We are uninvited settlers occupying the stolen, territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), Qayqayt, and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) peoples. Our relationship with these lands dictates our commitment to understanding the ongoing impacts of colonization and decolonizing our practices in and out of the counselling room.
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“The body is the first geography for the stories we tell.”
Traditional psychotherapy and various “gold standard” therapeutic models focus primarily on the mind’s ability to define your choices, your emotions, and your reactions. The fundamental flaw of that logic? You are not just your mind, and while your mind is essential for you to communicate and understand what might be going on for you and to make different choices, the body is a huge part of your wisdom and power over your actions. Especially because our experiences, particularly traumatic ones, are not just stored in our minds but also in our bodies.
That’s why focusing on somatic and sensorimotor psychotherapy and be such a game changer. By incorporating the body into the therapeutic process, somatic and sensorimotor therapies can access and process information that may be difficult to reach through verbal communication alone. This can be particularly beneficial if you have experienced trauma, or are looking to support managing difficult emotions, build better relationships, and/or to understand yourself more fully. These therapies can help you develop a greater awareness of your experience of physical sensations as clues to your emotional process and healing, learn to regulate your nervous system, and discover new ways of responding to stress and emotional triggers.
When we welcome and center the body as an integral source of information you can experience a change that can only happen through engaging in bodywork, adjusting our body postures, and consciously shifting the way emotions are held in our bodies. By doing so we’re able to coordinate all facets of us to move uniformly towards growth, leading to a more integrated, and holistic self as we move through the world that leads to deeper and more lasting changes than traditional talk therapy alone.
In a typical somatic or sensorimotor psychotherapy session, you can expect a combination of verbal dialogue and body-focused exercises. Your therapist may guide you through mindfulness practices to increase awareness of physical sensations. They might also incorporate movement exercises or ask you to pay attention to your posture and breathing. The therapist may encourage you to explore how emotions manifest in your body and help you develop strategies to regulate your nervous system. Throughout the session, you'll be encouraged to stay present with your bodily experiences while processing emotions and memories.
As with all therapies, there are potential impacts to be aware of. General considerations specific to somatic therapy include temporary discomfort as you process difficult experiences with increased bodily awareness. Your therapist will support and guide you through this process of reconnecting with and grounding your body sensations.
All our practitioners have specialized training in and incorporate somatic-based approaches to our work. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to book a free consult with one of our therapists!
