Touchwork

I have received advanced training in Somatic Resilience and Regulation and Transforming The Experience-Based Brain with Kathy Kain and Stephen J. Terrell. These systems of touchwork are an integral partner with Somatic Experiencing, providing a deeper exploration of complex trauma resulting from early childhood development.

If you are carrying a heavy burden of trauma, are aware of early childhood trauma or have had minimal results with other somatic work, touchwork is a fantastic experience in that it directly touches the tension created by body armouring without engaging the mind. Touchwork is a direct communication with the body’s nervous system and resulting in a felt-sense of safety, ease and regulation.

Early trauma means in-utero, birth, up to age five years and sometimes beyond. The earlier the trauma, the more likely it is to spread to a variety of systems (muscular, digestive, nervous, endocrine, immune), causing debilitating symptoms. Often, there is no language to address this type of trauma since it belongs to the pre-verbal realm. Also, trauma doesn’t have to include physical or sexual abuse, and is often emotional, mental and sometimes includes neglect. When early trauma is not addressed in therapy and remains untreated, it becomes deeply held at the body level. This foundational dysregulation can cause severe somatic/medical symptoms for the young child and later for the adult. Not only physical symptoms appear but also difficulties with addictions, anxiety, intimacy, relationships, sleep and productivity.

The missing piece that traditional counselling seems to miss lies in the regulation of the nervous system. This is a necessary prerequisite to successfully renegotiate past and recent traumatic experiences.