Hands-On Somatic Therapy
Some healing cannot happen through words alone. Feeling is the foundation and connection reminds us who we really are. Physical touch reconnects us with meaning and a sense of knowing, prior to thought or analysis. The act of touch–whether it be from another person, nature, or contact with another part of the self–reminds us of a greater whole. It connects us to our essence, the generations, the knowledge that our experience is sacred. Touch is the state that perhaps all therapy is seeking: It is the ability to feel held in the arms of the universe, humanity, and life.
While understanding is growing within the field of psychology that therapy must involve the body, most psychotherapy and even somatic therapy is done in hands-off ways. Physical touch is not always necessary and must be used skillfully, but the general absence of touch reflects a paradigm of separation that is the source of much of our suffering.
You may have had the experience of going to talk therapy and not knowing what to say, and then getting a massage and the tears start to flow. You may have had the experience of emotions that are difficult to access and release. Therapeutic touch is used to balance the nervous system and help you come into contact with what you feel and know. Hands-on Somatic Therapy is the understanding that emotional, mental and spiritual health is inseparable from the care of the body, culture, and earth. This does not at all mean that our body must be perfect in order for our spirit to be whole. Rather, it means honoring wholeness and spirit in everything. How would you treat your body, the earth, your neighbor, if you knew it was all sacred and all connected?