LifeWorks Somatics - Somatic Education for Quality Living - The Feldenkrais Method
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Somatic Counselling is...

... a talking session where touch is not involved, and as in the Feldenkrais Method, works with the whole person – every aspect is included, that means the whole body, the emotions, the thought processes, the spirit, and, life situation.

It can usefully be combined with Feldenkrais Functional Integration, which is a hands-on session, but not necessarily. There are many similarities. Everything you may say in any 1-1 session with me is kept in absolute confidence.

 

How

Our main tool is a system called ‘assisted inquiry’, along with tracking body responses through sensing. You are very much in charge, I merely guide you according to what you bring. Together we explore what you know about your issue whilst at the same time referencing this to your body and its responses. 

I guide you through open questions, we explore the more subtle layers of mental, emotional and/or physical sensation. It often is the subtlety or the familiarity of such that may make them normally unavailable to you – you may either regard such information about yourself as normal or, you may experience it normally but not recognise the significance. 

Through this process you can discover insights and gradually, find your own solutions.  There is a unique power in verbalizing this process with a neutral third party such as myself.  I support you in being fully present and can hold a broader perspective within which I can guide you to explore different angles creating a wider range of choice in behaviours or responses.

 

Why is the body important?

Emotion affects our habitual posture and the way we move.  By exploring the posture and movement while sensing the body you can find ways to understand yourself more. This is generally liberating, and in turn liberates you from needing that particular posture or habit in movement. 

 

Spirit & Soul

You may be aware that some of your physical issues – the aching back, the painful hip, the stiff neck and so on – go back a long way.  In other words, although there is some current issue that has brought you to seek professional help with your body, you may be realizing that in fact you can remember something like this happening when you were young.

Here I need to mention one other important aspect to my sessions:  Meditation. The practise and the gift of being present. More precisely, what all meditation techniques are for:  to help us discover who we really are – who we would be if we did not carry the personal baggage of a lifetime which have caused our behavioural – and movement – responses.

Each of us has a soul, and that soul is on passage through this lifetime - a spiritual journey. Our heart tells us of our soul's longing. Typically we long for peace, security or stability, love, strength, courage, joy, grace, compassion, empathy, kindness, happiness.  

The difficulties we experience in life whether past, present or future, can also be seen as the challenges we have been given - or chosen. It can be very hard for us to look at things like this, though. The work we can do in a Somatic Counselling session helps to navigate these difficulties and align us to our soul's longing, which then brings us more of those things we long for - like peace, or happiness.

 

Definitions & some Background

Counselling differs from Psychotherapy in that the focus is usually toward one particular issue and its resolution.  You would agree to a short-ish series of either 6 or 12 sessions at the end of which we would review and decide together any next steps.

Everything you say is kept in absolute confidence.
‘Somatics’ is a term used to mean ‘mind-body integration.  ‘Soma’ is the latin root meaning ‘of the body’.
Feldenkrais uses somatic exercises to unify body, mind, feelings and actions through observing sensations.
Somatic Counselling uses language and verbally guided explorations of sensory experience to unify the same. 
Origins can be traced back to Wilhelm Reich in the 1930’s whose Reichian bodywork brought into focus the concept of ‘body armouring’ – the physical tensions resulting from defensive behavioural responses to perceived external threat.
My own studies took me to Peter A Levine (founder of Somatic Experiencing) – his writings and books;  to Babette Rothschild’s book, and to Stephen Porges and his work The Polyvagal Theory, just to mention a few. I had my own trauma to process.

 

I am certified with SIAF Italia as a Holistic Counsellor.  My training was with Rafia Morgan & Turiya Hanover founders of WorkingwithPeopleTrainings, with whom I studied for 4 years:

2013: Holistic counselling training

2014: Authentic Leadership training

2015: Relationship Counselling training

2016: Advanced training

This training took place internationally and is accredited by an Italian accreditation body, SIAF Italia.

You can read more about at www.workingwithpeopletrainings.com

 

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©2008 LifeWorks Somatics, S. Devon, UK. The terms Feldenkrais, Feldenkrais Method, Awareness Through Movement,
and Functional Integration are registered service marks of the Feldenkrais Guild UK