Somatic Therapy

I am a Certified TIST Therapist. TIST is a trauma informed parts-based approach to therapy. In TIST we work with the living legacy of trauma- the emotional and somatic memories held by the young parts (inner children) of our being and experienced in the here and now when life 'triggers' old responses and patterns of behaviour.

I am also trained as a Yoga Therapist and fully qualified. I am registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC). This registration requires a commitment to ongoing professional development. As a therapy client you can be secure in the knowledge that I am committed not just to further training but to ongoing personal development and growth to ensure that I continue to fully embody what I offer to you in the form of therapy.

In terms of the work I do, we now know through research into the science of the brain and body that our experiences through life are stored in our bodies. Trauma marks our bodies from the inside. Childhood trauma might include emotional abuse or neglect, physical abuse or sexual abuse. We may feel as adults that we have left these experiences behind, that they are 'in the past.' While this may be true, unless we have worked with the trauma which is stored in our bodies, we can feel stuck in our lives. Old patterns of responses and behaviours can re-emerge when we are under stress. Things happen in life which can trigger those memories or responses meaning that we are not fully able to leave our pasts behind. When we are 'triggered,' it is as though we are flown in a time machine back to the time when we experienced this trauma and we are back there again, responding as though we were still there with child-like parts of ourselves.

Somatic trauma therapy provides an opportunity to work with trauma in a different way to talking therapy. The experiences of trauma are stored in a different part of our brains from the area of the brain which stores our thoughts- therefore we cannot effectively access or work with 'stuck' trauma through talking about it- this will only replay the story of the trauma and can often actually be re-traumatising. Talking therapy will give us a cognitive understanding of what has happened to us and allow us to access emotional support but it is not possible to heal and integrate our trauma fully in this way. Only when we go into the body and visit the young and wounded parts of ourselves who are holding the feelings and energy of the trauma can it be expressed, released and integrated so that we can move on with our lives, more fully alive.

There will be talking in a Somatic Therapy session but this talking arises out of the 'felt' experiences in the body. These 'felt' experiences will lead the session and you will be guided on an internal journey working with whatever emerges in the course of the session.

It may be scary to think about revisiting painful past experiences through your body. It is important to know that you will not be required to revisit the past and talk about what happened. We are working in the here and now. We are exploring, getting to know and learning to understand the parts of you whose stuck feelings are preventing you from being fully present in your life.

It is true that this work may bring up many strong emotions for you and this is necessary in order to move forwards. However, you will be safely guided in this process at your own pace using well researched and established techniques which are grounded in neuroscience and the physiology of trauma.

It is possible to heal from trauma. With commitment and courage you can be free and more able to interact with the reality of life as it actually is in each moment rather than through the filter of stuck trauma.

 

Somatic Therapy Fees

Therapy sessions are 60 minutes. The rate per session is £85. I hold a limited number of spaces with a lower rate of £50 for clients from very low income households. Please enquire if you are in this situation and wish to access the therapy.