SOMATIC TRAUMA RELEASE
Somatic Trauma Release is an opportunity for your system to release long-held trauma in a safe and gentle way.
When I first started practicing therapeutic bodywork, I had clients who would re-experience traumatic events from their past during their session. It seemed to me that the physical body was holding on to the memories of those events. Obviously, my work was bringing those clients to the state of catharsis but at the time I could not help them reach a resolution for those issues.
A few years later, I was introduced, and experienced first hand, a method created by Dr. Peter Levine known as Somatic Trauma Experience©. The profound healing effect it had on me inspired me to learn this technique so that I could use it in my own practice. I immediately enrolled in the Somatic Institute of Los Angeles. During this time, I saw how trauma affects our lives and physical bodies on every level. Traumatic events create their own energetic and cognitive blueprint in our physical body and nervous system which affects our perception of events, people and ourselves. Dr. Levine calls those "fixed meanings".
As a result, we tend to bury the part of us that is alive, sensitive and vulnerable deep within us. This process of self-suppression requires a tremendous amount of energy. After a somatic session, clients often experience a rush of energy, and become talkative and really eager to engage in social interaction. To me, this process is similar to the one a tree undergoes when it's old bark peels off, exposing a fresh, vibrant new layer.
The techniques I’ve learned are a powerful combination of the work of Dr. Peter Levine and the revolutionary points-holding process created by Dr. Sir John Whitman Ray. Dr. Ray’s technique consists of discovering points in the physical body associated with trauma. Holding these points in a specific order bypasses the natural resistance when it comes to releasing that trauma. It is a powerful addition to the whole somatic process. I continue my studies in this field and have had the opportunity to participate in several workshops with Dr. Levine.
These techniques have been a great addition to the therapeutic body work I do and allow me to help my clients resolve their traumas on multiple levels.