Talking alone is often inadequate at accessing our deep-seated thoughts and feelings.

I’m a somatic practitioner trained in traditional psychology as well as a form of body psychotherapy known as Core Energetics; a modality which is fundamentally designed to uncover our deepest and truest self. This ‘higher’ self is our purest essence which is often obscured and buried under pain and a desire to appear different than we are. We put on different masks representing what we think will give us love and acceptance. We may believe we need to always be strong and never vulnerable. Alternatively we may have the false belief that we can never show anger. But by hiding these parts of ourselves we are ensuring that we will never get well. Only by confronting our false beliefs and perhaps feeling some uncomfortable feelings can we grow and uncover our true self. One way we can do this is by engaging the body as well as the mind…

We can often access emotions more easily when we engage the body. We hold tension all over our body which when released can liberate deep feelings as well. Body work can be as simple as standing up and breathing deeply. Other movements may include jumping and dancing, or kicking and flailing. Sometimes when a client is angry it may help to energize that anger by screaming into a pillow or punching a cushion. The body work is unique to every individual and proceeds at a pace that the client is comfortable with. At times simply breathing and making eye contact can elicit powerful feelings. I’ve found that sitting in silence and making eye contact with another human being can be one of the most powerful and intimate acts we can do together.