You may have heard that if you put on a happy face, you’ll actually start to feel better.
But did you know that the physical patterns of our body not only reflect how we’re feeling inside but can actually cause those feelings?
When it comes to working with trauma patients, noticing patterns and changes in body language gives us greater insight into what patients are experiencing. We can also use these observations to develop healthy body
exercises that patients can use to help manage their symptoms.
Pat Ogden, PhD, is the founder and director of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, which provides training in somatic and body-based approaches to trauma treatment.
Please check out the video below for one way to work with the body in the treatment of trauma.
The effects of trauma run so deep that they often become ingrained in our patients’ body language.
By using a body-oriented approach to treatment, we can recognize and use these body patterns to help people further understand and explore their trauma.
To what extent do you use a body-oriented approach when choosing interventions for your patients? Please leave us a comment below.
Barbara Busse says
When are you going to have ADTA registered dance/ movement therapists who work with trauma and the body as your presenters? Several of them have been working succesfully with trauma and the body for many years – probably longer than yourself and some of your other presenters.
Suzi Woodard says
That might be interesting, but for those of us who are not registered dance/movement therapists (probably the majority of us watching this video), those strategies would not be useful, as we would not be qualified to use them with clients. It would be like learning about the powerful massage therapy techniques that can be incredibly helpful in work with trauma survivors. I would prefer to have NICABM presenters share ideas that we can all use.
Jan Strokappe says
When I first picked up Pat Ogden’s book “Trauma and the Body” things changed for me. When I would talk to clients, they would point to their ear and say “I hear what you are saying”, then they would point to their heart and say “but I don’t feel it here”. That’s when I started to put the work of Pat Ogden in my practice. Thank you.
Lily says
I’m experiencing deep healing using Yoga Nidra which brings me the deepest relaxation I’ve ever known. I started with a cd by Dr. Richard Miller, Resting in Stillness: Integrative Restoration – Irest Yoga Nidra.
I also plan to explore somatic meditation as taught by Reggie Ray. He has free audio teachings on his website, Dharma Ocean.
Ivan says
Watching Pat Ogden reminds me of Rossi’s work in mind-body therapy.
Judith Carlisle says
As a therapist who has worked with severe combat PTSD for many years I have learned basic techniques in somatic therapy. I always use the motto with my patients that “The body remembers” and education of neuroscience and rewiring. Neuroscience has allowed therapists to be much better salespeople for hope! I am puzzled right now for what to do with a specific client. He is a police officer who a few years ago was in his police car watching a colleague shot and killed, later finding out that it was meant to be him. He taps on the table and he describes tapping on the door by the window near the lock when this was happening. He went to talking therapy for two years and was helped but still wakes up to night terrors we he finds himself tapping on his hand the same way he taps on the door. I am not sure if we should simply reduce this response through attention and soothing or go further into it. I am not often puzzled but for some reason I sense I do not have the best practice here in my toolbox. Any suggestions would be appreciated both for what I may be able to do or what to refer out for. Meditation and somatic work and homework of Jon Kabbat Zen have provided him with much relief but this tapping persists. Thanks Ruth. Great video…
Sharon Plaskett says
Thank you for sharing this. I would like to share two thoughts. In listening to the video above (and from working with my own clients) the concept I hear is that I can ask the client: “I notice this movement (posture, or behavior) keeps happening at this time, what meaning might this have for you? What is your body telling you?” Or questions along that line. The theory is that we always do our best to cope and that the body is doing this for a “good” reason, not a bad one. As a facilitator, I cannot interpret what the phenomena exactly means, but I can trust the client to do so. This then helps the client to trust themselves..which is critical in healing trauma. If the client does not consciously know why, still we can focus on the simplicity of the action itself, and what is happening within the body when that action takes place. (This is something safer to talk about than the trauma) Then we can do some relaxation (or other appropriate) technique just to get to the why of it. It is like a back door to the conscious mind: instead of changing my consciousness in order to change a phenomena, focus on what job the phenomena is trying to do…the consciousness may then change as well. Otherwise it is like trying to calm a child without finding out why they are crying…the phenomena has a message and a purpose.
My second thought is about the comment by Deborah E-Platt. I also use a modality that incorporates holding “two areas at the same time”. In this case, we use the hands and at times, certain acupressure points. (This therapy is called AMSTAR: Amazingly Simple Trauma Release.) The point being, that often, using simple touch combined with two areas of focus, can allow the body system (which is electro-magnetic) to access a pathway that allows a subconscious, incomplete physical message, task, or movement the possibility of “somewhere to go”, thereby facilitating a shift or change of awareness, or release. This can feel like the completion of a task that got left undone, or violently brought to a halt because of our body’s normal actions to protect ourselves. When the client experiences this release, they often then get the opportunity to put this information into a new “context”. The subconscious message finally makes it up to the neo-cortex. It is wonderful to see and experience this type of empowerment with the client. Thank you for your comment.
Kristin says
It’s interesting that your client is finding himself doing a tapping gesture when he is reexperiencing the trauma. There’s a somatic technique called “tapping in” or “resource tapping” that can be helpful for recovering from trauma (e.g. see book or Youtube videos by Laurel Parnell). It supposedly functions in a similar way to EMDR but can be self-guided – the key is that it uses bilateral stimulation, tapping on both sides of the body, which may encourage brain hemisphere integration and help resolve posttraumatic symptoms. EFT tapping is another technique that some find useful, particularly for anxiety.
Michelle McAlpin says
A Rolfer taught me a simple exercise for reminding the muscles in the upper back of their role in keeping the body upright and the chest open. I frequently teach this to students and friends who are feeling “down” as a way to help open the heart/chest and to permit more optimistic feelings to emerge. And I use it myself especially challenging days.
Ginger Ingalls says
Dropping down into the body, as recommended by a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist who recently worked with me, to regain trust is essential. I also am a BCST practitioner.
Cyndi Fonda says
Thank you for this great reminder. I experienced a life and death trauma and After watching this video I started to be aware of my own patterns when I got triggered.i noticed that I bring my hands together at my chest, and hold them tightly, in a fist, at my chest. Sometimes I grasp them at my solar plexus. It is as if my heart will jump out of my body and I am holding it tightly so my heart does not jump out of my body. I will start asking my body to give me more info when I find myself doing this. Thanks for the awareness.
Terry says
Thanks for reminding us to notice the client and what they are already doing to promote calm and healing, and bringing this to their attention. A powerful example.
Deborah E-Platt says
It’s wonderful to see articles that incorporate the concept of utilizing bodywork for those who’ve been through trauma in it’s various forms. I’ve been a professional massage therapist for 25 years & a Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner for nearly 17 years.
Early in my career I attended a 1 day conference which was for psychologists & psychotherapists, because it was on the topic of working with women who had been victims of sexual abuse assault/rape. I was surprised that they didn’t bring up those who’d been through it as children & the differences that can cause in terms of the depth of the trauma. What I felt was even more surprising was that they never once brought up anything about touch, as in bodywork.
I brought up the matter of how massage therapy can help someone to reconnect into the body, and in the process help them to feel safe being in it, as well as how it may be helpful for them to relate to sexuality again. Nearly everyone looked at me as if I had 2 heads at the time. The focus was obviously only on how to work with someone from the perspective of counseling, which was what the talk was geared toward. Hopefully what I had to say sparked someone there to consider thinking outside the box that day.
Body oriented therapies are crucial for anyone who has undergone mental/emotional/physical loss & grief, plus injuries of almost any type. This is especially true for infants & young children, as well as adults who have a history of childhood trauma, and abandonment issues as well. (By abandonment I’m referring to those who were separated either at birth, or later as young children, and were either adopted or raised in foster care.
Back to Jin Shin Jyutsu & it’s use for trauma/PTSD related issues.
I can’t say enough about how this form of Vibrational Healing transformed my bodywork sessions. It’s an ancient healing art that involves holding 2 areas at a time, then moving through a specific sequence of these holds. We practitioners determine what we need to do in several ways, from seeing how a person moves, as well as their body posture when they are laying on the table. At the end of a treatment each client is given simple self help holds to give themselves on a daily basis, which helps them to help themselves. (I’m a big proponent of them taking responsibility for giving themselves self love in this way).
Beyond the use of body reading, we also listen to the energetic pulses, much like an acupuncturist would do. All of these things, as well as feeling the textures of the tissues provides us with guidance as to what is needed. Sessions allow the individual to relax very deeply, releasing mentally, emotionally & physically in such a way that they feel both subtle & profound shifts in their daily lives, with pain relief, as well as changes in their way of thinking & feeling.
I’ve worked with cancer & heart patients, as well as children with asthma, social & generalized anxiety, and many people who’ve been traumatized in a variety of ways. It has been both an honor & a blessing to be witness to the power of JSJ & bodywork in making a difference in people’s lives. If anyone is interested in learning more about Jin Shin Jyutsu, look up the book
A Touch of Healing by Alice Burmeister, or you can go to jsjinc.net for information on classes.
Jan says
Hello. I was wondering if I may contact you directly.
Thank You,
Jan
Deborah E-Platt says
It’s wonderful to see articles that incorporate the concept of utilizing bodywork for those who’ve been through trauma in it’s various forms. I’ve been a professional massage therapist for 25 years & a Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner for nearly 17 years.
Early in my career I attended a 1 day conference which was for psychologists & psychotherapists, because it was on the topic of working with women who had been victims of sexual abuse assault/rape. I was surprised that they didn’t bring up those who’d been through it as children & the differences that can cause in terms of the depth of the trauma. What I felt was even more surprising was that they never once brought up anything about touch, as in bodywork.
I brought up the matter of how massage therapy can help someone to reconnect into the body, and in the process help them to feel safe being in it, as well as how it may be helpful for them to relate to sexuality again. Nearly everyone looked at me as if I had 2 heads at the time. The focus was obviously only on how to work with someone from the perspective of counseling, which was what the talk was geared toward. Hopefully what I had to say sparked someone there to consider thinking outside the box that day.
Body oriented therapies are crucial for anyone who has undergone mental/emotional/physical loss & grief, plus injuries of almost any type. This is especially true for infants & young children, as well as adults who have a history of childhood trauma, and abandonment issues as well. (By abandonment I’m referring to those who were separated either at birth, or later as young children, and were either adopted or raised in foster care.
Back to Jin Shin Jyutsu & it’s use for trauma/PTSD related issues.
I can’t say enough about how this form of Vibrational Healing transformed my bodywork sessions. It’s an ancient healing art that involves holding 2 areas at a time, then moving through a specific sequence of these holds. We practitioners determine what we need to do in several ways, from seeing how a person moves, as well as their body posture when they are laying on the table. At the end of a treatment each client is given simple self help holds to give themselves on a daily basis, which helps them to help themselves. (I’m a big proponent of them taking responsibility for giving themselves self love in this way).
Beyond the use of body reading, we also listen to the energetic pulses, much like an acupuncturist would do. All of these things, as well as feeling the textures of the tissues provides us with guidance as to what is needed. Sessions allow the individual to relax very deeply, releasing mentally, emotionally & physically in such a way that they feel both subtle & profound shifts in their daily lives, with pain relief, as well as changes in their way of thinking & feeling.
I’ve worked with cancer & heart patients, as well as children with asthma, social & generalized anxiety, and many people who’ve been traumatized in a variety of ways. It has been both an honor & a blessing to be witness to the power of JSJ & bodywork in making a difference in people’s lives. If anyone is interested in learning more about Jin Shin Jyutsu, look up the book
A Touch of Healing by Alice Burmeister, or you can go to jsjinc.net for information on classes.
Deborah E-Platt says
Of course you contact me Jan. I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Jan says
I was wondering how I might contact you privately. Again, Thank You so much. Jan
Dr Indira Patil says
I handled a n anxiety patient with low self esteem, lack of confidence and intense seperation anxiety.by changing his posture.
Andrew Robinson says
I can see how negative automatic thinking goes hand in hand with the reinforced body language.
I’m from earthquake City New Zealand, and have found Tara Brach meditations very helpful, along with group therapy
Thank You
Terri Green says
Are you aware of the Wonder Woman Pose and it’s positive effects on cortisol and testosterone levels in the body? Two minutes in the pose and I am stronger and happier!
Donna Stevenson says
I’m an Advanced Classical Pilates Instructor and Physiotherapy Assistant working with many people one-on-one of various ages and backgrounds, almost all with serious physical and emotional effect of trauma ranging from sports concussion, surgery, changes in marital status, death and other loss, discouragement with physical changes in mid-life. I have been engaged in this profession 15 yrs.
At 70 yrs, I have had my own history of trauma. What I’ve found to be most effective, and rewarding, is teaching full and proper breathing while moving. The breath moves you and you move the breath. It’s meditative and natural. At the end of the workout session, most are noticeably relaxed, calm and energized in a holistic way.
I love my work.
Ealine Kissel says
To be totally aware of every element of my client’s self expression is crucial to helping them heal, not just body language, verbal too. I understand the body is often the messenger, the container and the victim of emotional issues. The subconscious mind uses the body constantly to attempt to get the conscious mind’s attention when it has failed to get through to consciousness through thoughts and dreams. So called body language, as has been explained by Dr, Ogden is more often a symbolic or metaphoric expression of what is going on deep inside the mind. I teach my clients to dialog with their bodies and their subconscious minds when in self hypnosis.. It is necessary for us to recognize and employ the mind body relationship to its best advantage.
Sybil says
Beautiful and moving work.
I use Somatic Experience and also-am very aware that my own self regulation is vital in the process.
Suzy says
I use a body-oriented approach with myself every day. Awareness and connecting the dots from trauma to behavior and body language is key. You have to slow down enough to feel it and notice.
Thank you Pat for sharing your knowledge.
Thank you Ruth for reaching out.
I am healing.
Kate Carlin says
I started a relaxation group for cancer patients just over 12 months ago. We sit in chairs during the session. I noticed that when it is over, the patients tend to go through a series of movements. Now we have developed a ritual of movement after the relaxation session which tends to sooth and hold the possitive and calming thoughts. This is something they developed quite unconsciously and I was able to whitness it and help them develp.
I look forward to this group every week and I am about to start one for carers of cancer patients. It will be interesting to see if they develop the same movement rituals.
Rosemary Harper says
I have read all the comments and watched the video. These comments really impressed me and as someone who has worked with trauma and has been healing from PTSD (using all my knowledge for this), I just want to add that EFT in some form helps too. Callaghan’s freedom techniques seem to work (tapping the meridians around face and hands). No one has mentioned these yet. Also what helped me was “put on a happy face”. Why not? I used Positive Activity Planning too – going to funny movies, nice outdoor walks, dancing – still can’t find good dancing where I live, drumming – anything moving.
I went to Art therapy and later transmuted this into art itself. Painting in large wild ways seems to be the thing for me. Then I learned that in art circles, that is most respected! I still cannot return to counseling – as it was a work trauma – maybe one day?
What I have learned is that trauma can be so deep in the body that it calls up traumas from the past that one barely knows exist. But the body still remembers everything that has happened to it. So, I suppose healing is a lifetime occupation.
Janis Adkins says
I use tapping quiet effectively, did a huge release just today. See post below
M. Hayden says
interesting
e says
most of the time
Merilee Perrine says
Quite interesting discussion of noticing body movements that can heal or that matter harm patients. I am a mind, body, spirit counselor and immediately thought about the hands in prayer brings comfort to those who practice this form of communication. When practicing yoga the use of hands with Namaste and balance. Thought even of putting bottom of feet together brings balanced connection of the body. Touching others holding hands (with permission), massage of hands and feet brings such peace and healing. Trauma short circuits the connections between self and others with broken trust and fear. Laying on of hands brings healing when touched appropriately to receive blessings not curses. Plan to meditate more about this and share with other counselors to be aware of body movements that can help heal emotional, physical, and spiritual traumas.
Colette Pelletier, Regina, Canada says
I use gentle seated yoga and meditations to help people become more acquainted with their bodies. Thank you for the video by Dr. Ogden.
Steven Bulcroft, MFT Yreka, CA USA says
I often use body postures and movements in my clients to inform me of states of stress and other emotions as well as assign movement oriented mindfulness meditations. When doing EMDR it is important to pay attention to body sensations and get the client to focus on these areas as well. In the past I have used dance in therapeutic way as well. I have also referred extremely tense individuals to body therapists (chiropractors, massage, etc.) to help unlock some of these tensions.
Candice Montero says
Pushing a client’s interest in outdoor activites can melt away tension built up dealing with the trauma. Hiking, yard work, or playing a simple game of hoops can be effective in also improving sleep.
Janis Adkins says
Watching my body sensations and actions have been a huge part of how I have healed. Currently doing tapping and it has been extremely effective. I Tapped after I lost my biz back in 08, I was super depressed to the point of suicide. I walked for hours and tapped. Tapped on gratitude, on self love, often times just tapping the Metta phrases. All of this pulled me out of a very dark and destructive place, no drugs just tapping and looking at beauty.
My go to safe hand position is to my belly, placing my hand on my belly and letting my little girl know she is safe. That ‘we’ would be fine etc.
Another extremely effective technique for me has been an Ayurvedic procedure called Netra Basti, I call it butter eyes. Yes I have warm ghee poured into my eyes, this has taken away my very severe body spasms, my whole body would go completely rigid, twist, contort, and my knees would buckle. Like an electrical current running through me. I often wondered if this was a kind of Somatic shaking ?? Anyway the butter (ghee) STOPPED the spasms I have very small short ones now. Not often, I would do more ghee treatments if I could afford to but right now I can not.
Going back to body sensations and these spasms, I never thought of them as a bad thing even though many thought I should see a traditional doctor about it. I always considered them a energy release. So this was a good thing. But they did get extreme for awhile after loosing everything. Ayurvedicaly they said my nervous system was so dry, frail that the energy could not move smoothly, the energy would get stuck in my meridians and literally snap through thus causing the spasm. It really makes sense to me this way. They the spasms hurt quite a lot. But was so extreme I could do nothing but be with it.
Past traumas in my life are extreme themselves so it all makes sense. In short I lived in a cult at a very young age 6- 10 I do not remember most of it. But what I do remember is pretty awful. My therapist have all called it torture.
With that I can say I have healed so much, I am very blessed for the gifts I have received because of this horror. That is why I share with you all now. Because my healing has been such a wonderful journey. I am truly blessed that way.
Thank you and Nameste
Janis Adkins
Satya says
Worth exploring Trauma release Exercises and doing regular practice. The spasams can be expected to diminish considerably.
Janis Adkins says
Hello Satya thank you, I do not know what regular practices you are referring to. However I have been in so many modes of healing its hard to keep trying new ones. One because it is costly and two I am really sick of explaining my situation. Three tapping has been super effective. Had a session today and the whole spasm thing happened in this session, we do think there is a memory behind it all. This is new for me. But now it all makes sense
Thank you, blessings
Janis
Lisa says
Dear Janis,
I too have experienced periodic body spasms over the past two years which I believe stem from my body’s healing from a serious car accident I was in. The first bout of spasms happened about two weeks after the accident (at that point my body was very swollen and bruised and had limited capacity for mobility). As a dancer I knew that my body would only do what was in its best interest if I let it. SO I allowed my body to writhe and shake and spasm and contort, gently witnessing its process. The first spasm session (we will call it) lasted about 3 hours. After that my body engaged in shorter sessions (about 20 minutes) every day for about two weeks. After that it was about 2-3 times per week and gradually dissipated to one spasm session every month or two. These sessions also became shorter in duration, sometimes only lasting a minute or two. It has been astounding and beautiful to witness my body heal my being from the trauma of the accident (emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically) as it is directly connected to all of these aspects. Just wanted to share my experience with body spasms with you Janet. In gratitude, Lisa
Susan says
I enjoy hearing about new therapeutic approaches. Too many emails are being sent out. I’m tempted to remove my email address from your list serve to manage my inbox. Please stop sending out so many emails. It’s not effective marketing. Cut it back to 25% please.
Morgan says
the name of my counseling practice is Bodymind Counseling. I do not believe that we can treat any given patient by looking only at the mind, but must consider the body. Is she drinking too much coffee or using cannabis or alcohol; is she having a bad reaction to pscyhopharms; is she not getting enough exercise; doe she not breathe or sleep enough; is her microbiome balanced, etc. Once the patient understands that her brain in in her body and she must have a healthy lifestyle, she can actually be helped by extended psychotherapy or, as is very often the case, may not need it. I refer patients to neurofeedback who suffer from PTSD and ADHD…
Donna Sewell MS Utah Brain Gym(R) and Body Code Facilitator says
There is a piece of body language that I’ve used as a tool for whenever I feel stressful energy coming on (either around me or in me), and its something I notice people doing a lot of when they are speaking in public. They put their finger tips together, right hand to left hand, in front of them. I was first taught to do this as part of a Brain Gym(R) activity, and found that it not only grounded my hyper-energy, but that of those who were focused on me. When I got into an argument with my husband one day, I quickly put my fingertips together, and in 30 seconds we were both talking calmly. (Just so you know, the electrical stimulation going through my fingers was really strong the whole time!) Also, one day, I observed a teacher in front of a classroom of rowdy teenagers do the same thing. She didn’t say a word, but stood there for about 30 seconds to a minute. By then they were all calm and ready to go to work. As I’m sure you know, hands have big connections in the brain.
Andrew H says
Thank you for this teaching. In addition to being able to use it with my own life, which is always a side benefit of being a therapist, I plan on using this regularly with my clients 🙂
As an EMDR, hypnotherapist, brainspotting, Havening technique therapist I am highly intune with the persons body sensations and use similar discoveries. However your willingness to discuss why she’s comforted by her hands is a great insight.
Hala Buck says
As an integrative Adlerian art therapist I use it all the time. I start with meditation that guides clients to drop into the body and become aware of physical sensations, especially as they relate to the presenting issue, and from there I ask them for the earliest memory that it brings up. From there we move to art therapy, role play allowing the innate wisdom of the body to guide.
In addition to my own ongoing observation of clients’ body language I also want to teach them to become aware themselves of what their body is telling them/us. And how to make that part of their life.
I have found that integrating modalities is the most effective way to help people heal. I find that a holistic body/mind approach really does create a neural integration.
I also will incorporate Energy Psychology when needed.
I believe in the innate wisdom of the body and trust it to guide me and my clients.
Joan Lyns says
Wow, I have been in grief support work for 15 years, a yoga practitioner for 50 years, and an adjunct professor for 25 years in the School of Theology and Ministry and Loss & Healing. I find your research congruent with my personal experience, studies and with the experience of my students and participants in grief support work. I recently found a book, Mindfulness and Grief: with Guided Meditations to Calm Your Mind and Restore Your Spirit, by Heather Stang. Stang brings together mindfulness meditations and practices that allow an individual to tap into their natural resilience, which helps an individual to learn and grow through their grief journey. I, myself, and the grief group support participants, when approaching each moment with mindful awareness and compassion, found our breath and body found safe harbor when overwhelmed or unsteadied by our grief or daily challenges. I see Anne made the same comments on mindfulness. In our grief support the participants record their own discovery descriptions through journaling and sharing their experiences. Thank you for shining light on how one can care for their grieving body.
Pam Gleisser says
I do use body oriented awareness often- it’s so specific and personal that it cuts through to important memories. Thank you for this video with Pat Ogden
Maria Doherty says
I use a visualisation technique which asks the client, where in the body are you feeling this. Almost immediately a spot is identified. I ask them to close their eyes and focus on that spot. We identify the shape it feels, the colour, the sensation, tight or lose. Then picture one aspect of this changing – another shape, another colour, checking in how the feeling is on each step. This provides a tool for releasing. I first used it on myself when learning to ski. I was terrified going up in the chair life and my ski guide talked me through it. It worked like a dream.
Anne O'Connor says
As a young person I discovered that my stomach tightened before my mouth would go into gear and have a tantrum. I trusted that sensation and learned to manage my reaction. From that time on I began to record people’s description of sensations, feelings and gestures as signs of the intensity of their state of mind and situation. These notes would help me to follow how they were doing in their resolution of the situation. In our discussions they also learned to connect the body with what was taking place in their mind and around them. At the time I did not know that this is like mindfulness.
Joy Black says
I am a Healing Tao Qigong (Chi Kung) instructor and practitioner of Medical Qigong. Qigong is a large group of practices that work with the inner force that gives life to all living things, including human beings. That “life force” is affected by trauma, of course, as well as many other things. There are some very simple qigong self-care practices that can help to release trauma, including the Inner Smile Meditation, the Six Healing Sounds (involving sound-vibration and physical postures), breathing practices, various hand placements on the body, and other intentional practices that affect the mind-body connections.
If someone’s trauma is too great to even attempt these self-care practices, certain Medical Qigong treatments, in which a practitioner works with a client’s life force energy to clear, tonify, and rebuild it, can be extremely therapeutic. They can help the client regain the ability to practice self-care.
These practices and therapies have surely improved my own experience of life and health.
Joe Casey says
It is wonderful that “conventional” therapists are at last coming around to methods and practices long familiar to the more advanced EFT, Rebirthing, clinical hypnosis, and NLP practitioners. Everyone working with trauma ought to be familiar, at least, with the work of David Grove, expressed in his work, and even better in ‘Metaphors in Mind’ by Lawley and Tompkins. Also not to be missed is ‘Mind-Body Therapy’ by Rossi and Cheek.
Jerry Ashmore says
The First quadrant of Buddha’s teaching on The Four foundations of Mindfulness is mindfulness of the body. When I teach students meditation I stress the fact that our breathing pattern and bodily sensations are an early warning system for the onset of conflicting emotions.
Jerry Ashmore
Empty Circle Zen Group
Hobart Indiana
Patti says
The Feldenkrais Method has been amazing for me and so many others. It reorganizes your entire nervous system, allowing you to feel your body move in an easier, more organic, comfortable way. Feldenkrais practitioners are highly trained and keenly aware. (Awareness Through Movement is the name of the teaching part of the practice, Functional Integration is the hands-on practice.) I recommend you let the practitioner know you’re dealing with trauma so they can better sense how to help you stay in a comfortable place.
Lisa Perry says
Voice Movement Therapy is a very powerful healing modality.
“It is the first in-depth Expressive Therapy which employs the human voice as its main modality and is readily communicable to people of different cultures and backgrounds. It is both creative and therapeutic in that it requires an exploration of oneself and one’s issues through the contours of the voice and through the creative enactment of one’s personal story in movement and song.” (quoted from the IAVMT website: © 2000 Anne Brownell, MA, LMHC, VMTR.)
Nan Cameron says
I had a client who would go to my basket of soft toys and grab a butterfly pillow to cuddle. When I asked her about this she talked about her memories of how much she loved butterflies and the way they moved. Their seeming fragility and yet their incredible strength in surviving despite that fragility. The butterfly has become a symbol she draws strength from. Listening to Pat I realise how important it is to pay attention to the body language of all my clients.
Joseph Culp says
I am the co-founder of WIYS Embodiment Process (Walking-In-Your-Shoes). For 30 years I have studied, developed and practiced this powerful somatic processing method which combines empathy, intuitive movement and neuro-psychology. It started with studying actors and psychologists and the use of deep empathy. I have seen it work wonders on PTSD, Depression, illness & recovery, attachment disorder, as well as empower people to move beyond coping mechanisms to live the “true self”. WIYS uses the power of intention and natural gifts or empathy and transcendence through spontaneous movement in mindful somatic process we call a “Walk”. (Walking-In-Your-Shoes) The client works with a facilitator to engage in “Walking” any life issue, person or subject. (Family member, relationship, life theme, trauma, even personal projects) A Walk may last from 5 to 30 minutes and can take the client into a deep experience of knowing through the body that helps the client unfold energetic gifts, uncover blocks, and move through resistance and fear that is held in the body from personal or environmental trauma. A Walk accesses information and core beliefs that are often unknown or not experienced by the normal waking consciousness. Walks also invite somatic resourcing through felt sense and this appears to be the only way that the brain can learn and integrate a “missing experience” such as safety or choice. WIYS has a relationship to other methods such as Somatic Experiencing, Hakomi, Focusing, Gestalt, and Constellation Work, but takes the work further in terms of personal resourcing and creative play. One learns through this body-based empathy that you can be “a light unto yourself” and the answers to healing are actually in your body. WIYS technique is now used daily in the U.S. and Europe with Institutes in Los Angeles and Germany. Please visit our website for more information.
Kiaya says
Awesome to see that you do this. I experienced a traumatic event when I was 12 that made the news and all I wanted the therapists to do was go for a “walk and talk”. My issues were about confinement and I didn’t like being in a closed room sitting there. None of them could do it as it broke the rules evidently. Perhaps legal rules of me being a child or something but it ruined my ability to gain therapy and trust at the time. I still look for these programs as an adult. I’m very interested and in outdoor therapy options that do not cost $30-50k/month and geared towards adults. I also like therapy road trips. Talking in the car while getting out of the bubble, helps with perspective.
Talk therapy has always felt like such a waste to me as I have been able to talk until I’m blue in the face. What I have needed is retraining, working and learning with the hands, nurturing, trust in relationships (Not found much with therapists that don’t open themselves up. It’s kinda like talking to an unresponsive parent), and engaging action plans in writing.
I suppose this sounds more like a personal coach and that’s right. I know this mindset would be much more effective. It takes a lot of energy and with that, people working in therapy have to get refilled and practice self care.
We need more training in the areas of concussion and TBI and its effects as well.
Kiaya says
Learning true survival skills. Growing food, Food as Medicine, Cooking, Building, etc.
The main thing that has helped me recently is learning of the Polyvagal Theory and that the autonomic nervous system controls the triggers. The gut micro-biome controls the brain and the reactions. This is something I am able to control with my diet. Very exciting to see the correlation of mood and organic food intake vs processed foods.
Satya says
When I took my practice to a spacious park on sunny days it made such a difference.
Kiaya says
Love it!
Dr Sally Denning says
Using the body as a tool in psychotherapy has been so beneficial in my work with children who have experienced complex, relational trauma. I have used both a movement therapy approach and Dr Pat Ogden’s Sensorimotor Psychotherapy to assist children to discover more about their body, the feeling of their emotions within the body and how to use their body wisdom to calm and resource themselves when feeling overwhelmed.
Florence Davidson says
I always use body-based approaches, because they work so quickly, and gently. The “backbone” of my work with trauma clients is called iRest yoga nidra. The essentials of EMDR are embedded in this practice, which has been around for thousands of years before EMDR was independently rediscovered. And there’s more. My clients who came with PTSD have experienced significant reductions in PTSD symptoms within a few weeks to a few months, and I myself recovered completely from complex PTSD in less than 2 years. I can’t recommend iRest too highly.
Lily says
I’m finding iRest to be deeply healing as well. Thank you for your post, Florence.
E. says
I am attended a biodynamic psychotherapy workshop in Tracht, Kinvara (Ireland) and found it reached very deeply and powerfully into the emotion of my own story without necessarily unearthing specific memories. It appears to me that this approach can go beyond words and narratives, straight to the experiencing and release of blocked emotion.
Maggie Baumann, Trauma Therapist, Newport Beach, CA says
I agree with the wisdom of the body sharing such valuable information … that a client’s words don’t touch. It takes intention and awareness by the therapist to slow things down and observe the client’s body trying to share its wisdom.
Adi, holistic practitioner says
I am a TRE provider and what I love about this bottom up approach is that it’s a) A self-help tool and b) it’s not just “another” technique.
It’s allowing the body to release tension/trauma via a built in mechanism which we seized to use, the tremor/shake mechanism. We simply have to trust our body that it knows what and when to release. By learning how to self regulate the nervous system can adjust according to the body’s release.
Have a look on the TRE main website
Ken. MD, neuroscientist, yoga + meditation teacher says
I posted this above in response to Pat’s post containing a comment suggesting that therapists often ask clients to use a “letting go” process and how that term maybe misleading.
Good point about not a “letting go” process.
Healing from trauma IMO is not a “letting go” process. Ironically, it is a process of adding something POSITIVE in, specifically love compassion and gratitude among other things.Reduction of the “charge” of an unintegrated, disorganized fear-based energy in the mind and body is the goal of treatment.
It is my belief that tear based energy cannot be integrated directly. It must first be transmuted into love based energy. I note with my patients a great resistance to add love to fear. I believe this is the reason many people stay stuck i.e. the resistance to add love to the fear is impaired because they are trapped in what Dr. Joseph Ledoux calls primitive defence circuits that make access to love much more difficult as the patient has entered survival mode. Integration and resolution occurs when the disorganized fear energy gets transmuted into organized love energy where it can be stored in Explicit, autobiographical memory that allows a coherent narrative or integrated story that “makes sense” of a persons negative, traumatic experience of the trauma that occurred in the patient’s life. One of the processes involved uses the hippocampus to “time date stamp” the traumatic memories so the mind and body have a reference point that this has happened in the past and is therefore no longer happening. Indeed, there is growing evidence that the hippocampus and it’s ability to integrate a time on traumatic events is impaired by the stress hormone cortisol and with epinephrine. So, if a patient experiences a traumatic event, the hippocampus goes off-line and is unable to firmly record that trauma into explicit or autobiographical memory, but it remains strongly recorded by the sensory/implicit memory system. It is important to note that the sensory/implicit system is a type of amygdala only recording and these implicit only memories have no basis in time i.e. it is like they are still happening. This, of course is the basis of PTSD.
So, I agree with you in that it is not so much a letting go OUT process as an integrating IN process, Moving highly charged time independent implicit only negative fear energy states into explicit autobiographical time defined Love energy states that become integrated into a coherent narrative and no longer a source of intrusive, disorganized fear based energy.
I believe using the body integrates the left and right hemispheres, integrates the body and the mind, and integrates time independent sensory-based memories with time defined explicit autobiographical memories and all these Love based processes facilitate the transmutation of unmanageable disorganized fear energy into much more manageable and organized love based energy that can be essentially “filed away” and not be such a drain on the patient’s current concentration,consciousness and working memory in day to day life..
On a more personal note, we medical doctors were never trained to even look at the body in relation to the mind. Most MDs are very uncomfortable even with this concept. On a positive note, I believe this is changing, albeit slowly.
Also, sorry for the multiple run-on sentences above but I’m typing this on my iPhone and the screen is tiny!
– thanks for posting this forum Ruth!
Christine says
Thank you for reminding me again!
Hazel Trego says
Using EMDR combined with visualization and Imaginal Nurturing, we process body memories. This is useful with clients who have severe dissociation, including D.I.D. Pain from childhood assaults that parts report can be soothed using this combination.