Holistic/somatic psychotherapy honors the connection between body, mind, and spirit. Most of us live a certain distance from our bodies. Through holistic/somatic psychotherapy, we begin to bridge the gap between our body and mind, and feel more integrated. Working holistically helps to cut through the mind's defenses, and arrive at layers of meaning and associations in a non-linear way.
Somatic psychotherapy integrates breath, experiential awareness exercises, meditation, mindfulness-based movement, such as yoga, bioenergetics and authentic movement, with traditional techniques of talking and psycho-education in order to create change. The focus of the process remains on your internal experience, or body knowing, in order to tap the inherent wisdom that resides within you.
In somatic psychotherapy we mindfully track our felt sensations in breath, movement and stillness to develop a greater understanding and appreciation of how we have organized ourselves around certain beliefs and habits. Through embodied awareness, we can unlock holding patterns which no longer serve us and create more choices for ourselves. We also have an opportunity to develop greater presence, openness and curiosity toward ourselves and the world around us.
To the degree that clients are interested in holistic approaches to therapy, sessions could integrate elements of:
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
Guided Meditation
Expressive arts
Dreamwork
Authentic movement
"When you know how you are organizing your experience, you become free to organize it in new ways. When you change not just what you experience, but how you experience, you have transcended…you now have new options.”
– Ron Kurtz
Our bodies are a gateway to our unconscious feelings and emotions.
Our bodies are the signatures of who we are as expressed through movement patterns, gesture, voice, and facial expressions.
It is through our bodies that we experience transformation, as change can only occur in the present.
Sayun Scotton, MA, MFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Therapy and Counseling Downtown Los Angeles | Pasadena
Pasadena and Los Angeles Therapy and Counseling 323 | 878 - 5588
Pasadena location :: 1191 E. Walnut St, #103, Pasadena, CA 91106 sayunscotton@gmail.com
Downtown LA location :: 714 W. Olympic Blvd, #949, Los Angeles, CA 90015 (323) 878-5588
“If we are really going to integrate the body, we must do so in a way that acknowledges the intelligence and individual motivation of each part.” -- Susan Aposhyan
-- Susan Aposhyan