Somatic Touch Work Therapy

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Somatic Touch Work support nervous system re-regulation and trauma resolution in the body. It supports unwinding. 

This is a branch of Somatic Experiencing therapy; often Somatic Experiencing Practitioners have a massage table in their office. 

I get that it is very unusual to have a therapist touching a client; I have extensive training in this modality within the Somatic Therapy. Having received it - I'm a full believer. Understanding the science behind it has made me a believer too. Witnessing the change in my clients and colleagues - that's the motivation for my offering.  

And - this is a choice, it is an option within your Somatic Therapy and not something you have to choose. 

In this therapy, I provide light touch contact over common areas of the body that store trauma signaling patterns. 

I have a massage table in my office, as many Somatic Experiencing Practitioners do. 

You are fully clothed, and can choose to lie on a massage table on your back, or remain seated in a chair. 

The practitioner's hand placement is still; in other words there is no massage or manipulating or moving the body. 

During the touch practice, the practitioner and client are having a conversation, checking in and sharing current moment experience. 

This isn't a spa experience or passive experience. However, most people say they feel relaxed afterwards. They also may feel tired from the internal work they did. 

In this approach, we focus less on the story of what happened, and more about the current moment sensations, images, feelings and awareness. 

You don't have to remember details of a past trauma to use Somatic Touch therapy or somatic therapy. 

We track and follow your body's natural responses and sensations in the moment, and support resolution. 

Sensation examples you might notice could be heat, cool, tension, a sense of flow, expansion, contraction, warmth, cool, tight, tingly, numb, open, smooth or something else.

Common areas are the kidneys/adrenals first (which are active in our stress response) via a hand placement under your back, near the lower ribs. 

Other common areas are the joints of ankles and wrist, the shoulders, respiratory diaphragm (side of your ribs), and back of the head.

We listen to your body and are responding to what it's communicating in the moment. .

You don't have to receive my actual touch. 

I have received many "intentional touch" sessions myself, that were supportive and impactful, through online sessions. 

That means that the practitioner doesn't actually touch you. Here are options: 

1) That the practitioner offers to make intentional touch contact with the back of your shoulder, for example. This might seem like energy work, it's similar but not the same. You imagine receiving the support of my still hand on the back of your shoulder, and notice what begins to happen next. 

2) You also could imagine someone you know providing that touch. (A person from your past or present, or a person who has passed away, or a Spiritual figure or being. 

Self Contact: 

Quite regularly I encourage clients to try making your own contact. - such as a hand to your heart or sides of your arms. I often suggest this for oxytocin activation, which supports our other feel good hormones; and contact pressure wakes up some systems that can help us feel more present, alert, soothed; embodied. 

1) To support re-regulation and building capacity of the nervous system

2) To complete an incomplete trauma response, or a stuck threat response cycle

3) To access your own intuition, your body wisdom and womb wisdom

4) To bring coherence across systems in your body - such as diaphragms, which supports nervous system regulation and freedom within your body.

5) To integrate the experience of the session, you may rest with minimal contact at the end of a session. 

6) You want to feel supported exactly where you are and who you are today. Presence supports healing. The paradox of accepting where we are fully, can allow for change to follow. All good nervous system support and trauma work begins right here. Exactly where you are. 

I wish someone explained this to me sooner, so I hope this helps:  

You may need to say something out loud that you didn't get to say at the time of the traumatic incident, or move in a certain way to defend yourself (pushing, fighting or running away) or receiving support for going through something hard. 

Or maybe you needed to feel or express an emotion that you couldn't safely express during that time, 

You may want to separate feeling fear from becoming immobile (passive or freeze and not fully living life or responding in healthy, self protective ways) 

Or, you may need to reconsider a belief that you held at the time, that isn't true (such as I'm a bad person, it's my fault, I am powerless, or I don't belong). 

If we are supporting you to complete an incomplete response, I will guide you through the process - you won't be alone to figure it out! I wanted to give some examples here so you'd get the general idea. We go SLOW. 

If you are thinking "I don't remember or know the details" or "so many things happened how could I choose one" - you're in the right place. 

I'm so sorry you have been through so much, and can only imagine how it might feel to not remember. You don't have to know; there are many ways to approach resolution in touch work and somatic therapy. We work with what is here NOW, and that is enough - that's the gift of Somatic Experiencing. Let's talk about this together. 

Often at the end of a table session, people will say that they don't know exactly why, but that they feel physically better and mentally more clear, and often express some relief or sense of peace. I had a session myself the other day and said "I feel back in my body!"  I felt a gentle resurgence of vitality.  

Often people will say they feel that was a helpful "reset." 

"I feel much better than I did when I walked in here." 

I cannot promise you a certain outcome. I can promise you my dedication to you, and unwavering belief in your mind-body's capacity to heal. 

As you increase your capacity to be embodied and present in the current moment, you are likely to enjoy and engage in your life, and in the ways that feel good to you. 

You can know your own body signals better, and often that leads to responding more kindly to yourself with more self compassion and care. 

We are safer in the world when we're inclined to look after ourselves, rather than away. 

This is especially valuable during midlife transitions, perimenopause, and when you're standing at a crossroads.