauma and heal what was previously unbearable. Rather than reliving a traumatic event or invoking catharsis, SE breaks down the process of healing into smaller, manageable increments. It offers a facilitated journey through the sensorial body and mind, allowing survival energy to be safely processed, integrated and gradually discharged.
 People who have been living with symptoms of unresolved trauma come to a place of empowerment and greater connection with life.

Relational Somatic Therapy was developed by Mariah Moser, MA, RCC. This modality synthesizes current research in the field of interpersonal neurobiology and attachment theory. Emphasis is put on practitioner attunement and a focus on body-based relational elements in order to facilitate the healing of adverse childhood experiences as well as developmental, complex and intergenerational trauma.

Touch Training For Trauma Therapists is an advanced somatic training developed by Kathy L. Kain, PhD, SEP. Physical contact can be a powerful therapeutic tool but must be used with care and skill. Coregulating Touch offers deep connection with the body and self, providing containment and facilitating awareness. This work has the potential to offer profound settling for the nervous system and a richer experience of embodiment.

Wheel of Consent for Touch Professionals was developed by Dr Betty Martin in order to clarify the elements of being in relationship with others and oneself. This elegant model is especially helpful for people who have experienced boundary ruptures, abuse, assault or confusion of roles. Through the practices of the Wheel, clients learn to notice, value, and communicate their needs, wishes, desires, limits & boundaries. These concepts can also be accessed without touch.

Movement For Trauma was developed by Jane Clapp, RP, in order to translate difficult-to-understand concepts like the neural states of Polyvagal Theory and dual awareness practices into direct experience. Embodiment and experiential learning are central to integrating the psychobiological concepts of somatic therapy. This work supports the development of personalized practices for shifting states and exploring awareness.

In addition to these trainings, I have had the great fortune to study Bartenieff Fundamentals, Laban Movement Analysis and Movement Repatterning with Helen Walkley, LMA, SME and Donna Redlick, CMA, SME. I have also been greatly influenced and deeply inspired by Body Mind Centering, Phenomenology and Buddhist Vipassana and Dzogchen meditation practices.