What is Somatic Therapy?
Have you ever felt like your body was trying to tell you something? Have you ever felt butterflies in your stomach or broken-hearted? Terms like these point to a deeper understanding that our emotions live in our bodies and can be felt on a physical, as well as emotional, level.
Our bodies are talking to us all the time. We don’t always know how to listen or how to speak the language. Our bodies speak with emotions, symptoms and physical sensations. They don’t send us an email. Part of what I do is guide you to listen in a deeper way to the messages that are already being expressed. These may be occurring in the background, below a conscious level of awareness.
One way to listen to our bodies is
to draw what we feel. In this example, I
use colors, lines, and shapes to represent the felt sense of my body. It can be on an emotional, physical or energetic level.
Read more about this process in my blog: Using the Expressive Arts to Explore What You Are Feeling.
Somatic Therapy can help with:
Anxiety
Stress
Depression
Grief/Loss
Life Transitions
Exploring Meaning & Your Life’s Purpose
Personal Growth
Unresolved Childhood Wounds or Trauma
Generational Trauma
Challenges Related to Physical Pain/Illness
Relationship Challenges
Healing Emotional Pain on a Body Level
Somatic Therapy incorporates mindfulness, body awareness, and spirituality. It includes accessing your intuitive, creative and nonlinear right brain. This video is a brief description of how I use somatic therapy as part of the healing work I do with clients.
Questions?
What does a typical session look like?
While each session is unique, there are several techniques and tools that I may invite you to try. For example, I might ask you to pause and notice what you feel in your body throughout the session. This is an important starting point to developing body awareness and noticing how your thoughts and emotions are connected to physical and energetic sensations. Additionally, I often use mindfulness practices and the expressive arts, such as drawing. Another technique I use is imagery. All sessions are 50 minutes unless otherwise arranged.
How can you do Somatic Therapy over the phone or video?
We do not need to be in the same room in order to do therapeutic, healing work. Oftentimes, I am inviting you to relate to your inner experience (your emotions or felt senses), which you can do wherever you are. This work is partly about you connecting more deeply to yourself. Another part is knowing you are not alone. Perhaps you have had the experience of feeling really held, seen or connected to another person when talking on the phone. I trust there can be meaningful connection that happens even when we are not in the same physical space. If you have specific concerns or questions, feel free to contact me.
How much is a session? Do you accept insurance?
Contact me for current rates. Please note that I do not accept insurance. One way to think about somatic therapy is as an investment in your emotional and physical well-being. Similar to committing to going to the gym or taking a weekly yoga class, focusing on your mental health and wellness can have short- and long-term benefits, especially if you have a history of trauma. Let me know if you are experiencing financial hardship and want to discuss a low-fee option.
Next Steps
Contact me with any questions. I do my best to respond within 24 hours and would be happy to hear from you.
Ready to set up an appointment? Contact me for a free, 15-minute phone consultation. This initial phone call is a no pressure way for us both to get a sense of whether we might work well together.
Curious about somatic therapy but not yet ready to take the next step? Consider signing up for my newsletter (on the bottom on my contact page). You will receive occasional updates (typically less than once per month) and can get to know me better through my mindfulness videos and writing.