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The somatic or felt sense experience is the primal language of the body. In the modern world, most of us have become disconnected from our bodies through the effects of trauma and the abstractions of our language and culture.

Our tendency is to describe our felt sense with abstract concepts of “feelings” such as good, bad, happy, sad, angry, etc. But these words perpetuate disconnection between body and mind because they do not recognize the unique details of what is really happening in the sensory experiences of our bodies. Our living bodies are speaking to us all the time, and when we learn to listen, we begin to experience embodiment in new and surprising ways.

Somatic exploration is about reawakening the sensual experience we have of our bodies in the world. By doing this we develop a direct relationship with the inherent healing forces within. These internal forces are where true healing comes from rather than external force. By learning to listen to and follow what these forces are telling us, we become empowered in our own healing process.

Somatic Exploration is useful for exploring and resolving both chronic and acute issues including:

+ Stress management
+ Habits in how we hold and move our bodies
+ Pain & Tension (both chronic & acute)
+ Emotional & Mental Imprints & Patterns
+ Spiritual Issues
+ Embodiment Issues
+ Grief & Shame
+ Effects of Trauma

Somatic exploration can be worked with alone or can be integrated into any other modality including manual therapies and remote healing sessions. It usually involves some verbal interaction as we seek to identify and develop a deeper relationship with the sensual language of the body. This can range widely from very specific anatomical sensations to more abstract images, memories and waking dreams. Every session of Somatic Exploration is completely unique to the individual and what is emergent in their process.

Sensation Lexicon

The following document is a list of sensation words that can be helpful in developing language to describe our somatic experiences. The more we are able to recognize the details inherent in our felt sense, the more connections we are able to make in our experience of our bodies. Connections bring recognition and integration which leads to fluidity, resolution of chronic patterns, and coherence between all systems of the body.