Category: Somatic Experiencing
The Good Therapy Blog
December 3rd, 2011 |
Part One: Finding Source Energy
In 1983, when diagnosed with a rare, deadly cancer, I sought the assistance of spiritual healer, Barbara Ann Brennan. She realigned my energy fields which seemingly helped put my cancer into remission, much to the surprise of my oncologist. It was the beginning of my understanding of Source Energy.
Whether this energy is called spirit, God, Higher Power or the universe, it clearly is something that we just feel. In whatever way it can be sensed, be it as stillness, wave vibrations, presence, feeling awakened or connected, it’s a universal force found in... Read More
November 23rd, 2010 |
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” - Louisa May Alcott
There is a multitude of ways to work through stuck places. I use the phrase “stuck places” here as an umbrella under which all reasons people enter into therapy may be categorized. Our reasons are stated in the many and various ways we speak of our particular motivation for calling a therapist. These can range from individual to relationship issues, anxiety to depression, phobias to addictions, loss of identity to gender identity issues, PTSD to Bipolar Disorder….. a longer list of issues or circumstances... Read More
September 23rd, 2010 |
Something that I have found fascinating in working from a Somatic Experiencing framework is the way in which a charge that has been held by the physiology from an unresolved critical incident can impact behavior and thought in unexpected ways. I have mentioned this in my previous entries. It is something that I have experienced personally as well as witnessed in my practice. Seemingly unrelated aspects of one’s life can shift as the physiology is able to dissipate the held, or remembered, charge from previous critical incidents.
A perfect example is a statement made to me by someone who came... Read More
August 23rd, 2010 |
The ability to navigate life as it comes. Our Autonomic Nervous System is elegantly designed for negotiating our encounters with all that is unexpected, shocking, threatening, frustrating, painful, dangerous, or enraging that life throws our way. Our complicated social relationships and structures, medical interventions, and technology can at times effectively block our hard-wired ability to make our way through these events completely.
The nature of life as evolved beings pretty much ensures that no one escapes all stress, overwhelm and ultimately some degree of trauma. The dynamics that produce... Read More
July 23rd, 2010 |
A central aspect in working from a Somatic Experiencing perspective is awareness of sensation. Awareness is key… deepening awareness into the ways that unresolved overwhelm and trauma show up when the intellectual brain quiets and attention is brought inward to sensations. As I’ve mentioned previously, sensation is the language of the reptilian brain, a critical part of what we are working to access in Somatic Experiencing. Pounding or racing heart. Constricted muscles. Nausea. Burning. Clammy. Butterflies. These are examples of what can be noticed when awareness is brought inward to the signals... Read More
July 19th, 2010 |
My last article discussed the physiological reaction of a young infant to external stress. As this infant grows and develops coordination and strength he will have new and different ways to meet the world. But if he had prolonged reactions to external stimuli, the early reaction pattern may stay buried in his system only to be triggered in the future; it creates a vulnerability and sets him up for perceiving the world in a certain way where trust is a big issue. Stress on a newborn can lead to particular psychological stressors... Read More
June 24th, 2010 |
I would like to begin this, my second entry, with a statement that I believe is an important one for me to make. I don’t consider myself an expert on Somatic Experiencing. Perhaps Peter Levine is the only pure expert. The sense in which I intend this is the following. I was a Body-centered Psychotherapist for twenty-six years prior to beginning my training in Somatic Experiencing. I had many years of learning both from other teachers as well as hands-on in my own practice. I am the separate and unique individual that I am, as we all are, and I bring my uniqueness to my work. This statement, really,... Read More
May 24th, 2010 |
“Traumatic symptoms are not caused by the event itself. They arise when residual energy from the experience is not discharged from the body. This energy remains trapped in the nervous system where it can wreak havoc on our bodies and minds.” - Peter Levine
Life unfolds in its many textures with mystery, unpredictability, and at times shocking and disorienting jolts. We have been given a design that allows for the negotiation of the unexpected. Our hard-wiring provides a simple and elegant instinct to navigate the journey as it unfolds. Yet sometimes the unexpected is accompanied by factors... Read More
January 4th, 2010 |
A GoodTherapy.org News Summary
Sleep has been identified as a major component of mental health many times, but some people neglect their basic needs for regular sleep nevertheless. One of the most at-risk groups for a harmful deficiency in sleep is adolescents, who are advised by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine to receive at least nine hours of sleep each night. In a survey that formed the basis for evidence in a study carried out... Read More
© Copyright 2010 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Oakland Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
January 1st, 2009 |
In the ongoing practice of psychotherapy clients and therapists exchange many words in the often frustrating attempt to make the therapeutic conversation come alive. In the midst of all the verbal communication what is often missing is the sense of both people being fully engaged and focused. Therapy can often too easily become reduced to people talking, communicating with words, and often ignoring the intense sense of life that can emerge when we tap into our immediate emotional and body-centered experience.
While... Read More
January 25th, 2008 |
Dear Members and Visitors to GoodTherapy.org,
Today we were pleased to present the second teleconference in the GoodTherapy.org Winter Teleconference Series: An introduction to Somatic Experiencing presented by Steben Hoskinson, MA, MAT, a senior trainer with the Foundation for Human Enrichment. Much thanks to Steven who volunteered his time to present to GoodTherapy.org members this powerful approach to healing trauma.
To support those of you who attended today’s... Read More
© Copyright 2008 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Nashville Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
