Within Somatic Therapy our focus is on what is present within the body. We are a body based therapy. We work directly with the sensations that the body has rather than trying to talk our way through any issues. Very often reasoning and logic from the thinking mind fall short because the body holds very powerful responses to distress and issues within life. In doing so we can discharge pent up emotions or feelings within our body and in doing so resolve issues that we have been holding onto. We become less reactive to issues in daily life, and feel more grounded and resilient in the process.

Within a session, you may want to share a life experience that is causing a challenge or problem or is a cause of distress. Or, you may wish to share a feeling, a tension or issue within the physical body. As a SomaSoul® Somatic therapist I have a range of tools to use with you in a somatic way (working through the sensations held in the body) to help you navigate the issues you have.

Through this process you gain a more intimate connection to your emotional and physical body as well as wisdom and insights.

Through the somatic processes of Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy I help you relate to your emotions in a mindful, body centered and compassionate way.

Our body based therapy is the work of my teacher and mentor Daniel Leven who has over 40 years of experience in expressive movement, somatic psychotherapy, dance therapy and neuroscience.

Soma Soul® draws upon the expressive arts processes of Anna Halprin, the work of Laban Movement Analysis, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Gestalt Psychotherapy and the groundbreaking Polyvagal Theory of Stephen Porges that was developed by Deb Dana.

Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy is an internationally recognised Somatic Theraoy and is an ISMETA regulated form of body centered somatic therapy work.

Our emotional body is contained within our physical body. Visceral feelings and reactions (viscera means organs) are at the core of our emotional experience.

Our emotions live in our hearts, our lungs, our guts! For instance our heartbreaks, heavy hearts, lightheartedness, gut feelings and gut instincts, even the ability to stomach the criticism someone delivers to us are examples of this.

Our muscles may tighten against or collapse around feelings that emerge from our visceral experience as ways of self-protection.

Our nervous and muscular systems have learned this primitive support process because, in our formative years, we may have experienced a lack of attunement and support for our emotions  from our families of origin and within our culture. 

Within the field of Somatic Therapy and Somatic Psychotherapy we believe that issues are caused by a rupture between the body and the mind. Our mind can be aware of many things but unless we bring the body along with us we can stay stuck in the same issue that can cause havoc not only within current time, but can become a repeating pattern of behaviour. Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy brings us back into an integrated whole so we can discover that we do not have to relate from our emotions but we can be in relationship with our emotions and act from a grounded and compassionate place.

Whilst our work is framed by Gestalt Therapy - the work of Fritz and Laura Perls, Soma Soul® Somatic Therapists are not psychotherapists but therpists that work through the body and it’s responses, to provide integration of body, mind and psyche.

Yes!

Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy directly works with your nervous system.

Nervous system regulation is currently very popular and you will often see lots written about regulating the nervous system for your holistic wellbeing.

All events in life impact our nervous system in different ways.

When a stressful event happens the nervous system records and store this information in different kinds of responses - freeze, flight or fight are some responses you may have heard of. It is stored in a different way to how we store memories generally and it shows up in the body long after the event happened and regardless of what we can remember.

As a SomaSoul® Somatic Therapist I help you to open your own window to your wellbeing and develop grater capacity for your nervous system to move in and out of different kinds of experiences and emotions we have in life.

That may mean working with you in session to contain and develop capacity to tolerate emotions that are challenging. Or we may work together to try and complete a stress response cycle, leading your body towards a sense of safety and connection. It may also mean working with you hold experiences of joy! Therapy is always a journey of different emotions!

You may also have some practices outside of sessions to do, some may involve movement, sound, reflective journalling, or involving porcessing using our somatic arts process (no art skills required!). All are designed to help you self regulate your own nervous system and develop a window of wellbeing outside of sessions.