Somatic Therapy is a broad category that includes many different modalities and approaches. It can look different depending on the particular place, person and time. This is the nature and the beauty of somatic work - it is fluid and ever-changing like our bodies themselves are meant to be. It is emergent, and what arises depends upon the bodies present in any given situation. Together we practice observing and tracking the intelligence of our bodies. We learn to focus and move our attention to different aspects of our embodied experiences. We do not exclude the mind; rather, we hold the intention of integrating the experiences of the body and mind. As these aspects of ourselves become more available to us, we become more capable of navigating the world around us with ease. In our sessions together, you will be invited to practice resourced, radical inclusion of all that arises within you. You’ll cultivate the capacity to be present for the awe and beauty as well as the suffering and struggles in your life. You will learn to trust yourself, to understand the information that is coming your way, to tap into your innate capacity for wholeness. This is a practice for freedom - increasing your ability to choose your responses and reduce reactivity. We do this together, as our innate capacity for healing increases when we are witnessed and held with compassionate presence.
What does a session look like?
Somatic Therapy sessions with me can look different depending on your needs and desires. There will be invitations to work with the placement of your attention on things that feel good and, eventually, to more challenging things. There will be invitations to focus on feelings, to learn new language to describe feelings, to remember your first language - the language of movement and sensation. Memories may arise and become part of the exploration. However, we also needn’t purposefully dig into the past because all that we really need to know happens in the present moment. I may invite us to engage the breath, to take moments of stillness and to engage some movement. Gentle, slow movements can help us integrate information, uncover unconscious material and complete frozen responses. Postural awareness can help us create new possibilities for our nervous systems. I strongly value your consent in our work together, and I will not ask you to engage in anything that does not feel okay to you.
Does this work in an online setting?
Somatic therapy includes our felt-sense experiences, emotions, thoughts, memories, imagination and intuition. The treatment translates very well to an online setting because you have access to your body wherever you are. Many people find that doing this kind of work online provides elements of convenience and an experience of a greater sense of safety, which allows them to explore in-depth in ways that may be more challenging in a face to face setting. However, if you feel that working online is not the best option for you, I offer in-person sessions in Tucson, Arizona. I also offer two and three-day intensives for people who travel to Tucson from out of town.
How did I learn this practice?
My influences and education in the discipline of Somatic Therapy include Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing (certified), Andrea Juhan’s Therapy in Motion (certified), Sylvie Minot’s Syzygy (certified), Marion Gilbert’s Somatic Enneagram (student), Pat Ogdon’s Sensory Motor Psychotherapy (enthusiast), Neuro-Affective Relational Model (enthusiast), Aikido (enthusiast), and my life-long dance and moving mediation practices.
How can Somatic Therapy help you?
I have consistently witnessed somatic therapy’s efficacy for: reducing anxiety; reducing chronic stress, treating depression; addressing relationship struggles; boundary-setting; improving self-confidence; helping you to get un-stuck; supporting the processes of grief and loss; improving self-confidence; improving health and diet; cultivating financial success and much more.