Why Somatics?

I draw on many sources in my healing work, ranging from Internal Family Systems and peer support to feminist theory and mindfulness practice. My primary training, however, is in Generative Somatics.  Generative Somatics is a path of profound transformation that integrates the mind, body and spirit into healing from stress, trauma, and oppression. We work with the wisdom of the body, not just the understandings of the mind, to shift what is no longer serving us and learn what we need to grow. The work is deeply rooted in a trauma-informed analysis; rather than asking what's wrong with us, we learn through the body what happened to us. Somatics views the ways we have survived until now as adaptive and smart– we talk about post-traumatic stress intelligence rather than post-traumatic stress disorder. The work is also rooted in an anti-oppression analysis, looking at how power and privilege shape us, and how we can move toward social justice.

We begin with a deep respect for who we are now, exploring why we have developed the survival strategies we currently use, while being open to what embodied transformation can make possible. Embodied transformation is fundamental change that shows in our actions, ways of being, relating, and perceiving. It is transformation that sustains over time. In our sessions together, we develop awareness of the body's current patterns and shape, and learn new practices that will serve us in the long run, helping us shift what is stuck and make possible what we long for.