Touch is our earliest language & Support
Support for unwinding stress, and restoring balance:
Therapeutic, co-regulating touch work is an approach for nervous system regulation and resolving trauma or states of chronic stress.
Somatic touch work responds to areas of stress held in the body. The response from the practitioner is a light touch of support and presence, and the client's body responds to the support, and co-regulates with the practitioner's embodied, present self.
We know that trauma signaling can get stuck in certain areas of the body via the nervous system. Common areas can be joints, kidneys/adrenals, shoulders as well as systems like digestion, circulation and muscles & bones.
Touch work is one branch of Somatic Experiencing that is of course optional; it serves a healing purpose, and supports a healthy nervous system.
For example, hand placement on the back near the kidney and adrenal region, or contact with the back of the head or shoulder joints are common areas to offer touch support.
The contact is still - there is not any manipulation or massaging. Rather, it's the practitioner coming alongside and offering presence and support, and inviting your system to rest down, or move through a stress response to completion.
Your own body + spirit responds to the connection, and the healing that happens is coming from you.
Your body is so wise. Learning how to connect with your body's wisdom is a life long resource.
I've trained beyond the Somatic Experiencing ®International training to ethically and safely provide co-regulating touch work as a trauma therapist. My advanced training is through Kathy Kain, PhD.
