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Mind/Body Counseling & Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
"Everything that is experienced is a bodily experience." Thomas Hanna "Somatics"
Mind/Body Counseling is a body-centered method of personal exploration of the organization of one's experience in the present moment to access core beliefs, attitudes, inner images, impulses and sensations which can either enhance or limit one's experience of life flow and Mind / Body / Spirit integrity. The work is defined by the teachings and methods of the Hakomi method of Body-Centered Psychotherapy developed by Ron Kurtz. Hakomi is an old Hopi word which translates to "Who are you? How do you stand in relation to the many realms?" Here is a quote from one of Ron's descriptions of the process:
"The journey itself becomes a way of life. If it ends at all, it ends in enlightenment. The self one is interested in is no longer the individual ego, but the unbounded self of the spirit. Because, finally, that is who you are."
Hakomi Trauma Recovery, now named Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, was developed by Pat Ogden of the Hakomi Somatic Therapy Institute. It facilitates somatic sequencing of the physiological effects of trauma along with resolution of related mental and emotional arousal states. Bessel van der Kolk, author of "Traumatic Stress" and the leading psychiatrist in innovative treatment of traumatic stress disorders, has this to say about the work:
"Since re-living of trauma often occurs in the form of physical sensations, which in turn, precipitate intense trauma-related emotions of terror and helplessness, learning how to manage and uncouple physical sensations from trauma-based emotions has emerged as one of the essential aspects of the effective treatment of PTSD. Pat Odgen (originator of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy) is the undisputed master of teaching clinicians how to work with physical sensation to help people beyond their trauma. For me, her work has opened up a whole new dimension of effective therapy."
Symptoms of unresolved trauma may include: faulty breathing, heart irregularities, stomach and/or bowel disturbances, chronic muscular tension and pain, catastrophic thinking, anger, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, inability to trust and connect well with others, sleep disorders, helplessness, hyper vigilance, etc.
Links:
'Hakomi and Trauma' by Elizabeth Roscoe'Mind/Body Counseling' by Elizabeth Roscoe
'T’ai Chi, Healing and Trauma Recovery'
www.Sensorimotorpsychotherapy.org
Books:
"Body-Centered Psychotherapy: The Hakomi Method", Ron Kurtz"Grace Unfolding", Ron Kurtz
"Change Your Brain, Change Your Life", Daniel G. Amen