Somatic Psychotherapy

Soma is a Greek word meaning "the living body". Somatic Therapy interweaves body awareness with traditional talk therapy. 

Somatic psychotherapy is grounded in the belief that psyche and soma form a single holistic entity, the bodymind. Thought, emotion and bodily experience are understood as inter-functioning aspects of the person's whole being.

 As well as working verbally in the relationship with the client, somatic psychotherapists are trained to engage directly with the client's dynamic bodily experience. This includes patterns of breathing, posture, sensation and movement, and also working with body image, metaphor and through touch when appropriate.

Why would I choose to work with a therapist?

Psychotherapy provides conditions of empathy, acceptance and mindfulness so that people can grow and develop in ways which may not have been possible earlier in their lives.

 Sessions help to soothe anger and distress, celebrate joys and achievements, unravel shame, make space for grief, help build tolerance for changing states of being, enhance resilience and the ability to trust and engage with others. 

What specific issues can I work through?

Anything that causes you stress. Life has its ups and downs and we can all benefit from some trained support. Topics for attention may include difficulties at work, in relationships, in parenting, in achieving one's goals or in repetitive painful states such as depression, anxiety, confusion, negative feelings or low self esteem.

The safety of the therapeutic relationship can allow one to explore and unravel old patterns of feeling, thinking and behaving and to find new meanings and action in the world. 

Why the emphasis on bodywork?





Body-oriented psychotherapy can be used to improve body sensing, relieve stress, balance the nervous system, mobilise posture, explore patterns of contraction and expansion and develop a sense of vitality and aliveness and movement. This approach can help deepen a sense of connection to oneself and to others. 

Having A Somatic Psychotherapist, who has gone through their own therapy and spent many years on developing such a solid connection to their own bodymind is a great starting point.

The more we become familiar with how our body can help us in times of high stress and crisis, the more we can stabilise our selves in an easier way of doing life. 

We start to get clearer around what we are wanting and ways of expressing what we need. 

All the time cultivating a happier way of being in the world.