What is Somatic Practice as defined by Kathy Kain?
In 2021 and 2022, I did a training with Kathy Kain that significantly changed my work. Kathy calls her way of working “Somatic Practice” because it’s an “ongoing learning and practice which gradually changes (their) *our* way of working – and being. Thus, it is more accurate to call this work a “practice” rather than naming it as a particular method or modality. »
(quoted from her website – *my change for easier understanding).
Somatic Practice is a practice of being present with the body – both: the client and the practitioner.
Somatic Practice is a holistic approach to addressing trauma and other emotional and physical issues that involve the body and mind. By working with the body and the mind, Somatic Practice helps to release unnecessary holding patterns in the body. It also enables you to create a new positive vocabulary of sensations and feelings.
The new positive way leads to energy, joy, love, pleasure, harmony, and flow.
Mindfulness – Awareness in and with the Body
Mindfulness is an essential aspect of this Practice. It allows for greater awareness of blocks and holding patterns in your body and mind. And then, with an awareness of them, these will change for more fluidity and adaptability. Additionally, with Somatic Practice, we regulate the nervous system, which can improve digestion and relationships.
Overall, the goal is first to regulate the nervous system and then explore and discover new, fulfilling experiences.
The origin of Somatic Practice by Kathy Kain
Kathy Kain’s Somatic Practice incorporates principles from Somatic Experiencing (SE), created by Peter Levine and Sensory Motor Therapy by Pat Odgen. These are well-established trauma therapies focusing on the body and nervous system. Thousands of trauma practitioners and psychotherapists have been trained with these approaches.
What are the signs of Trauma?
You may wonder if you’ve been traumatized… in most people, the theme of hopelessness and helplessness is predominant once there was a traumatic event. This is quite understandable since much trauma comes from childhood experiences in which we didn’t have the resources to stand up for ourselves or escape the awful situation.
Updating old structures and experimenting with positive states
Together we will update this pattern, becoming aware that now, as an adult, you have many more empowering options!
We will discover resources together so that you have new ways to handle crises that make you feel good about yourself. You will become familiar with positive states until your nervous system, which influences your emotional, physical and mental state, is so stabilized that crises are no longer crises but just challenges.
Tensions, pains, accidents and trauma
Another sign of Trauma is unexplainable tension and pains in the body. Because the body wants to defend or fight off and couldn’t, or it didn’t help to do that, the physical system gets stuck in the tension and in constant adrenalin production to keep alert. Which develops into stiff muscles and pain.
Digestion, sleep and social contact and trauma
Inflammation or recurring hurting oneself can also be seen in trauma survivors. And stress hormones can impede sleep… so disturbed sleep patterns can be another way Trauma manifests in one’s life. Difficulties with digestion and social contact can also indicate unresolved trauma.
If you want to find out if and how I could help you, book a 20 minutes free Discovery Session with me here.
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