Soma means body, somatic psychotherapy refers to body-based, mental health treatment. There are countless and increasing approaches to somatic psychotherapy and as these approaches become more popular somatic techniques are being integrated into modalities that didn't previously have a somatic component! My approach to somatic work comes from a trauma, sensitive and nervous system informed lens. There's an acknowledgment that trauma and chronic stress negatively impact one's ability to be connected with and feel their body. So I intentionally don't make assumptions about what might feel" good” or relaxing under and understand that those experiences may not be accessible to everyone at the outset of treatment. Understanding our nervous system is crucial to somatic work and includes both understanding human nervous systems in general and our unique responses in particular. This gives us a common language for understanding your nervous system, your body's responses and how you might want to help your nervous system heal and evolve. 

 

Evolving our nervous systems to include more experiences of connection, pleasure and ease can be done through mindfulness practices - breathing and/or moving the body and building the skills of non-judgmental self-observation. 

 

I help people practice mindfulness through chair-based breathing and stretching and guided visualizations. If appropriate, I also use walk and talk, creative rituals, art and dance as well. 

 

Research suggests that engaging in mindfulness-based activities creates the potential to change habitual patterns, activating different areas of the brain and fostering neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to rewire itself. Through practice, we can shift from rigid ways of thinking to more expansive, adaptive perspectives, making it easier to release limiting beliefs and embrace new possibilities.