What is Somatics?
Soma is the Greek word for body. The study of somatics considers the way we experience our own body from our subjective experience. In the context of therapy, awareness of our bodies can give us a wider view of what's going on. In addition to thoughts and feelings, all of our experiences have a physiological component. For instance, when angry or afraid, we may notice tingling, or tightness, changes in heart rate or breathing. Including our body's process looks at a more holistic picture of the changes we want to make.
Our bodies have a built in system (in our nervous system) that can organically get through and bounce back from challenging experiences. Often times, people come into therapy when there is a disruption in that system. Working on the level of the body can access our primal ability to process through stressors and come back to baseline.
Why include somatics in therapy?
Bringing awareness to our bodies’ experience can give us more information. Doing so means we have more agency and choice around our reactions to a situation rather than using outdated habits or coping strategies.
What does this look like in a session?
Every session is unique and tailored to individual needs. In addition to talking, a session can also include body awareness, movement, and breath work in order to access deeper layers of emotions and patterns.
What is Contemporary Reichian Therapy?
I have an extensive four-year, specialized training in Contemporary Reichian Therapy, also known as Orgone Therapy. Based on the work of Wilhelm Reich, this somatic orientation works with underlying emotional patterns and learned responses that limit our vitality. Symptoms are usually part of patterned responses that were once used to survive, but have now become outdated. Through experiential somatic work, we can begin to look at more sustainable ways of being.
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