What is Somatic Therapy?
How does it
Differ from talk therapy?
Somatic therapy differs from traditional talk therapy in that it involves awareness of and processing through the body.For example in a typical talk therapy session for anxiety, the things that you are anxious about would be discussed with the hope of getting you some understanding, insight, or to challenge your irrational thoughts. This differs from somatic therapy for anxiety, in which we do discuss what you are feeling anxious about, but then we also get curious about how anxiety feels in your body and if we can shift that feeling. With anxiety you might notice the shallowness of your breathing or the tightness in your shoulders or jaw. We would then work with those bodily sensations to see if we can get you some of the relief that you are looking for. By working directly with your body, sensations, and emotions, we work at a deeper level of processing than talk alone can provide.
What are the
Stages of Somatic Therapy?
While each session is organic and tailored to you and your needs, there is a typical sequence to the somatic therapy that I provide.
The first stage involves a number of different focuses in order to set powerful foundations for your healing. As we develop understanding and connection between us, we also find ways for you to manage anxiety and to expand your awareness of body sensations. I encourage you in developing healthy boundaries and assertiveness and go through practical exercises for this.
Also in this first stage we start to examine which emotions you are comfortable with, and which emotions you have learned to suppress. Most people suppress either anger or vulnerable feelings, and sometimes both. We then work together to give you practical ways to safely and effectively feel and process your feelings.
Once these foundations are established we can effectively process whatever traumatic memories you have. These might be specific events that happened to you, or they might be the difficult themes that happened in your key relationships.
Many people struggle with low self-esteem, yet in this final stage of the therapy we can effectively transform this. Low self-esteem is often a response to early life trauma or neglect, but this can be unlearned through the right therapeutic process.
The length of therapy is unique to the individual because each person’s goals, trauma history, openness to the therapy, and level of dissociation from their body and emotions is unique.
What Therapy Approaches
Comprise Somatic Therapy?
The Somatic Therapy that I practise is a blend of several different therapy approaches. I utilize Somatic Experiencing, Bodynamic Developmental Psychology, Experiential Psychodynamic Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and
Applied Neuroscience to effectively get you the results you want.
Somatic Experiencing
Works directly with your nervous system to transform anxiety, a stuck fight-flight-freeze response, and reprocess traumatic events.
Experiential Psychodynamic Therapy
Knows that the key to transformation is the experiencing of formerly repressed emotions. Helps us to find the right balance of support and challenge for you to optimally grow.
Bodynamic Developmental Psychology
Provides a roadmap for the developmental stages that children go through, and how this impacts us in our psychology, personality, and relationship patterns.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
An Effective method for helping you to deeply process key memories and themes.
Applied Neuroscience
Bringing neuroscience into action, we can transform even the most painful and enduring traumatic memories. Research has shown that there is a specific method to effectively help the brain to transform negative emotional and traumatic memories. “(Ecker et al. (2012). Unlocking the emotional brain: eliminating symptoms at their roots using memory reconsolidation.)
Blog Posts
MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy
A very powerful form of therapy is being developed for PTSD. It combines intensive somatic therapy with a medicine called MDMA.