What is somatic therapy?  

Somatic therapy is a type of treatment focused in the body which aims for mind-body holism. In western culture, many of the ailments we suffer from involve ignoring the body. This can look like ruminating on thoughts about pain, rather than noticing the actual sensations of the pain, or obsessing about our ideal image rather than being okay with our body as it is. We are often left blocked, numbed out or stuck in extended periods of suffering. Somatic therapy syncs up trust and communication between the mind and body. Some of the benefits include softening chronic tension, re-patterning stuck flight or flight responses and creating calming and resting nervous system pathways. Many clients report effects of improving self trust, increasing high quality attention and locating wants and needs.

What type of somatic therapy do you use?

I use a somatic method called Hakomi, which was developed by Ron Kurtz in the late 70’s. Hakomi therapy uses a relaxed, mindful state of awareness to explore trauma, emotions and stuck experiences held in the body. The sessions involve minimal talking and use experiences in the present moment, such as sensations, images and memories. Hakomi techniques feel more subtle and less reactive, helping learn directly from your experiences. Towards the end of a session, core beliefs, wounds or missing experiences from the past are identified and gently worked with. Hakomi principles include non-violence, organicity, and unity. Clients describe the quality of treatment as warm and caring, yet directly useful. Along the way I identify simple, personalized tools such as physical grounding and daily mindfulness practices to use outside of sessions.

Who does Hakomi therapy work for?

Hakomi is a deep and powerful mindfulness-based somatic therapy is an effective treatment for those suffering from stress, anxiety, depression, trauma or PTSD. It’s also especially helpful for relationship issues, chronic pain, self worth, grief/ loss and addiction recovery. Many clients with chronic pain or medically unexplained health issues come to somatic therapy when other methods fail. After some Hakomi treatment and practice, clients often report that their unexplained medical symptoms lessen or are resolved all together. Physical problems often have emotional components that need treatment and vise versa. Many benefits arise from syncing up the mind and body to work together in unity. Hakomi therapy is not recommend for those suffering from psychosis or serious mental illness.

Read more about Somatic therapy here in the LA Times.