SERVICES
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Accessing the Wisdom of the Body
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is a gentle, yet profound, somatic-focused approach to addressing and healing from unresolved trauma and negative stuck patterns. Unlike traditional talk therapies, which primarily engage with a person’s words and narratives, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy explores physical sensations and other sensory experiences to access and resolve issues that may be deeply rooted in the body.
This method recognizes that traumatic experiences, and relational wounding from our childhood, disrupts the normal functioning of the nervous system and it doesn't always return to baseline after the traumatic event has ended. Consequently, trauma can become stored in the body and re-emerge, leading to various physical sensations and symptoms.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP) was developed to address these unprocessed traumas and their symptoms.
It is a body-focused approach that emphasizes that beneath the conscious verbal account of trauma lies a somatic narrative rich with information essential for healing. By exploring and understanding the physical impact of past traumas, and learning to monitor bodily and emotional responses to triggers, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy taps into the body’s inherent wisdom to facilitate healing.
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Fundamentally, SP provides an empathic, compassionate and curious space to help you understand your experience, use the body as your best resource for deep healing so you can enjoy life with a greater vitality and freedom.
How Sensorimotor Psychotherapy can help
This approach can be especially helpful for individuals who have experienced:
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PTSD: Providing tools to manage and process traumatic activation and memories that may be repeatedly triggered.
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Childhood abuse and Complex-PTSD: Child state and memory reconsolidation work to profoundly heal from the impacts of past abuse.
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Depression and anxiety: Resourcing and stabilizing your nervous system to alleviate symptoms and restore emotional balance.
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Addictions and substance dependency: Supporting recovery by exploring and resolving behaviour patterns and underlying trauma.
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Anger and other emotional difficulties: Helping to regulate and navigate intense emotions.
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Relationship issues: Attachment repair to help improve interpersonal dynamics and fostering healthier connections.​
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Self Worth and low confidence: Learn to access Insight/Wise Mind and build greater self-compassion.
How Sensorimotor Works
During our sessions, we learn to engage in mindfullness to explore the struggles you want to address. We will pay attention to physical sensations, movements, and postures, as well as emotions, beliefs and thoughts that emerge as part of your present moment experience. Studying our experience this way helps us to understand what needs to happen in order for you to feel better.
Techniques may include studying your felt-sense experience, guided body awareness exercises, somatic resourcing and/or movement exploration designed to help you reconnect with your body and access it's wisdom. We might explore emotions, beliefs and memories form the past that you feel are connected to your present struggle. Processing of trauma in a non-verbal, experiential manner is particularly beneficial for those who find traditional talk therapy insufficient.
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Treatment goes at a pace that feels right for you. We keep sight of the Window of Tolerance and a Phased approach to trauma treatment to make sure we work within what feels tolerable for you and what you are curious about.
By addressing the physiological aspects of trauma, SP supports the integration of mind and body, fostering a sense of safety and control. This holistic approach not only helps alleviate symptoms of trauma but also promotes long-term emotional resilience and well-being.
Ready to Get Started?
Do you have questions about Sensorimotor Psychotherapy? Contact me today and I will be in touch within two business days.
All my sessions are online using Doxy Videoconferencing. Online sessions are an accessible and equally effective way of doing somatic psychotherapy.
I offer a free 20min online meet and greet to give you a chance to meet and get a feel for videoconferencing and to go over any questions you have to help you decide.
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I look forward to meeting you.
