"Movement is the primary medium of our aliveness.” ~Mary Starks Whitehouse
Somatic Movement Exploration
The word somatic means of, or relating to, the living body; the ‘soma.’
This living body is a first-person experience; an internalized sensing and perception.
It is moment to moment, unique to our self, and unavailable to anyone else in any direct way.
This is the inner territory where unconscious beliefs and habits thrive and persist, despite our best efforts at change.
Mindful movement resources that support inward somatic attention, can be profoundly helpful in our efforts to identify and transform those that persist, despite previous efforts to change them. They support us to access information often unavailable through our conscious, cognitive channels alone.
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Authentic Movement
Authentic Movement explorations are available both individually, and in group settings, It is a unique contemplative embodiment practice, a kind of mindful movement meditation, practiced with attention directed inwardly, supporting a self-directed inner listening.
Authentic Movement is supported by the presence of an experienced teacher/ witness. This witness provides for the mover’s experience to be seen and held in a non-judgmental framework. The witness’s own internal awareness throughout the process, brings an interactive and collaborative quality.
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This exploration of deeper dimensions provides a pathway for discovery and expression of experiences and aspects of our selves that frequently stay below our conscious awareness.
The practice may be used as a meditative, spiritual practice; as a personal psycho-emotional exploration or part of a psychotherapy process; or as an artistic or creative resource. It can be playful and fun, as well as deep and profound.
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Authentic Movement is rooted in Jung’s concept of Active Imagination, expanded into the realm of movement. In this spirit, other expressive modalities such as drawing and writing may be folded in to support insight and integration of the movement experience.
Movement-Based Expressive Arts
Movement-Based Expressive Arts is also available individually and in groups. We utilize body and movement, as well as other expressive resources such as writing, drawing, voice and sound, to explore, tell, and transform the stories of our lives.
We cultivate personal rituals that meet the needs of whatever we encounter--
and create opportunity to express what wants to be expressed--be it release, repair, healing, embodiment and integration of something new, or something else.
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We have the opportunity to be witnessed by another individual such as a therapist, or other participants in a safe group experience.
Being seen and known in our deepest truths, without judgment or fear, is deeply nourishing, and a vital aspect of our sense of wholeness, integrity, and safety., It's all too familiar how seldom we encounter these qualities and experiences in our ordinary, day to day lives.
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This work is rooted in the Life/Art Process work of Anna Halprin.
Movement for Stress Management and Emotional Regulation
Movement for stress management and emotional regulation is often folded into individual sessions, as needs present themselves.
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They may include elements of yoga, tai chi or qi gong, mindfulness meditation, or Heartmath.
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These techniques can be very helpful with regard to mood dysregulation such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic activations.
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All these resources facilitate deeper somatic awareness, as well as physiological, emotional, and mind-state shifts, through de-activation of the sympathetic nervous system, and activation of the parasympathetic nervous system.
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This shift to parasympathetic function is necessary for us to develop and consolidate new neural pathways. This is the foundation of all new learning.
Replacement of old patterns with newly learned and cultivated ones, is the foundation of lasting, positive change and habit formation.
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." ~ Maya Anjelou