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“Somatic Integration” is what I call my approach to restoring the normal and integrated functioning of our body-mind.
It's the result of my 30-plus years of experience in Bodywork, Chinese Medicine, Trauma Therapy and Mind-body Integration techniques. Somatic Integration is a unique synthesis of evolutionary psychology, movement science, learning theory, cognitive & affective training, Chinese medicine, and informative touch.

Somatic Integration sessions employ a combination of touch, movement, imagery, and attention to address the inter-relationship of our mental, emotional, and bodily experience.
Although grounded in medical science, Somatic Integration maintains a different set of assumptions about the body-mind than other health-care providers.
What sets Somatic Integration apart from other health-care disciplines is its recognition that we are a continuously evolving process – a process that often requires only minor adjustments and assistance, in order to awaken the self-correcting, self-organizing and self-healing mechanisms that reside within us.​

“Life is a process, improve the process and you’ll improve your life”      
Moshe Feldenkrais

 

Felt Sense and the Non-Verbal

​A key component of Somatic Integration is the development and refined discrimination of the “felt sense”.
Also known as “intero-ception” or “internal perception”, the felt sense is employed whenever we focus our attention inwards, on bodily sensations that pertain to things like movement, breathing, digestion, etc.
But the felt sense also includes the bodily sensations that accompany our thoughts and feelings – whether they’re positive or negative.
As our experience and understanding of the felt sense develops, we learn to recognize the role of particular bodily sensations in facilitating both positive and negative emotions.
Over time, we can even learn to recognize and influence the behavior of our autonomic nervous system and the role it plays in health & disease.
In developing an appreciation of the felt sense, we not only learn to recognize and change unconscious habits and patterns of behavior, we also learn to recognize and resolve patterns of emotional distress and patterns of autonomic nervous system imbalance.

"You translate everything, whether physical or emotional or spiritual, into muscular tension."  
FM. Alexander​​​​

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Learning New Patterns of Behavior 

The ways that we think, feel and move are motor patterns that have been learned throughout the course of our life, particularly during our formative years.
Traumas and injuries, whether physical or psychological, often lead to maladaptive adjustments in those motor patterns. Maladaptive adjustments may develop slowly and subtly over time or quickly and noticeably after a recognizable event.
It’s very common for people to say 'I was never the same after “___” happened.'
Regardless of how these maladjustments develop, they influence the person that we are today and the ways that we mentally, emotionally and physically move. The good news is that because motor patterns are learned, with a little effort and inward attention, they can be improved & normalized. ​                                                                   

"The only thing permanent about our behavior patterns, is our belief that they are so"    

Moshe Feldenkrais

Making the Impossible Possible 

As our body and mind learn more effective strategies of movement and being, we gradually become more efficient, effortless and resilient in all aspects of our life.
By recognizing and resolving the unconscious and habituated motor patterns that underlie chronic problems, many seemingly insurmountable issues and lifelong patterns of distress are able to resolve with almost miraculous results. 
A healthy body-mind is able to resist injury and repair itself. Therefore, how we react to an insult is much more important than the insult itself.
By promoting the functional integration of our thoughts, feelings, bones, muscles, viscera and connective tissues, Somatic Integration sessions facilitate increased bodily awareness, mental clarity and a greater sense of physical, emotional and mental resiliency. 

"There is no limit to the improvement of motion"

Moshe Feldenkrais

What to Expect In a Session? 

Somatic Integration consists of three distinct but overlapping modules. Each module serves a specific purpose in facilitating greater coherence and integration of the brain and body. As such, what happens during a session largely depends on what module is being utilized.
Module One is the foundation of Somatic Integration. It utilizes a synthesis of mindfulness and a guided exploration of the felt-sense. Emphasis is placed on the bodily or Somatic Experience of emotions and feelings.

Module Two is the hands-on  bodywork that people usually associate with a Somatic Integration session. The hands-on module typically consists of gentle and relaxing movements that are designed to assist your nervous system in letting go of chronic patterns of tension, overwork and unnecessary effort. Most sessions take place on a comfortably padded massage table with clients fully clothed. 

Module Three utilizes the Exploration of Movement to increase self-awareness of habitual neuromuscular patterns and rigidities. By bringing attention to and learning how our entire body cooperates in performing an activity, clients learn to improve their biomechanical and ergonomic self-use. Sessions can take in any position: lying down, sitting in a chair or even standing up. 

It’s recommended that you wear loose, comfortable clothing to your session.

 

How Long Do Results Last? 

As your body experiences the gentle and non-invasive hands-on work, your unconscious mind begins to let go of habits and compulsions that no longer benefit you.
As we free ourselves of unnecessary compulsions, our body-mind becomes more integrated and our sense of self becomes fuller, richer and more potent. In short we reconnect with our original essence.
Sessions are designed to teach new possibilities of movement and being, while simultaneously un-learning patterns that are ineffective and detrimental. Therefore, results are for the most part cumulative and permanent. The more sessions we receive the more open, free and functionally integrated our body and mind can become.

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