Somatic Foundations
It is important to understand that in order to best meet the nuanced needs and breadth of a client’s nervous system, we need to have a variety of skills at our disposal. At times, a breathwork journey may be too stimulating or activating for a client’s nervous system. And for breathwork journeys that may be particularly activating, even for experienced breathers, it is important to have a more gentle and slow approach to integrating and processing what may arise during such a breathwork experience. Additionally, somatic therapeutic practices are a phenomenal tool for cultivating greater awareness of sensation, imagery, behaviour (movement), affect (emotion), and meaning-making. Somatic-based interventions can be used as a primer before a breathwork session, can be the entire session itself, can be interchanged with (and greatly complement) practices such as CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), and coaching skills, and is an impeccable integration tool for both breathwork and psychedelic journeys.
What is Somatic Therapy?
Soma is an Ancient Greek word, meaning "body". Somatic Therapy is a body-based approach to addressing Mental, Emotional, Physical and Spiritual well-being. This holistic therapy helps clients discover how their beliefs, emotions, and physical sensations are all interconnected. Rather than being trapped in painful patterns, through mindful awareness clients can practice embodied interventions that interrupt the cycle of old behaviour, in order to create positive change.
Cultivating Somatic Sensory Awareness
When we shift our primary focus away from analysis, meaning-making, interpretation or a narrative-driven description of the historical issue, practitioners help clients to notice and name present-moment experiences by inquiring about the present-moment sensations, movements, images, emotions and thoughts. We pose the question, “What is happening now?”
S-I-B-A-M is a map that was developed by Peter Levine PhD, to help explore present moment experience.
S-I-B-A-M: The languages of the body
SIBAM is an acronym that outlines the languages of the body:
Sensation
Imagery
Behaviour (movement)
Affect (emotion)
Meaning-making
