Somatic Therapy Training
A breathing exercise can become famous rather quickly. The evidence usually travels more slowly, carrying several qualifications and an inconvenient amount of small print. Physiological sigh research is often discussed as though it proves that one double inhale can switch…
You realise you are thirsty, notice your stomach feels full, or become aware that your heart is beating faster. These everyday experiences offer a way into interoception: the processes involved in sensing and making sense of signals from within the…
An ordinary reach can happen so quickly that you barely notice it. Your hand arrives at the cup, your shoulders join in, and the whole committee has made a decision before you were invited to the meeting. A slow movement…
A quiet room can be lovely. It cannot tell you whether the person sitting in it feels comfortable, understands what will happen or knows how to say no. Creating safety in a somatic session begins with those practical questions, not…
You are asked how you feel, and the answer does not arrive. Perhaps the day has been too much. Perhaps you feel far away, flat or unable to engage. Even choosing what to do next may feel like another request…
Some days everything feels turned up: the noise, the urgency, the speed of your thoughts. Other days it is hard to find a feeling, finish a sentence or begin an ordinary task. Hyperarousal and hypoarousal are terms used to describe…
Sometimes a hand resting on a sleeve feels ordinary and reassuring. Sometimes it feels awkward. Sometimes you would much rather leave your body alone and look out of the window. Somatic self-contact begins by making room for all three possibilities.…
You may notice that your shoulders have climbed a little, your answers are arriving faster, or the background conversation suddenly feels louder than it did ten minutes ago. These small changes can be useful information. They do not come with…
There is a particular kind of frustration in trying to relax while keeping up with a breathing timer. The circle expands, you run out of breath, and now you are stressed about being bad at breathing. Coherent breathing is better…
A racing mind can make even a quiet room feel busy. One thought opens another, which opens six more, and suddenly you are holding a committee meeting about something that has not happened. Telling yourself to stop thinking often adds…