so you found yourself encountering this word "somatic", pretty much everywhere lately... but you don't know why it matters and what it could do for you. in this blog we'll define some terms and demystify the world of "somatic" guidance, therapy, coaching. this short guide will bring you the plain-speak you've been cravin'. i'm serving up all the 411 you'll need to finally feel like you "get it" when it comes to all this embodiment stuff.
#1: let's define "soma" & "somatic" guidance and a few other terms?
"soma" refers to the sensing, self-organizing, self-aware processes that all living organisms are participating in, even down to the cellular level. these processes are not separate from their interactions within the whole, but rather informed by the past and shaped by future trajectories from relationships both micro and macro in scale.
"somatic" means "body oriented perception" or "how we perceive ourselves from within the body"
somatic guidance refers to how we are working within our bodies to better understand ourselves mentally, emotionally & spiritually.
somatically guided therapy or coaching sessions often include working with movement, sound, touch, breathe, posture, gesture, attention & expressive arts to assist people in becoming more aware of sensations happening within the body.
the more aware you can become of your bodily sensations (including numb-ness) the more you can begin to notice your unique body-signals. think of "body-signals" as the way your body communicates its needs, distresses, comfort, fear, safety, threat, social cues, attunement with people and the environment etc. noticing your body-signals is one of the ways you can help yourself get out of unwanted patterns and process trauma stored in the body.
"trauma" is not the actual event, but rather the residual charge or energy stored in the body-memory from events in our lives that didn't get the processing they needed.
either too much too soon of something (overwhelm, violence, boundary violation, systemic oppression) or too little to late of something (neglect, social isolation, rejection, lack of attunement with a care-giver). trauma often blocks our ability to sort what from what, when it comes to our body-signals, which is why it can be really helpful to have a somatic guide or coach to help you in tracking your sensations and experiences.
the aim of somatic guidance or embodiment coaching, is to grow your capacity to be present with challenging emotions and experiences so that you can reclaim the parts of yourself that have become stuck, isolated or shamed away throughout your life.
pushing away these isolated parts and avoiding feeling the feelings are often strands of a long braid of survival strategies that for some of us are ready to be undone. you will know they are ready to be undone because they are no-longer working in your life, except to keep you stuck... stuck in harmful relationships, jobs, addictions, unhealthy patterns etc.
even though somatic practices are often guided or facilitated by a teacher, therapist or coach, somatic practices are considered self-learning processes. this can be super empowering for people when they realize they are co-creating their own healing journey by engaging in acts of self-learning & self-curiosity. somatic coaching is a non-prescriptive and often creative approach to re-building internal foundations (unique to each persons nervous system) for more connection, liberation, maturation and wholeness.
somatic coaching is for anyone wanting time and space to be present with themselves learn more about how their body is communicating. it's for anyone who is feeling stuck. it's for anyone seeking a more creative approach to healing and living.
once you begin your somatic journey a whole world of deeper connection and refined perception starts to open up. it can be really messy at times, to unthaw, to come out of a frozen state and start feeling again. but there are shifts that are also subtle, gentle and reveal themselves in moments of clarity where you once would have gone into a tail-spin of confusion and crusty ole' reactive habits.
if all this is speaking to your heart then consider booking a free consultation call with me, I would love to hear from you!
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