Skin & Somatics

SOMA /ˈsəʊmə/ noun

1. 1. the body as distinct from the pysche.

So, but, how do facials & massage & such relate to Somatic Therapy ?

Notice: our skin is largest-spanning sensory organ of the nervous system ~ it’s the active interface (pardon the pun), between us and the outside world (*especially our face, in fact - as it functions as our social engagement system - the apparatus through which we engage with and relate to other people).

Our skin is also the first connection of the body to the outside world, and to another Being, as early-on as in-utero. A conduit, one might say, between our internal realm — and everything that’s external to us, (yet of which we are inextricably a part).

Humans are made for connection, but trauma and/or plain ol’ chronic stress can disrupt and DISconnect us from ourselves and others, creating dissonance and DISease within our lives and relationships.

Somatics supports us to come back home to body, through interoception; the felt-sense / sensing bodily signals from WITHIN - and spending time developing this connection so as to increase our Window of Tolerance. It sets us up with practical tools to regulate the nervous system — or resolve it’s incomplete responses where needed, so we can meet ourselves AND those around us from a more steady, aware and compassionate place.

The process of delving into Somatics and developing Somatic Awareness can be slow; which makes sense, cos the mind usually operates at a much faster pace than the body (and oftentimes, thinks it knows better than the body, too). It can take time for us to shift down in speed so as to get quiet enough for long enough to listen to and truly learn its unspoken language.

BUT, it’s a skill we CAN develop (thank you neuroplasticity!)

AND, it’s well-worth the work/the wait, as once we’re able to release ourselves from the repetitive patterns that play out in our lives; either keeping us stuck in the re-telling of past stories OR anxiously anticipating The Unknown ahead, we can start to access the fullness and flowing nature of our life force energy as a way of creating/actualising what we’ve always imagine for ourselves.

Somatic Therapy is not about demonising the mind, or making the mind redundant… it acknowledges our mind is useful in navigating life and relationships! However it does recognise that the mind can be a “wonderful servant, and a lousy master…” *if left entirely to it’s own devices.

Somatics is about learning to distinguish between the two, and listen with more nuance, to the signals our body is sending us from within.

The nervous system is 80% afferent (upward-moving), and touches into all of our organs along the way. And so we talk about these things all we want, but until we drop into the body and see what IT has to say; we will only get so far on our healing journey.

Strengthening our mind-body (or more to the point; BODY-MIND) connection sets us up to safely expand into our fullest potential and live life from a more empowered, authentic and intuitive state of Being — more of the time.