WHY SOMATIC THERAPY?
AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR HEALING, FOCUS, EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, AND GROWTH
Book an Intro Session
”
My job as a practitioner is to hold the lantern as we go into the dark.
WHAT IS SOMATIC THERAPY?
When we have a goal to change something in our lives, a behaviour, a pattern or a feeling, often our mental attempts are inconsistent or unsuccessful. You might want to feel different, have more energy, attract a different type of partner, but you find yourself stuck in the same loop. This is because the majority of our thoughts and behaviour stem from subconscious or unconscious, not the mind. So trying to change from a mental level, becomes forceful and ineffective.
Somatic therapy is a healing modality that focuses on the subconscious and the connection between the mind and body. Our body holds the memories of our entire life. When we live disconnected from our bodies, in what is usually an attempt to avoid intense feelings, we are letting our survival mechanism dictate how we act.
Somatic therapy is rooted in working with the nervous system. To unwind the coils of stress, to calm the fear that’s stuck in the body, to move the emotions that didn’t get to express. Whether it’s due to positive or negative experiences all of our emotional and behavioural patterns are ingrained in the body. These patterns can also manifest as physical symptoms such as muscle tension, chronic pain, or difficulty regulating emotions.
BUT AM I TRAUMATISED?
Trauma has become a buzzword in the last few years, and actually it’s thanks to that that I came into this work. You might have heard terms like Big T and little t trauma. Big T trauma references a one-ff and usually very obviously harmful traumatic event such as an accident, sudden loss or abuse. Little t trauma is built through a consistent crossing on your boundaries or unhealthy behaviour. For example, a parent who generally took care of you (food/water/shelter) but wasn’t very intune to your emotional needs. This is little t trauma.
What I want to point to here is that no trauma is invalid, and the trauma in your body will likely sabotage your life on some level. You may feel like you ‘had a good life’, that doesn’t mean you haven’t experienced trauma.
HOW IS TRAUMA ‘IN’ THE BODY?
Every moment of our human experience is being processed through the body. It’s a brilliant system and an instrument with many ways of communicating with us, one being emotions. Emotions are the release of a chemical cocktail within the body and what we feel is the physical experience of the chemicals. When we experience something shocking and painful the body may go into a state of freeze to try and protect us from feeling the large chemical response which has been determined to be too painful. In this state of heightened arousal we become stuck, preventing the nervous system from fully processing and integrating the traumatic event. The ricochet of this unresolved trauma continues to play out as lingering side effects; chronic pain, disease, lack of motivation, insomnia, unhealthy relationship patterns, insecurity, low self worth, denial of emotions etc.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO RESOLVE?
As you’ve already guessed this work is largely dependent on the individual. While you can certainly experience progress in a single session, it’s common to work together for 12-24 sessions over 3-6 months.
WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENS IN THE SESSION?
I’d like to note that during my sessions somatic therapy is not the only tool I use. But in the case of somatic therapy as the chosen tool it can feel like a guided meditation. We start with breath to relax the body and move the mind towards a beta brainwave state. As a client you are always fully conscious and fully in control. We will explore sensations that are already alive within the body which might feel like warmth, buzzing, cold, tightness, pressure, etc. and then work with your body and mind to resolve an unhelpful pattern or belief system. You may be invited to move, stretch, make sound, breathe, or express verbally.
Integration of the healing is important, so you can also expect we will discuss strategies for moving forward after the session in order to maintain the results.
If you'd like to try, please book here.
IS IT FOR ME?
If you’d like to experience a different state of being, then it’s likely somatic therapy would be supportive.
If you’re feeling…
- Increased irritability or agitation
- Difficulty sleeping or insomnia
- Difficulty focusing or concentration
- Frustration in relationships
- Increased use of alcohol or drugs to cope with stress
- Withdrawal from social activities or relationships
- Difficulty feeling and holding success or positive emotions
- Negative self talk
- States of overwhelm or hopelessness
- Loss of interest in hobbies or activities
- Increased fatigue or tiredness
- Loss of appetite or overeating
…somatic therapy will be supportive.
When an individual is operating primarily from their head and their awareness is not in their body, it can manifest in a variety of ways. Some signs that you may be disconnected from their body include:
- Difficulty experiencing or expressing emotions: The individual may have trouble identifying or describing what they are feeling, or may seem emotionally detached or numb.
- Poor body image or self-esteem: The individual may have a negative perception of their own body or may be critical of their physical appearance.
- Difficulty with physical touch: The individual may avoid or be uncomfortable with physical touch, such as hugs or massages.
- Difficulty with mindfulness and present-moment awareness: The individual may have difficulty staying focused or present during meditation or other mindfulness practices.
- Difficulty with physical sensations: The individual may have trouble identifying or describing physical sensations in their body, such as hunger, pleasure or pain.
- Difficulty with physical coordination: The individual may have trouble with coordination or balance, or may feel clumsy.
- Difficulty with regulating physiological states: The individual may have trouble regulating their heart rate, breathing, or other physiological states.
NEXT STEPS
If you’d like to explore somatic therapy please don’t hesitate to contact me, you can email or book a call through that page.
Chat soon,
-Jo
CONTACT
Fill out the form with any questions, I look forward to hearing from you.
