Somatic Approaches in Therapy Summit

Introduction

• Speaker: Raymon Rodriguez, Clinical Social Worker
  • Interests: Immigration, diversity, LGBTQAI+ empowerment, spirituality, marginalized communities.
• Guest: Stacy Hines
  • Author of "Politics of Trauma" and "Healing Sex."
  • Co-founder of Generative Somatics, focuses on social justice.
  • Senior teacher at Strosi Institute.

Key Concepts Discussed

Individual and Collective Trauma

• Interconnection: Individual and collective trauma are inseparable.
• Root Causes: Questions about violence, oppression, trauma lead to collective understanding.
• Social Norms: Traumatizing experiences like sexism, racism, child abuse are ingrained in societal norms.
• Transformation: Personal and collective transformation are linked.

Somatic Awareness in Healing

• Somatic Practices: Essential for addressing trauma.
• Embodiment of Social Conditions: Unaware of how we embody societal norms.
• Soma Definition: The living organism in wholeness (thinking, emotional, sensing, relational self).
• Core Needs: Safety, belonging, connection, worth/dignity.
• Transformation: Memories and strategies from trauma live in our tissues; unpacking them aids healing.

Practices for Therapists and Clients

• Somatic Awareness: Notice habitual tension, posture, movements.
• Resilience Practices: Cultivate resilience through recalling joyful, lively experiences.
• Calmness vs. Activation: Allow natural excitation of protective impulses before calmness.

Demonstrated Practices

Contracting and Relaxing

• Purpose: Respect contraction as a protective strategy.
• Method: Sequential tension and release in different body parts.

Intimate Decline (Boundaries)

• Practice: Say "no" while maintaining connection.
• Importance: Helps build relational closeness without sacrificing personal needs.

Regenerating Safety

Boundaries and Requests

• Types of Boundaries: Intimate decline, redirect decline, push-away.
• Making Requests: Based on needs, reinforcing self-worth.

Somatic Allyship

• Concept: Support and protection, akin to geese supporting each other.
• Application: Physical positioning and verbal support to build a sense of allyship.

Handling Withheld Emotions

• Wave of Aliveness: Emotions have a natural wave cycle; allow full cycle for healing.
• Embodied Emotions: Root emotional experiences in sensation to avoid dissociative expression.

Therapist's Somatic Development

• Practices: Daily embodiment practices (exercise, meditation) focusing on sensation.
• Healing Path: Engage in personal healing and cultivation constantly.
• Cultivating Intimacy: Build deeper interdependence and connection with others.

Conclusion

• Connection and Intimacy: Essential for healing and personal growth.
• Final Thoughts: Encourage ongoing practice and exploration of somatic connection for personal and collective healing.