An Introduction to Somatic Therapies

A Word about Trauma

Trauma is not what happened to us but rather it is our response to what happened to us in the face of an overwhelming or disempowering experience. And, for the most part, how we responded to it was not conscious. Our body did what it had to do to make sense of things, to protect itself in the best way it could and ultimately survive. How it did this is retained as something called implicit memory; stored deep within the tissues of our body and outworked through the responses of our nervous system through fight, flight, fawn, flop or freeze. The issue is these back-there-and-then patterns of survival become deeply lodged in our systems which can then be triggered by the here-and-now of our current life. This keeps us stuck.

When it comes to trauma recovery, traditional talk therapy or other such top-down approaches are typically ineffective in addressing the underlying embedded response patterns held in the body. As it’s been said, ‘the issues are in the tissues’ and for this reason a bottom-up, body-based (or somatic) approach is far more effective in resolving trauma. Sometimes these memories are preverbal and/or long forgotten by the mind. But they’re never forgotten by the body.

In other words, regardless of the chatter and narratives our minds offer, our body has its own story to tell about our life lived and it’s this story that most needs our attention to enable energetic shift through to a place of release and where new choices are made possible.

What is NeuroAffective Touch (NAT)?

For clients wishing to address their early childhood attachment/developmental trauma or the underlying neurobiological causes for current or chronic anxiety/depression I draw on NeuroAffective Touch – a model developed by Dr Aline LaPierre where psychotherapy and somatic work (via integrative touch) meet. The two happen simultaneously. Whilst offering specific touch at various layers in the body's fascia, musculature or skeletal systems, our deeply embodied, carefully constructed protective patterns are respectfully visited and ultimately interrupted in such a way that the trauma story unfurls and new neural pathways can be mapped. In this way, early and often preverbal patterning can be rewired, the body's armouring released and long held narratives can be restoried. It’s a beautiful, gentle process.

Typically, but not essentially, this is done with the client lying on a massage table. Alongside the touch offered by the NATouch therapist, other props are used for the client’s optimal containment, comfort and, most importantly, their sense of safety. My favourite are the warmed, squishy red pillows that are strategically placed on those areas of the bodymind that are crying out for what they missed: to be seen, to be heard, to be held and to be deeply attended to. This is healing. Born from a sense of safety which sadly, for so many, is a state never yet experienced. As a trauma survivor myself I was one of them and it wasn’t until I personally encountered this profoundly deep, gentle approach that I was introduced to a sense of safety within my own body that I have never, in my fifty plus years, ever known. I am thrilled to now bring this work to others.

What if I don’t want to be touched?

At the heart of NeuroAffective Touch Therapy is the belief that touch is one of the most powerful tools we have for healing and growth. Obviously, the hands-on approach is not suitable for everybody as some clients are uncomfortable with touch. In this instance alternatives are offered and there are certainly effective ways we can work around it. Your boundaries and preferences will always be respected first and foremost. Historically the psychology fraternity has frowned on touch being used in sessions deeming it unnecessary and unethical. Yet with the ground-breaking discoveries made in recent years around interpersonal neurobiology and polyvagal theory, there is growing evidence and increasing support for just how vital touch can be in attending to these embodied stories. Indeed, it might be argued that in such cases it is unethical not to offer touch. Either way, all that to say, the client chooses which way they would prefer to work.

This is the information I provide in my informed consent intake form about touch work:

As a clinical counsellor, I have a particular interest and specialised training in trauma release work. The approaches I work with are called NeuroAffective Touch & Somatic Experiencing™ which offer naturalistic forms of healing that will help you learn how to settle and release physiological activation in your body. By working with your body's natural systems and rhythms, this therapy can help individuals overcome a range of physical and emotional issues. As such, and in accordance with this training, I may at times offer you appropriate non-invasive touch support for the following reasons: grounding, containment of overwhelming emotion, co-regulation support, mobilisation or awareness building. No touch offered will ever be sexual in nature as this would be unethical and illegal. You will always be asked before being touched and have the right and my full support to decline. If you do not feel comfortable with touch, or if the session does not call for it, your session will not include touch work.

If this approach is of interest to you, I suggest you start with a session or two and see how you feel afterwards. The results speak for themselves.