Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and Healing from Trauma, and childhood woundings
Usually, people think of psychotherapy as a means of processing feelings and thoughts, and emotions in the context of relationships with themselves and other people. However, there’s a whole other dimension to our experience as human beings where the body really comes into play. This includes our perceptions, sensations, thoughts, images, and even movements such as when a person gestures with her hand to express themselves. Working with the mind-body connection can be much more effective than just working with the thoughts and feelings by themselves. That’s why sensorimotor psychotherapy is integrative as a whole being.
When we talk about trauma, it usually represents a life-threatening event that occurred in some way. This affects us on a deep physical level and our nervous system responds to a were perceiving at the moment. Even after the fight-flight-freeze response is over we can feel triggered by small things that represent the original event. However, even smaller events can cause a person to go into a panic because of a perceived threat. Using a Sensorimotor approach and mindfulness directly with the body in the therapy room, helps the individual to become aware of the “programming” that the trauma had on them in their mind, emotions, body, and beliefs. Sensorimotor offers a gentle approach that works through the traumatic event, beliefs that arose about the self, images, and feelings about what happened safe and contained environment. This is done at the client’s speed, honoring their emotional and mental well-being. As we slowly go through the physical symptoms and reactions to the original trauma on integrating the other parts of the experience, the individual can transform from surviving to thriving.
Developmental deficits and childhood soundings occur when there is a gap or problem that occurred in the parenting process, and the child feels a loss or lack of love, welcoming, belonging, safety, nurturing, and empowerment by their caregiver. As an adult, these can become stuck patterns in an individual’s mind and body as far as how they relate to themselves and the world in general. Sometimes the developmental deficit takes on a more dramatic nature when the event in childhood was actually or perceived to be life-threatening. Making use of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy in addressing these issues in a gentle and nurturing process, a person is able to heal from these deficits and regain a positive sense of self; that which they are truly at their core.