BEYOND BODY AWARENESS: SOMATIC INTERVENTIONS TO DEEPEN CLIENT WORK - Somatic interventions to increase client insight and develop a ‘Corrective Experience’.

With the development of neuroscience and its emphasis on the necessity of working with the body for effective therapeutic work, more practitioners are bringing work with the body into the therapy room. The most common method for doing this is to focus on the development of Insight. In this process, the therapist teases out themes, patterns and repetitions that are occurring at a level of body awareness or mindfulness. Insight develops and self-knowledge increases. However, as with traditional therapeutic approaches, other somatic interventions are available to deepen the therapeutic effectiveness of working with the body.

The somatic therapist may provide a somatic corrective experience. Recognising that something in the life experience of the client is missing, they empathically provide a somatic intervention that address this missing piece. Alternatively, the somatic relational dynamics may come to the fore. The therapist tunes into what is happening in her own somatic process as well as that of the client and the impact this resonance is having on their work together. This impact is then explored directly in the here and now with reference to body awareness and energetic processes. There is negotiation at the ‘intimate edge’ (Ehrenberg 1974) between client and therapist and in an effective somatic therapy session the therapist may move from one to the other as appropriate.

This one-day experiential workshop will attend to these different ways that are therapeutically effective in bringing the body into the therapy room.

In particular focus will be given to (a) Ways to develop knowledge of and deepen body awareness, (b) methods that may assist moving from insight and awareness to ‘Corrective Experience’, (c) exploring somatic interventions that can assist in the provision of a corrective experience, (d) exploring different ways to bring the interactive relational dynamics into the session from a somatic perspective.

Feedback from Narelle's recent presentations of this training:

“Would love to have Narelle do a seminar on Touch and its application with the therapeutic process”

“Really great PD full of excellent information to think about and apply. Good to know that I am on the right track by having it reinforced in this PD.”

“This is excellent training. Narelle is an excellent presenter. I feel excited by what I’ve learnt and I intend on exploring this area to increase my skills. Very exciting, informative seminar. Experiential is the best.”

“I find the PD’s very informative and educational for me as a beginner in this field.”

“Brilliant – lots of small GP exercises – working through.”

“Excellent! So glad I came”

“Good use of practical exercises/role-plays”

“This was my first PD and I was impressed with everything! The content was useful and insightful and Narelle was very engaging as a presenter.”

“The highlight for me was the application of the theory into the real action by exercising it in the training day (PD). Very insightful and without doubt beneficial. “

“Great workshop. I particularly liked the experiential and observational learning. I feel this was only dipping a toe in the water and would love to learn more!”

“Excellent Seminar, relevant, experiential, informative and challenging.”

“Fantastic day. Feel very inspired with the new theory and ways of working. Thank you!”