Somatic is a very broad term. The root of the word, from the Greek word ‘soma’, relates to the whole body of an organism. For me, this means thoughts, emotions, sensations, behaviors, movements, memories - all of this happens within the body, in each moment and experience.

Somatic work is inherently different for each person. There is no formula or step-by-step guide. This is fluid and exploratory work. AND - there is grounding in research.

Most of my training is from the Somatic Experiencing® (SE) program, created by Peter Levine, which is a modality for trauma resolution and healing. We discuss the nervous system and Polyvagal Theory, created by Stephen Porges, and work with survival responses of fight/flight/freeze and the state of safety, presence, and connection.

As a note, not all somatic practitioners are trauma-trained, or even trauma-informed, so if you are looking at other somatic guides, it may be supportive to understand their training background and how that aligns with what you are seeking. SE is a 3 year intensive program designed for the renegotiation of trauma and this influences the way I practice.

There is something for me that is also deeply spiritual about somatic work, with our soul as part of the wholeness of our being. As I spiral in my journey, I continue to come into relationship with what spirituality means for me, and what it is to be both fully human and of the Divine. I believe my clients explore this to varying degrees, and we always allow for your truth and knowing to emerge and be expressed, not prescribing any doctrine of belief and not going anywhere you aren’t curious about.

I believe somatic work can support most folks at any point in their journey. Inherent in somatic work is attunement, meeting your system exactly where you are, and allowing your own healing to emerge. We can experience seasons of nervous system dysregulation, and that can show up differently for all of us. This may stem from trauma, chronic stress, and/or our own tendencies and belief patterns. If you feel curious, I offer free consults to explore if we are a fit.

Most of my clients have done some talk therapy prior to starting somatic work. Having some general awareness of patterns, stress, emotions, and wounding can give a foundation for what we might explore, and can offer some mindfulness around what might be happening in your system. Many folks say that somatic work helps them go beyond what they have already accomplished in talk therapy.

This can be new and different work for folks, so having some curiosity, openness, and willingness to get a little uncomfortable is helpful.

Through this work, I am not diagnosing conditions or working with folks who are in active states of severe distress.

The Enneagram is a psycho-spiritual tool that can be used for self-awareness of ego-structure (meaning sense of self, who I think I am, who I have been conditioned to be, who I have crafted myself to be to survive). It also reminds us of our essential nature, and invites us to accept the human reality of both false and true elements of self.

The system offers 9 Types, nine structures of emotional, mental, and behavioral patterns. We all have one dominant type that does not change through our life (though it can show up differently and we can loosen the grip of these patterns).

The types are based on core fears that drive us and the compensating desires our ego is motivated by. If that sounds like it could feel a little uncomfortable, intense, or ouchy - you’re right.

This is a secular (non-religious) tool with roots in ancient wisdom that also has current neuroscience research supporting the framework.

As a note, Enneagram tests are about 50% accurate, so the way I work with the tool is through foundational teaching and self-reflection and identification.

I know, some of you think it might just be another personality test. It is something that puts you in a box. Or maybe you want it to be ‘the thing’ that answers all your questions and tells you how to live your life. I don’t think the Enneagram is any of these things.

The Enneagram is a deep, complex, powerful tool that helps us see things we might not otherwise have questioned about ourselves. It shows us how we create our own suffering, where we tend to get stuck and why, and what we can explore for true transformation and remembering more of the wholeness of who we are.

It helps us understand ourselves and can naturally invite in more compassion and grace for our humanness. It helps us understand others, seeing how we have different fears, desires, and drives, also inviting more compassion for others.

Whether in a program or through a single session, the one-hour we spend together will be different for everyone.

You can expect time for arriving and practices for connecting with your body in this moment.

You can expect me to ask questions you might never have been asked before about what you are feeling, noticing, perceiving, and experiencing in your body.

There will likely be less talking than you have experienced in therapy or might expect.

I will likely invite expression of emotion and perhaps small or big movements.

The invitation might be to stay with something new and different, and that may feel pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant. It might feel weird, scary, peaceful, relieving, or something else.

We typically go pretty slow and allow space for integration, and also track your system so we don’t go at a pace that feels too activating (I know slowing down can be hard!).

I may offer some education on the nervous system, trauma, and/or the Enneagram if relevant.

Sessions are offered virtually via Zoom and in-person from my home in Northern Kentucky, just outside of Cincinnati.

Somatic work is fluid and sometimes we end a few minutes early or go a few minutes over.

Presence to me feels like a way of being. Not a one-time state, not a moment that passes, but an invitation to be in the eternal now. Presence feels like a way we show up.

And what if we showed up With Love?

For ourselves, for those around us. It isn’t always easy, I know.

When I say Love, I like the definition shared by bell hooks in All About Love that comes from M. Scott Peck - “Love is the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.”

I think that our divinely human experience is about remembering, experiencing, embodying presence with love. Healing wounds, feeling safe, being authentic and vulnerable - with love. Accepting, seeing, feeling ourselves and others exactly as we are. Knowing we are all connected and one. Through our body, knowing the experience , the journey and the treasure, of Presence With Love.