What is Somatic Bodywork?

The purpose of somatic bodywork is to address the impact of trauma using the added element of physical touch. The appointment proceeds in a similar style as a “non-touch” Somatic Support session except with two main differences. First, as the client you are comfortably dressed while lying on the massage table as opposed to being seated in a chair. Second, as the somatic practitioner, I use still (non-moving) touch with light pressure to facilitate the trauma healing process.

Using touch in this way can be helpful for three main reasons.

1) It brings mindful awareness to the areas of your body impacted by trauma. These may be places that carry a surplus of energy (i.e., chronic tension, lack of mobility, constriction, pain, etc.). There may also be a notable lack of energy that you experience as diminished mind-body connection, sluggishness, decreased physical sensation, “stuckness”, impaired mechanical function, etc.

2) It can provide you with an added sense of safety and connection. Many people choose somatic bodywork over a dialogue-based somatic session for this very reason. “I’m very responsive to touch” or “Touch is my first language” are comments I often hear from clients for whom this is a good fit.

3) I have developed palpation skills over years of education and training as a touch professional. This allows the me to perceive activity in your nervous system through the tactile experience of vibration, temperature, texture, contraction and expansion. It also provides another way of connecting to the rhythms of breath, heart rate, muscle tension—other indicators of nervous system activity.

Using touch does not necessarily make the session more or less effective than Somatic Experiencing® and/or NARM alone. It just makes it more customized to your preferences and needs, especially if you respond to touch with an increased experienced of safety.

Somatic Bodywork is not massage therapy. Somatic Bodywork is not psychotherapy. Jenny Winkel is not a licensed mental health care professional. If you have any questions as to whether or not Somatic Bodywork may be right for you, scheduling a consultation may be a good place to start.

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