Somatic Therapy in Melbourne

Some difficulties are understood clearly but still do not change. You may know that a situation is safe, that another person is not rejecting you, or that you do not need to stay on guard, while your body continues to react as though there is a threat.

Somatic psychotherapy pays attention to these physical and emotional responses as part of the therapeutic process, rather than treating them as separate from what you think, feel and talk about.

What somatic therapy can involve

In a session, we may notice:

• tension, bracing or changes in breathing

• sensations linked with anxiety, anger, fear or shame

• an impulse to move away, go quiet, appease or defend

• moments of numbness, disconnection or feeling far away

• what helps you feel more present and able to stay with an experience

This does not mean analysing every sensation or trying to make the body relax. It means slowing the process down enough to understand how a response develops and what allows more choice to emerge.

Somatic Experiencing and my broader approach

My work is informed by Somatic Experiencing, attachment theory, developmental neuroscience and relational psychotherapy. I have completed the first year of Somatic Experiencing training and continue to undertake professional development and clinical supervision.

Who this may suit

A somatic approach may be useful if you:

• experience anxiety strongly in your body

• become overwhelmed or shut down in conflict

• feel disconnected from emotion or bodily experience

• have reactions that persist despite insight or previous talk therapy

• want to understand how past experiences affect present relationships

• prefer a gradual approach that does not force disclosure

Practical details

• 60-minute sessions

• $180 for new individual clients

• In person in Northcote and Abbotsford

• Online across Australia

• No GP referral is required

• Medicare rebates are not available