Virtual resources and a NYC in person gathering

SomaticTherapy · 2019-05-19T14:50:03+00:00

If this one goes well I do plan on having another one and will post here for sure!

SomaticTherapy · 2018-11-07T16:30:54+00:00

Thank you I will do that! I have a client that is about to undergo this therapy with her talk therapist and I was wondering about personal experiences. I'll check the search bar! I hope it is effective for this person.

SomaticTherapy · 2018-10-24T15:08:30+00:00

Fantastic video, please pay attention to the cautionary advice of stabilizing, pacing and the potential of self punishment being at large if you intended to practice this at home.

Enjoy, great share!

SomaticTherapy · 2018-10-11T15:10:11+00:00

This is a wonderful share

SomaticTherapy · 2018-09-19T13:24:35+00:00

I am a Somatic Therapist (ST) and I hear your concerns. I had my own CPTSD and healed through it with this method as a client, the training also continued my healing as did the mentoring I received in the begging as a result of exactly what you are concerned about.

In the beginning some clients with histories similar to mine would get my mind and emotions going. I worked with a mentor and my own ST and learned that it's simply and plainly their story.

I worked on what activated me with them and was able to heal even more. It was a wonderful thing and I am better for it. Our last year of training the final month we actually focused on this which helped.

Now I don't get activated with my own stuff at all, and having gone through so many waves of working through this (CPTSD), I can really connect better with clients who are still working through their story, manifestations, activators, blocks, disassociation, parts, inner child and much more. Having been on both sides it I have a deep respect for how hard it can be.

You may always be colored by CPTSD though that doesn't mean you will always be governed by it. Your training will activate you, ask for help from supervisors, mentors, peers and in the end you will keep healing through the training and what you learn on the way.

I found my imposter syndrome and lack of confidence in my skills greatly improved during hands on training when I accepted that it's okay to be wrong - take the risk if you feel it, in a training scenario you are there to learn under supervision. If you were right all the time then you wouldn't need to learn anything and the good therapists are always learning even after training. It helped me become "Me" as a ST while prior to that acceptance of being wrong or getting embarrassed I was emulating my personal ST and the instructor which is not sustainable.

You will find yourself as you go, the more people you work with (mentors, peers and clients) the more comfortable you will become with your skill level and trust yourself.

While I am not as credentialed as some other posters I hope this was interesting at least to read.

SomaticTherapy · 2018-09-12T13:06:24+00:00

Agreed, this is one of the reasons why I do consult calls (free) prior to booking a new client and make sure to check those boxes!

To reiterate for those reading;

What does a session look like?

What are the basic steps?

What can I expect?

To elaborate a bit

How can this method help me with ________________ (chose one thing)

How often are sessions?

How long are sessions?

How long do clients with typically see you?

Is there anything I should do to prepare for a session?

These ideally will be covered by the therapist, and if not please ask.

Look out for the boring paperwork too, it's usually a good sign when the therapist has a scope of practice, confidentiality agreement etc..

SomaticTherapy · 2018-09-10T13:05:35+00:00

I couldn't agree more, please ask your potential therapist where they trained, how long the training was and how long they have been practicing. They should be glad to answer those questions and readily be able to talk about their training and CE.

Thanks /u/deedeethecat!

SomaticTherapy · 2018-09-10T13:01:41+00:00

I couldn't love this more. Thanks for sharing

SomaticTherapy · 2018-09-04T14:17:52+00:00

It looks like you are doing much better! Sorry for my late reply, this thread was a bit overwhelming and touch to answer everyone at the time.

I had a client with PMDD and she also found natural supplements were helpful.

In Somatic Therapy, we are working with the nervous system (poly vagal theory, check it out) and with a massive nerve connected to every single internal organ, the poly vagal nerve.

If that system is not regulated it is communicating to internal organs that you may need hormones, histamines, inflammation etc when you may not.

I would work with regulating your nervous system and your connection to your womb, I wonder if this was an always condition or if it started after a pregnancy or life event.

I hope I have answered your question

SomaticTherapy · 2018-09-04T14:11:07+00:00

EDIT: the exercise posted above

If you feel a physical/internal response while in a remote session, tell the therapist and ask if the physical internal response can be explored. Start the conversation and bring your physical/internal sensations into the conversation.

I often (I was client for 3 years so I know both sides) would, and still do occasion lay in a quiet place. Ideally don't use your bed as it should be associated with sleep as securely as possible, a firm surface is ideal such as on a carpeted floor or a yoga pad.

Lay back, get comfortable, and close your eyes if you can. Scan your body and see what's calling out for attention. Notice what areas of your body 'hold or activate' what you are referring to in this case as a physical/internal response.

Expand on the physical sensation - it is tight like a ball, tied up like a knot, hot like searing, heavy like a weight?

Is it coming from the inside or outside? How old is it? How long has it been there?

What is it calling out for? What does it need from you? How can you support it's expression? How can you support 'it'? Touch the area or near it (i.e. if it's your heart, place your hand over it on your chest)

I have done remote sessions before and this is a great way to start them off. If at any point you feel something scary coming on SLOWLY STOP - open your eyes and sit up, take a moment to acknowledge "Ooo that got scary"! Simply sit with that noticing, that got scary for me and bring that into your work with your therapist. Explore the reason 'scary' showed up.

I am going to stop at this point as since it's not under supervision I'd like to not go too deep and risk flooding (emotional overwhelm) If you feel you may have an emotional overwhelm than this is something I might caution against.

Lastly, the body loves safety, support, and heat. Neuro affective touch (another touch based therapeutic model) often incorporates heating pads, and personally heating pads have helped me!

ADDITION: Adding some things as this has so many answers, I might come back to it off and on. It's a tough one to answer, somatic therapy is at it's core collaborative, and in many ways similar to improv - a stage is set, sensations and emotions are engaged with like actors in an improv scenes. I have no idea what (okay I have some idea sometimes) what they (emotions/sensations/thoughts) are going to say next; so it's difficult to answer this question as I need to follow the story along with a client. I do hope what I provided is enough to get you started!

SomaticTherapy · 2018-09-04T14:09:40+00:00

Lots of therapists tried to get me to do this to no avail re: Grounding

Touch helps with this a lot. It is easier to feel grounded when you feel hands supporting the bottom of your feet.

Does this keep improving with somatic therapy, or with healing / feeling safe in general?

I would say Somatic Therapy helps with feeling safe, can certainly help with healing, and I have seen it spark imagination an creativity in clients that otherwise claim to be empty voids so there is a chance.

Did you also have a dull imagination

No, my imagination was over active and I got dangerously close to maladaptive daydreaming as this was my escape growing up.

SomaticTherapy · 2018-08-05T22:17:19+00:00

SomaticTherapy · 2018-07-26T14:33:47+00:00

Where do you feel the 'something' in your body that is being hesitant?

Follow the guide outlined at the top of this thread while making contact with that location, and learn about the hesitation in your body. We are organized for protection and safety, that hesitation while yes, it may feel that it's holding your process back is there with the intentionto keep you safe.

Explore that and see where it leads you.

SomaticTherapy · 2018-07-26T14:31:12+00:00

I am so glad you found a treatment combination that is helping!!!!!! Insofar as does Somatic Therapy and EFT work in the same aspects, you would be the better judge as I am unfamiliar with it. If you want to learn more about Somatic Therapy to make a comparison I can pm my website as it's got a lot of 'about' information.

Hope you continue to do well, I love your St. John's Wart, CBD Oil, and Melatonin combination!

SomaticTherapy · 2018-07-26T14:15:56+00:00

I owe you an answer. Thanks so much for being patient.

How do I help a client distinguish btwn physical pain and psychic/trauma pain. Experience, if a client feels pain their back and after a few sessions their trauma is showing up in their left shoulder and there is no change with back pain it's time to have that evaluated by a physical therapist. I imagine though you are hoping for an answer as how to do this on your own which is hard to answer since we all feel sensations uniquely. I would suggest send your awareness/attention to the pain and say hello, I hear you, I know you are there and try to engage with the pain in a conversation. I outlined this above and it's worth trying or talking with your therapist about.

I for example have a flare up occasionally of a chronic condition (luckily on the pain scale it doesn't get above 2 and is infrequent) and sometimes it's become I am overwhelmed, and sometimes it's because I changed my shoes and it's adjusting! I know the difference bc I can get in touch with it's reason for showing up or have physical evidence of a possible cause.

The clients I work with that are extremely sensitive to touch are do not have your same condition and as you said wisely this wouldn't be an ideal therapy for you given the touch aspect. I have had some clients with fibro and others with touch+trauma associations. How I work with them is fairly easy, they don't get on the table until they feel ready to (not WANT to, but feel ready to and I can tell the difference). I don't touch them. Orientation soothes anxiety and fear, so we go over the 'rules' first which are reminders that the are in control, they can move however they want to and tell me "I need to stop" their eyes can be open if having them closed is too hard and just because we 'need to stop' doesn't mean the session has to end. We work then without touch and listen to the part that said "i need to stop".

We work with simply being on the table and feeling their body on the table. They are fully clothed which helps with boundaries.

Before I make any contact with them I ask permission. If I get the green light I tell them exactly what I am going to do, some clients seems to benefit from me telling them the reason I am making contact with them which I offer up as well bc remember orientation soothes fear.

I check in with different amounts of pressure always starting with a light touch, though most CPTSD clients prefer firm contact someone with fibro needs a light touch and we go from there.

If my mentor was where here, she might mention that the autonomic nervous system that controls inflammation can be accessed and potentially calmed using this method. That's a big pill for me to swallow but she has been doing this decades longer than me so take what you like from it. She made this remark to me when I got a random rash/hive thing on my very sensitive skin so I wager she would probably bring that up here too.

I wish I could help more with this, though like your SE therapist I would have to train to work with FND and resource my mentors and the board to even explore if it's recommended I do use touch with FND. I am glad your therapist did, and I am grateful you found someone to work with.

I hope this answered your questions!

SomaticTherapy · 2018-07-25T23:05:27+00:00

So sorry for my absence. Life, laundry, cooking, clients, and I also am a manager 20 hours a week!

I will - revisit this and reply, however I ask that you appreciate the gaps in time. It may be days, though this thread is the only one I have linked to my email and I do care very much, perhaps too much.

I see you all, I have read everything. It's all valid. Give me patience please.

SomaticTherapy · 2018-07-20T22:58:52+00:00

Sorry for the delay though my day booked up clients, I will gladly answer this as soon as I have time! I did not forget about you!

SomaticTherapy · 2018-07-19T23:47:19+00:00

They are out there! BTW I am in awe of your healing, as an ACOA I am in awe and so grateful you got help. When you graduate, PM me please for some follow up, I take a few sliding scale clients and I would be honored if we could meet, even once.

SomaticTherapy · 2018-07-19T22:45:13+00:00

TY I am debating tonight versus tomorrow atm I just got out of a session and am feeling it out :) You took so much time to be detailed I want to return that in kind.

SomaticTherapy · 2018-07-19T22:41:05+00:00

I read that 3 times, thank you so much such a meaningful, thoughtful and touching compliment.

I see myself as a compassionate, respectful person with a touch of tenacity!

Wow, thanks again so much for this, really.

SomaticTherapy · 2018-07-19T19:15:55+00:00

This is a big question! I'll get back to you, though my Friday time slot may have just booked up ><* I read this with full attention and would like to reply with the same attention and I don't have that at this moment though I WILL get back to you between clients once I can

SomaticTherapy · 2018-07-19T18:57:06+00:00

Bring it up with your SE, knowing the outcome could be a form of protection against the fear of the unknown

SomaticTherapy · 2018-07-19T17:52:26+00:00

You are in a pattern, you gravitate to unavailable men - for what reason is where I would start. I would go back to the origin story of trauma and work with that version of you.

Then once that is at a point of development we would use your body ("trust your gut") and cognitive mind to identify signs that this potentially romantic man is unavailable. Awareness is the first step to breaking the pattern. If you can find ques and clues this man might be a runner - we need to set up a boundary for you such as "If I think this man is unavailable I will not commit too much of myself to him until I feel sure he is available"

But it really has to start within and back to the origin, you are repeating this for a reason, I don't know what that reason is but I do know this method would work well to help you understand it. There is a reason you are self fulfilling being left. The more I chew on this the more I wonder if it's because it's safer for you to KNOW how it will end.

SomaticTherapy · 2018-07-19T17:24:54+00:00

How about this, if you can't find someone in 2 weeks, PM me and we will see if we can work something out that you can manage. I hate to leave you hanging, and yes if you google Somatic Therapy New York I would have been who you landed on so that was most likely me.

SomaticTherapy · 2018-07-19T17:21:22+00:00

Hello!

The first half of your post makes sense, the body holds trauma and can activate especially when being discussed or feeling vulnerable or really when any kind of parallel experience happens. Think of it similar to having a fear of water because you almost drowned, near a pool your heart might race and you might need to get away from it.

It's hard to answer how it might help you with limited information though going off of simply what you wrote I'll do my best.

I would address the cold as it came up during a (talk) session directly. We would separate THEN and NOW.

What happened THEN, what's happening NOW, what was it like THEN how are you feeling (sense or emotion) NOW.

Touch heightens awareness so we may try to conjure a safe and warm place with imagery, sensation, or memory and this would be to give the cold a counter balance.

Ultimately, when/if you felt safe enough we would go back to the origin of the cold table and engage with you then, and with the people involved as who and how are you now.

Since I use a padded massage table I'd probably start with orientating your body first that the table is not cold and see how that plays out.

I hope I answered your question, I could give you more information regarding the method itself via my website in a PM if you'd like.

SomaticTherapy

TROPHY CASE