What is Somatic Healing?

The practices I utilize personally, as well as, teach and facilitate to support others, are all somatic based healing methods. They are methods that allow you to move your awareness from the chatter of the mind to the knowing wisdom or the soul and the felt sense of the body.

I got into this work from noticing that all the healing methods I was drawn to were body and sensory based. My intuition knew that the healing I was seeking involved moving from mind to body.

Some somatic based therapies I have tried and found much potency and success with are:

Equine therapy: this is a kind of therapy where you work with horses both on the ground and riding (in some cases). Horses are deeply empathic and have strong spiritual energy. The healing nature and mysticism of horses is known to many. If you are unsure of how you are feeling or overwhelmed by your feelings equine therapy may be highly supportive. Horses are able to respond to your energy without you even expressing it verbally or even knowing it consciously. The horses provide valuable information for your therapist and give you a point of connection where you may otherwise feel disconnected or misunderstood.

Yoga and Meditation: these practices help you to get to know your subconscious mind and also potentially deepen your spiritual connection. They help to train your mind so you are able to have higher focus, concentration, and power. The physicality of yoga practice also has immeasurable benefits to your physical well-being including nervous system restoration, detoxification, anti-inflammation, and many more. The word yoga means to yolk together mind, body, and spirit. It is a practice meant to create harmony and integration in your being. Ultimately these practices create more reflexivity and compassion as you experience all the seasons of life.

Expressive Arts: this is a form of therapy that involves deeply listening to the body and expressing its wisdom through drawing/oil pastel, dance, and sound. I have experience specifically with Rosario Sammartino, PhD, who is trained by Tamalpa Institute. This form of healing helps you to move from mind to body and listen to the wisdom of the body. I have experienced much healing in my nervous system, cultivated insight, and felt re-embodied from practicing expressive arts. When we drop down into the body and allow it to express we gain access to valuable information that is usually not present in our conscious awareness. It's also excellent for working through issues or feelings that are difficult to define or express in ordinary language or if you are unaware of why you are affected by someone or something.

Nature healing: most of us are aware of the deeply beneficial effects of spending time in nature, but not all are aware this is also a somatic healing practice. When we are in nature or working with plants it brings us into our body and senses. There is also a transcendent quality to being out in nature which makes it a potent space for spiritual connection. The essence of nature is spiritual. Taking a walk in nature, gardening, and foraging are all ways to connect to nature and can become a meditation and somatic practice.

There are many more somatic practices beyond what I have listed here, but these are the practices I have personal experience with and training in.

There are many ways to connect to the body, restore the nervous system, and create a more deeply embodied experience of life.

If you are interested in working one on one with some of these somatic healing practices reach out through the contact form to book a consultation.

Blessing and beautiful day to you,

Morgan