If you are alive today, chances are you are stuck in your head solely relying on logic and reason, thus likely disconnected from your body, most of the time. It’s not your fault. The reasons we become disconnected from our bodies are many. Cultural and societal constructs, trauma, everyday demands from career, finances, family – the list goes on. Modern life has forced us back into survival mode and only offers remedies that keep us disconnected from our bodies.
Technology and medication promise to help us feel better but somehow exacerbate the problem. They might address symptoms but they fail to get to the root cause, which needs to be addressed in the body. It’s no surprise if you are feeling exhausted, burned out, drained, chronically stressed, overstimulated, tense, hypervigilant, anxious, afraid, on edge, or unable to regulate your emotions. You are not broken, and you are not alone. But you do need to return home to your body. By returning to the body, you will find the relief, regulation, and peace you are longing for.
It’s time for all of us to befriend our bodies. It’s time for us to get out of our heads and descend into the body so we can remember, or meet for the first time, our own wisdom, power, and peace. It’s time to be EMBODIED. It’s time to find true freedom within. This is the only way through these times we’re living in. If you are here, I’m sure you sense that what I’m saying is true. Read on to discover 3 reasons you need somatic healing, and what to expect in a somatic session with me.
3 Reasons You Need Somatic Healing
1) Chronic stress or emotional suppression shows up physically.
Things like tight shoulders, jaw clenching, shallow breathing, gut issues, fatigue, or unexplained pain are often signs the body has been holding too much for too long. Somatic practices help release stored tension and reconnect you to your body instead of pushing through it.
2) Trauma is stored in the body, not just the mind.
Even if you understand what happened to you, your nervous system might still be stuck in fight, flight, freeze, fawn, or shutdown. Somatic healing works directly with bodily sensations and pendulation to help the nervous system complete those stress responses and finally settle.
3) Talking alone isn’t enough for healing.
Traditional talk therapy can be helpful, but you need to move beyond the story and meaning, and go to where the traumatic stress lives – in the body. Somatic healing is bottom-up rather than top-down, which means you can move past the need to explain everything and let the body lead – through awareness, pendulation, movement, breath, and regulation. Talk therapy might help you understand safety. Somatic healing helps you feel it.
What to Expect in a Somatic Session
Each session will always include nervous system regulation + healing through bodily awareness, and pendulation – a practice I picked up through training with Somatic Experiencing International. Pendulation takes the nervous system through the natural process of activation and calming, to build greater capacity and more resilience. The session might also include any combination of the following: Meditation, gentle movement, mindfulness, voice work (humming, screaming, etc.), shadow work, IFS-inspired parts work, and/or deep rest.
We will meet where you feel most comfortable.
I have three options available:
1. Walk or sit with me in nature. Getting outside is important for the healing journey. If we walk, it will be unlike any other walk you’ve been on. We’ll move at your pace, pause when we need to pause, and work with the body however you need it most.
2. Meet in your home. I’ve been meeting private clients in home for years. I understand this may be your preferred way to have sessions, and I’m happy to accommodate. If self-scheduling through the website, choose the “Hart Park” option, and simply email me to say you prefer to meet in your home.
3. Online through Zoom. Zoom is a great option if you are unable to meet in person for any reason. This also allows us to have sessions no matter where you might be in the world.
If you’re ready to take the next right step, schedule your first session or reach out to learn more, and let’s begin your somatic healing journey today.
I look forward to healing with you,
Lindsay