There Are Some Things We Just Can’t Touch with Words Alone.
Do you have elements of your work with clients that you just can’t seem to get to? Raise your hand if you’ve had that, “Oh boy, something’s going on here, we’re going around in circles, and how am I going to help this person?” Sometimes our current training and skills just don’t feel like enough.
I was interviewed by the lovely Lisa on the Therapeutic Perspective Podcast and she asked a very important question: why bring the body into therapy. My answer? Because what’s going on in the body and the brain are key to our deepest transformational work.
I think we’ve all had that moment, in therapy or in our daily lives where words are not enough. Trauma and our experiences express themselves in our body sensations, the ways our bodies move, and the ways our bodies respond in our daily lives. Without attention to the body, we are missing the way our thoughts and feelings are expressed. We are missing a big way we create meaning, and the a direct connection to the ways we can create patterns that better serve us.
By learning to bring the body into therapy, you open up a whole other window to what is happening for your client.
Say you have a client who shares they are struggling to resolve a trauma of being physically overpowered. When this memory comes up, they feel like getting up and walking away. What if in that moment you said, “Ok, if you feel like walking right now, let’s try it. Would you like to walk right now?” Let them get out of the chair and walk. Maybe even they walk out your door and then come back. Ask, witness, allow and watch what happens next.
suggest you try this on yourself the next time you have an urge in your body, especially around something low stakes. Say, if you were stuck in a conversation too long at an event and wanted to leave sooner. If you come home and it’s lingering and bothering you, allow yourself to do it: stand up and walk away. Imagine how it would have felt to do it that moment. And then see how you feel in your body. See how you feel in regards to that memory. See what meaning you make of the event now that you’ve embodied responding to it differently.
To find out more about the different types of somatic psychotherapy work and why it’s effective, watch for my episode on Therapeutic Perspective.
Are you intrigued by MindBody Skills but aren’t sure if they’re right for you and your therapy practice? Find your current somatic strengths with the Embodied Skills Inventory. It will help you know you’re not starting from scratch.
