Somatic talk therapy aka. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP): Beyond insight of simply talking, Pat Ogden’s Sensorimotor Psychotherapy re-creates an experience to discover unconscious sabotaging “maps”—and updates them. These maps mis-guide beliefs and defensive strategies to help a child adapt to a family environment that does not quite fit our needs-even in the most loving homes. In SP we use mindfulness invite unconscious maps to the surface to understand and change them. I might ask, "As you feel that tightness in your chest, what belief about yourself goes with it?" I teach clients how to mindfully notice and allow this key information to come to them, and work with it. SP can be life transforming.

Somatic Resourcing is a Sensorimotor Psychotherapy process that takes a positive, often empowering experience, and “anchors” the experience in the nervous system. Neurons that fire together, wire together. Somatic means the body, and we study how the body reactions to new information, stores old information and holds the intelligence to heal trauma and old childhood sabotaging behaviors. Resourcing can strengthen well being and empowerment.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) developed by Francine Shapiro to change neural memories from negative events, PTSD and other types of trauma. It uses alternating bilateral visual, tactile or auditory stimulation such as watching a light move back and forth. This is done while holding a distressing image or memory in mind. It activates a memory chain related to the event. This softens, or deactivates, the triggering aspects of a memory to create a sense of resolution and safety.

Mindfulness is a witnessing state of consciousness. It helps create a safe environment for unconscious information to bubble up into consciousness to observe, and with SP study. It is a deepened awareness of present moment experiences with curiosity and non-judgment. We use mindfulness to study how experiences filter through a person's inner lens.

The Mind-Body connection is a unit. All experience is felt through the body, and both strongly influence the other. Mindful witnessing of the mind-body connection helps us uncover how a person habitually interprets incoming information.

Thought distortions: As young children we are easily overwhelmed, not quite logical, consider ourselves the center of the universe and thus feel responsible for how others treat us. Our need for emotional security is as strong as the need for food or water. When caregivers do not adequately meet our needs (emotional or otherwise), we create thought distortions that are beliefs or defensive strategies to cope. Examples include: “I’m bad;” “I’ve got to be perfect to be loved” or “It’s not ok to ask for what I need.”