A Somatic Paradigm Shift for Transformative Touch

Presented by:
Joe Weldon, PhD
Co-Founder of the Somatic Therapy Center

Description

How often, in your personal experience, have you said these words or have had these thoughts, “I should let go,” “I’ve been trying for years, and I can’t let go,” “If I could just let go, life would be better, I would be better”?

How often have you heard a client express the same in your professional life? How often have you strategized and collaborated with your clients, over and over again, using various creative ways to help them let go, only to discover, to your frustration and theirs, that they just can’t?

As Transformative Touchers, these are the moments and this is the verbal that guides us to touch and listen to the body. When we do, we discover that this verbal belies the actual knowledge of the body. The body begins to show us and tell us that something, someone, or some event actually has a hold on them. The body shares this information through how it tones its muscles. The muscles of a body that are being held are organized differently than the muscles of the body that are holding on. It is essential that our treatment strategies match the knowledge and clarity of the body.

When this clarity is present, the somatic treatment strategy makes sense. If a client is holding on, you safely help them to let go. If, however, a client is being held onto, the strategy has to naturally shift from telling them to let go to helping free them. Freedom is paramount in healing a traumatized soma.

This workshop will use didactic and experiential exercises with attendees (and volunteers) to elucidate the body’s ability to discern holding on from being held onto.

Agenda

• Welcoming and introduction ( 5 minutes)
• Presenting the idea through talk and case examples (30 minutes)
• Personal experience exercise
  - Participants will be directed to note a time they were holding on. Write down what you notice about your body. Share with the group. Now note a time when you were being held onto. Write down what you notice about your body. Share with the group. Highlight the differences. (20 minutes)
• Short demo with one member of the group (10 minutes)
• Professional experience exercise.
  -Ask each participant to think of a client. Go through the same process as above. (20 minutes)
  -Short supervision with one participant (10 minutes)
• Sharing treatment strategies (10 minutes)
• Questions (10 minutes)
• Closing (5 minutes)
• Overtime questions (10—20 minutes)