Somatic Work
About Somatic Work
In Somatic Work, we fully encounter ourselves as the body we perceive, as Soma, from a first-person perspective.
We pay close attention to the sensations, breathing, and flow within our bodies at this very moment. We see the body as a wise memory repository where our lives and history are recorded. The subtle ripples of breathing, the relaxation and contraction of muscles, the warmth on our skin, and the pleasure that wells up within—all these phenomena are a vivid language that proves that the body is alive here and now.
We listen to this unique body language and delicately accompany it, allowing its flow to continue naturally.
How it works:
Stabilizes and activates the nervous system
Our work is based on the window of tolerance that our nervous system can tolerate.
Comfort is a state in which the parasympathetic nervous system is activated, preparing the body for rest and digestion. Only when this stable state is secured can our body process sensations. Pleasure emerges as an expression of vitality when the sympathetic nervous system is healthy and activated within this comfortable foundation.
We repeat this process of securing the capacity of our nervous system through comfort and then filling it with the energy of greater and clearer pleasure.
We Respect and Accept Your Body
We view the body as a subject of experience and a wise being with the ability to heal itself.
We accept the body's smallest signals and tremors as precious messages. True change begins when we let go of conscious control or intervention and listen to what the body tells us. We allow time for subtle sensory changes to occur and wait for the body to move at its own rhythm.
Within this attitude of respect and acceptance, the body rediscovers forgotten sensations and awakens at its own pace.
Techniques of the Work: Titration and Pendulation
Deep experiences are created through the process of breaking down and digesting sensations into smaller pieces.
We use titration, experiencing sensations slowly and gradually, as if dripping them down one by one. When we repeatedly experience small sensations of comfort and pleasure, our brain accepts and remembers them as safe information.
As this sensory data accumulates, the body no longer tenses up and naturally accepts larger waves of sensation.
Goal:
Restoring self-regulation and senses
The goal of body experience work is to regain control of your body.
You learn self-regulation, the ability to trust your senses and manage your own comfort and pleasure. This is about developing the practical power to live by vividly experiencing and processing life's diverse stimuli with your body.
[Reference] - Hanna, T. (1988). Somatics. (Definition of Soma as first-person perception) - Levine, P. A. (2010). In an Unspoken Voice. (Titration, Pendulation, and Nervous System Regulation) - Johnson, D. H. (1983). Body, Spirit, and Democracy. (The validity of bodily sensation) - Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation. W. W. Norton & Company. (Polyvagal Theory and the neuroception of safety)