FAQ's

1.What is Somatic therapy?

Somatic Therapy and Counselling is counselling and guidance that understands the body keeps the score and stores everything that has happened to it that has not been integrated or processed. Any event or trauma, very often in early childhood, that was too overwhelming and was not supported sufficiently at the time of the event or trauma can create stored energy from unresolved fight/flight/freeze responses. A.K.A. the chronic stress response. Somatic therapy and counselling allows the energies to be safely released and processed so the person can access their inner wisdom and self healing mechanisms that is inherent in all people.

2. What types of techniques do you use?

My work is Compassionate Inquiry informed and also uses breathwork, heart rate variability tools, gentle movement, mindfulness & meditation, as well as traditional counselling like CBT, Solutions Focused Therapy etc.

Being able to notice your own body sensations in a safe space allows the stored energies to release. All sessions are person centred. The client is empowered to discover their own inner strengths and value systems. The therapist is a guide only, who assists by shining a light on what the client has not been able to see for themselves.

3.How many sessions of Somatic Therapy & Counselling will I need?

This is very individual and depends on the number and complexity of issues a client presents with. More complex issues often require more sessions.

Also it is common that when the initial issue has been addressed some clients have other issues they also would like assistance with. The number is sessions is always discussed with the therapist and client. The client is the one who ultimately decides if they require more sessions or if their issue has been resolved satisfactorily.

Sometimes it can take a few sessions to get to the root cause of an issue as the problem may have been present for decades or deeply enmeshed within the client’s system.

Also if your issues/problems are outside of my area of expertise I will work with you to suggest and find a more suitable therapist/therapy match.

4.Why is Somatic Therapy important?

Because the body stores unprocessed emotions and faulty beliefs this can disrupt the balance of the nervous system and cause the person to be living in chronic stress states. Chronic stress states can lead to chronic illness, injury & pain. What is going on in the mind is reflected in the state of the body. Change what is held in the body and it often changes the mind-thoughts & beliefs. Increasing our conscious awareness is vital in getting to the root cause of the issues.

5. What happens in a Somatic Therapy & Counselling session?

The therapist provides a safe space for the client & asks questions that invite the client to connect with their body & their thoughts more clearly so the client can discover what is at the root of their problems. Sometimes when releasing or integrating unprocessed emotions or changing faulty beliefs the client may have emotional releases like crying, or they may feel other energy release feelings like heat or cold, gentle shaking, yawning, sighing. All these are ok and normal. At the end of the session the therapist will ensure the client is feeling grounded and safe even if their emotions have been aroused.

6· What conditions does Somatic Therapy & Counselling help?

• ·Unresolved traumas/patterns/program

• ·Chronic pain, injury & illness with an emotional component

• ·Chronic stress-

• Feelings or numbness or disconnection or living in the head-

• ·Addresses faulty unhelpful belief systems. Beliefs of ‘not being good enough’, ‘thinking there is something wrong with you’, ‘thinking you are broken’, ‘thinking you are unlovable’ etc-

• Feelings of anxiety & overwhelm-

• Dysregulated and in chronic fight/flight or freeze stress responses that cause imbalance in the body and do not allow the innate immune system to work efficiently-

7. How does Somatic Therapy & Counselling help?

• Learning to be more present with a calm nervous system

• ·Learning to reconnect with our bodies – embody ourselves- pause -become mindful

• ·Ground yourself & provide a stable foundation from which to engage with the world

• Regulate the nervous system and know how to address chronic stress – fight/flight or freeze

• Learning to recognise and sit with safely our inner sensations that may represent our past unresolved issues so they can be integrated for healing

• Reconnecting with our inner wisdom allows us to experience my inner peace, joy, clarity, compassion, safety & unconditional love - who doesn't want more of these qualities? As a result our health & relationships & circumstances quite often improve.

8. Does private health insurance cover these sessions?

No. Private health funds do not cover Somatic Therapy & Counselling.