We are all shaped by experience. We use the term patterns of experience to describe how the body centers and responds to conditional forces of life events. Biodynamic forces represent the inherent adaptability of the body and its continual striving for health. How we are affected by an event depends on survival resources and relationship to our biodynamic health. Many of our responses are deep reflexes embedded in our bodymind that are based on previously successful strategies. The intention of a healing touch session is to bring awareness and choice to our habitual responses and deepest imprints.
Most of our defining experiences are encoded non-verbally and non-consciously in our bodies. Somatic Touch sessions are useful for supporting safe, contained, processing of traumatic experiences. This includes single overwhelming events, or the slow accumulation of stress and tension from multiple experiences.
Our bodies are amazing. We have the ability to heal, change, and adapt to all that life can throw at us. The first stage in healing is to simply become more aware of your body. Learn to cultivate the skills of being present.
Somatic Touch sessions offer a profound way of helping people to trust the intelligence in the body, to deepen into stillness, and to learn to appreciate how the body moves and flows in its quest for optimal health.
Is this a massage? No. During a healing touch session, you can expect to have subtle touch placed on your face, head, neck, sacrum and feet. Hands may also be placed at the sight and adjacent areas of an injury. Your practitioner will slowly and with little pressure, sense, palpate the bones, fluid and tissue within the client’s system. The practitioner then holds the space for clients’ existing health to emerge and expand. Do I need to take off my clothes? You will remain fully clothed. The priority in a session is for you to feel comfortable and safe. It is recommended that you wear something comfortable for your session, so avoid tight or restrictive clothing. How does a touch session work? Think about when you cut your thumb. Your blood clots and forms a scab, which then falls off, revealing new skin. Your body knows how to heal itself. In a Healing Touch session, we create an environment that supports this innate ability. The practitioner uses her hands to assess where your body is holding tension patterns, and where there is health. Your body is then allowed to lead the session, with the practitioner paying close attention to where and how this process can be supported. We will work in a biodynamic style, which means that I do not apply a predetermined protocol or use manipulations. How much talking happens in a session? This is a body-centered practice however, during the session, the practitioner may ask questions or draw your attention to certain areas of your body. Ultimately, dialogue is used only if it will support the process. You can share as much or as little of your personal story as you wish. Is this Reiki? Healing Touch has an energetic aspect but it is not Reiki. HT does not involve the practitioner ‘giving’ energy to the client. Rather, the practitioner supports the client’s system to access its own resources. Is this energy work? All forms of bodywork have an energetic component. At the same time, this work is grounded in the body’s tissues and fluids. A Healing Touch session has its roots in Somatic Touch and Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy.
Common challenges that a healing touch session may treat: Anxiety & Panic Attacks Impulsive behaviors Eating Disorders Birth Trauma Low Immunity Digestive Challenges Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Temporal Mandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJD) Other Mental & Emotional Issues Depression Back & Neck Injuries Whiplash Migraines Insomnia