Take Your Healing to the Next Level by Connecting Mind and Body
Somatic Processing/Somatic Trauma Resolution
In 1997 Peter Levine created the SP/STR model, his path of discovery is outlined in his amazing books Waking the tiger: Healing Trauma and In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness. Dr. Levine found that there was a strong disconnect between the ways in which animals experience trauma and its after effects and the ways in which humans experience it. He discovered just how disconnected humans are from listening to the body.
Our bodies were built to relay messages to us, and for a very long time we have actively ignored these signals. Obviously when you put your hand on the hot stove you hear the shouting of “OW!” from your body. But what about the subtle “I don’t feel safe with this person” signal. Or the “maybe I should slow down” signal. Or the very important “But, that’s not who I am” signal.
I guide clients back home to the body. SP/STR is talk therapy for the body. I guide clients to better learn how to take care of themselves. I see that it is my job to give my clients tools and teach them how to use them. I don't plan to see clients for years on end. I am here to support my clients as they move further toward the path of healing. I usually request that clients schedule weekly sessions for 6 week or so, after the 6 weeks we can reassess the clients need and schedule accordingly.
What to expect: clients can expect to sit in a comfortable chair (or lay on blankets on the floor if that’s what their body needs) and just have a conversation.
The first session is really about getting to know each other and setting up what is called a resource. Your smart, healthy brain is so good at protecting you that it is hardwired to seek out what is wrong. While this amazing ability has kept our species safe for so long, it is also a little overkill. We don’t have to be worried about an animal attacking us as we return to our cave, but our brain still thinks it does. So it is on high alert for anything that is wrong.
Our bodies were built to relay messages to us, and for a very long time we have actively ignored these signals. Obviously when you put your hand on the hot stove you hear the shouting of “OW!” from your body. But what about the subtle “I don’t feel safe with this person” signal. Or the “maybe I should slow down” signal. Or the very important “But, that’s not who I am” signal.
I guide clients back home to the body. SP/STR is talk therapy for the body. I guide clients to better learn how to take care of themselves. I see that it is my job to give my clients tools and teach them how to use them. I don't plan to see clients for years on end. I am here to support my clients as they move further toward the path of healing. I usually request that clients schedule weekly sessions for 6 week or so, after the 6 weeks we can reassess the clients need and schedule accordingly.
What to expect: clients can expect to sit in a comfortable chair (or lay on blankets on the floor if that’s what their body needs) and just have a conversation.
The first session is really about getting to know each other and setting up what is called a resource. Your smart, healthy brain is so good at protecting you that it is hardwired to seek out what is wrong. While this amazing ability has kept our species safe for so long, it is also a little overkill. We don’t have to be worried about an animal attacking us as we return to our cave, but our brain still thinks it does. So it is on high alert for anything that is wrong.
|
|
Building a resource focuses on what’s 'right'. I ask clients to tell me a story about a time when they felt safe, joyful, happy, accomplished, content or at peace. These stories range from climbing a mountain to the courage it took to return a troubling phone call. As the client tells me their story I have them momentarily check in with their body to see what it’s saying. For example: One of my personal resources is my oldest child. When I'm thinking of a particular moment with this sweet child, my chest feels warm and tingly, with a white light (think Ironman) that shines out through me. This feeling is so powerful for me that I’ve called upon it when I feel nervous or doubt my abilities.
After the first session we do what I call unpacking. We all carry around baggage from our life experiences. The body doesn’t want to carry bags for all of its days, nor should it have to. So we slowly, deliberately unpack the different bags a client brings with them. Depending on the baggage it may take just one session to get through one, or it may take months of chipping away at this bag to get to the end. Turning toward health becomes an easier choice when we aren’t on high alert for danger, or when we stop carrying around so much stuff.
Another aspect we examine is the idea of re-enactment and the roles we expect in life. For instance, if you were raised in a family that was highly expressive and emotional you will unconsciously seek out people that hold similar personality expression. We go with what we know. This is fine if these types of people are healthy for you. However, what we usually find is that the body has a strong reaction (anxiety, depression, upset stomach, etc) to these old patterns. We work through the old need for the re-enactment and then together create a new rule for the clients life.
After the first session we do what I call unpacking. We all carry around baggage from our life experiences. The body doesn’t want to carry bags for all of its days, nor should it have to. So we slowly, deliberately unpack the different bags a client brings with them. Depending on the baggage it may take just one session to get through one, or it may take months of chipping away at this bag to get to the end. Turning toward health becomes an easier choice when we aren’t on high alert for danger, or when we stop carrying around so much stuff.
Another aspect we examine is the idea of re-enactment and the roles we expect in life. For instance, if you were raised in a family that was highly expressive and emotional you will unconsciously seek out people that hold similar personality expression. We go with what we know. This is fine if these types of people are healthy for you. However, what we usually find is that the body has a strong reaction (anxiety, depression, upset stomach, etc) to these old patterns. We work through the old need for the re-enactment and then together create a new rule for the clients life.
|
|
The other big bag I see often is physical injury. Your body remembers and is always trying to protect you. The body doesn’t tell time though. If you suffered from a car accident when you were 19, your body doesn’t know that you are now 40. For the body it is trying hard to protect you from another car accident. Again, we go with what we know which means your smart, healthy body is on high alert for anything that resembles the original injury. So if you were hit on the left side by a white van while coming down a hill in the rain your body is going to protect you for each of those indicators. The left side of your body will be bracing, which might mean that you are more tension or a blind spot on that side.
Your body may also tense or cause panic anytime you drive in the rain or are coming down a hill. Your breath might catch any time there is a white vehicle near you. You can see how one injury can cause a cascade of events for the body. No wonder we are all so stressed out. We handle unpacking this bag in the office by revisiting what happened before the accident and then directly after. STR research shows that revisiting the point of impact can actually re-traumatize the body, flooding it with adrenaline and cortisol which causes more panic, this cycle is then repeated in a feedback loop. I help the client realign to safety and clear the original injury.
The last big bag is one of the most important to me, and that is the view of the self. I have watched countless lives being wasted on self-loathing, self-contempt, self-hatred, very anti-self all around. Realigning with the truth of the miracle of your life and the wondorousness of who you are is the greatest gift I can give my clients. This looks different for each client and what they need. I meet you where you are and encourage you to bloom where you are planted.
Your body may also tense or cause panic anytime you drive in the rain or are coming down a hill. Your breath might catch any time there is a white vehicle near you. You can see how one injury can cause a cascade of events for the body. No wonder we are all so stressed out. We handle unpacking this bag in the office by revisiting what happened before the accident and then directly after. STR research shows that revisiting the point of impact can actually re-traumatize the body, flooding it with adrenaline and cortisol which causes more panic, this cycle is then repeated in a feedback loop. I help the client realign to safety and clear the original injury.
The last big bag is one of the most important to me, and that is the view of the self. I have watched countless lives being wasted on self-loathing, self-contempt, self-hatred, very anti-self all around. Realigning with the truth of the miracle of your life and the wondorousness of who you are is the greatest gift I can give my clients. This looks different for each client and what they need. I meet you where you are and encourage you to bloom where you are planted.
|
|
Each session will include discussion but may also include some imagery, repetition of a certain phrase, physical movement, etc. Whatever will best suite the client is what we will work with. This is not traditional talk therapy though. I don’t have a couch and will not be examining your Freudian conclusion.
A note of caution: I am not trained to handle major mental health issues. If you know that you suffer from manic depressive disorder, dissociative identity disorder, or schizophrenia I may not be able to help you. I can support you in conjunction with another health care professional, but I am not a psychologist or a psychiatrist.
Payment Options: Paypal, Square, Venmo, AppleCash or Cash
A note of caution: I am not trained to handle major mental health issues. If you know that you suffer from manic depressive disorder, dissociative identity disorder, or schizophrenia I may not be able to help you. I can support you in conjunction with another health care professional, but I am not a psychologist or a psychiatrist.
Payment Options: Paypal, Square, Venmo, AppleCash or Cash