Relational Somatic Therapy
Relational Somatic Therapy focuses on your body at the centre of the healing process. "Somatic" comes from the root word soma, meaning "the body experienced from within." Through guided observation of sensations, feelings, and movement impulses, you are encouraged to kindly and mindfully listen to your body, to slow down, witness, and study your body's responses. This work is informed by leading edge research in the fields of attachment theory, trauma resolution, and neuroscience. Relational Somatic Therapy connects mind, body, and spirit through studying the body experience.
Your body is the holder of all information, both past and present. Trauma, whether large or small, is held in your physical body. For example, when you feel anxiety or fear, you may experience increased heart rate, shallow breathing, and muscle tension. It is your nervous system responding to a threat, preparing for fight or flight. Later, even though your mind knows that you are safe and no longer in danger, your nervous system may still be stuck in that old survival mechanism. In a Relational Somatic Therapy session, we focus on the body experience to release that unnecessary tension, which allows your nervous system to relax, building resilience. It is never too late for you to heal, even decades later.
We cannot change the past, but we can change how our body holds it.
Studies prove that our early childhood experiences create a blueprint for how relationships work and this influences how we form future relationships. Through Relational Somatic Therapy, we can perceive new information about our relationships, integrate, and deepen a sense of well-being. This type of therapy bypasses your mind's tendency to overanalyze and focuses on your real, lived experience of the body. This opens up new choices for you and empowers you to make the changes that you want in your life. I am currently doing professional intensive Relational Somatic Therapy training with Opening to Grace and I am passionate about this highly effective approach to healing and transformation.