I believe that we can, with a little guidance and over time, release the unhealthy patterns—physical, emotional, psychic—that we have accumulated through life; that we can come into contact with a greater sense of who we are and what we want in life. The work I do has its foundation in the systems described below.
“I found that, if given appropriate guidance, human beings can and do shake off the effects of overwhelming events and return to their lives using exactly the same procedures that animals use.”
―Peter A. Levine, Somatic Experiencing Founder
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing, developed by Peter Levine, is an approach to the resolution of trauma (overwhelming events and life circumstances) that uses the body's innate wisdom much in the same way that animals recover from all manner of life-threatening events. This method recognizes that memories and events are not only stored in the mind but also in the body and aims to address physiological and somatic wounds.
The Somatic Experiencing approach emphasizes the importance of tracking and regulating bodily sensations and responses that arise in daily living, and in session with a practioner. By gently guiding individuals to notice and explore their bodily sensations, we aim to facilitate the completion of the body's natural stress response cycle, which was interrupted during the traumatic event or periods of stress in our lives.
As a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, I work to promote a sense of safety, empowerment, and resilience in my clients, while helping them learn to renegotiate their relationship with the traumatic experience(s) and restore a sense of well-being.
“A definition of trauma should include ‘broken connection.’ Accordingly, our healing comes in the form of reconnection—to our own body, mind, and spirit, but also to other people especially.”—Diane Poole Heller
Attachment Theory
Attachment theory emphasizes the significance of early relationships and their impact on an individual's development and well-being. It highlights the importance of secure attachment, which involves a healthy and consistent bond between a caregiver and a child. Secure attachment provides a foundation for emotional regulation, resilience, and healthy relationships throughout life.
“When the primary childhood caregivers are unable, for whatever reason, to meet the child's needs of safety, trust, attunement, love etc., a secure attachment is inhibited.”—Diane Poole Heller
Integrating attachment theory with Somatic Experiencing and Polyvagal theory allows us to address the effects of past experiences on attachment patterns and improve all relationships in our lives.
“Being comfortable in your own skin and having tools that help you relax is a really big deal, but learning how to feel safe with others is revolutionary. When your nervous system can co-regulate with other people, and you feel safe and playful and relaxed, you can develop a stronger sense of secure attachment and enjoy its profound rewards, no matter what
environment you grew up in.”
―Diane Poole Heller
“Trauma compromises our ability to engage with others by replacing patterns of connection with patterns of protection.” —Deb Dana
“Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, offers a way to understand the human autonomic nervous system and directly engage with habitual patterns of response. Through a polyvagal lens we can learn to listen to our embodied stories.”—Deb Dana
Polyvagal Theory
Polyvagal Theory provides a neurophysiological framework for understanding human behavior. By recognizing the influence of the autonomic nervous system on our actions and narratives, we gain insight into the adaptive nature of our behaviors generated below conscious awareness. It is important to note that these actions are not cognitive choices but rather manifestations of autonomic energies in patterns of self-protection. This newfound understanding paves the way for cultivating compassion, for ourselves and for others.
What this means functionally is that most of us spend a significant amount of time either in sympathetic nervous system or in the dorsal vagal complex—that is, in fight/flight overdrive or in shut down, both of which we call nervous system dysregulation. This is where we experience anxiety, depression, mood swings, fear, hopelessness, anger, numbness, etc. When we work somatically, the nervous system comes into regulatation, which allows us to move into the life we want, with an internal reality that is nourishing to self and others. What once felt our of control and chaotic can begin to feel in control, regulated, and enjoyable.
Inner Child Exploration
“We’re All Multiple”
―Richard Schwartz, Internal Family Systems
When we work somatically, we often come into contact with lost parts of ourselves, younger selves we have long forgotten, often still trapped in the painful situation they were facing at the time. Listening to the pain, love, and longing of these forgotten selves can feel like an on-going awakening. Re-integrating these selves allows us to become more fully who we are, to have access to a more nuanced and richer inner life that then creates a greater capacity to connect more deeply in our relationships in the world—with other people, with our work, with nature. When we exist in an awareness of our multiple selves and move away from this destructive idea that we are one solid self, we bring greater compassion and acceptance to our lived experience.
“If you bring forth that which is within you, then that which is within you will be your salvation. If you do not bring forth that which is within you, then that which is within
you will destroy you.” —The Gnostic Gospels