A blog by Katharina Conradi
Somatic Practice is “on vogue” and is use for many different bodily methods and approaches. Have you ever wondered what the words mean? Are you interested in diving deep into the knowledge of Somatic Education and help people to reconnect to their whole potential? In this blog, I intent to give you some historical background, tell you more about how Somatic Practitioners work, especially coming from Laban Bartenieff Movement System, and talk about the shared believes we hold with many other Somatic Practitioners.
Historical Context
“The purpose of somatic movement education and therapy is to enhance human processes of psychophysical awareness and functioning through movement learning. “ ISMETA
‘Somatics’ is a collective term, used for Western body–mind disciplines that encompass ways of working with the body that are therapeutic, educational, creative and physically expressive (K.J. Mullan, 2014). Contemporary somatic work has ‘ties to Eastern mind–body traditions within India, China, and Japan’ and is presently linked to physical practices within ‘mind-body medicine and philosophies of the East’, yet it is different in that it emerged from the West and often has either creative arts or bodily sciences as an integrated part of the underlying philosophy (M. Eddy,2002). The earliest somatic work is associated with nineteenth-century European physical culture, which was inspired by Ancient Greek philosophies regarding the cultivation of body, mind and spirit.
The term Somatics derived from the Greek word ‘Soma’, meaning ‘the living body in its wholeness’. ‘Somatics’ is coined byThomas Hanna, a Feldenkrais practitioner. Thomas Hanna wrote in 1976 that when a human being is observed from the first-person viewpoint of their own proprioceptive senses, a categorically different phenomenon than in Western medicine is precise: the human Soma.
Looking at the whole person
Somatics references to the interrelated processes of the whole person: body, mind and spirit within the context of their lived environment. Here the individual awareness and experience is at centre in the process which allows the student or client to practice Self-Agency and choice. The student/client can choose between options, can try an intervention and see how it works as a stimulus to re-pattern as well as expand options to optimize function and expression. In this way the power position between the educator/therapist and clients/students is minimalized. The Somatic Practitioner is not the one, who knows what is best for the client/student. The process is an interpersonal process between educator/therapist and student/client, where the educator/therapist gives options and listen to the student/client’s experience rather than imposing ideas and knowing solutions.
How does a Somatic Educator and Therapist works?
A Somatic Practitioner works Process–Oriented. That means that the Somatic Practitioner is aware of the here and now and allows changes to appear within the work and will adapt the approach when needed. The Practitioners are aware of their own body, they are present in their own proprioceptive awareness which is an important premises for the work. The sessions are interactive, the experience of the client is the guiding thread.
Awareness
As a Somatic Educator and Therapist, I strive to create more awareness of the inner/outer experience and bodily sensations of my clients. The first step could be described as an attention training for bodily presence; you learn to be present in different body parts while moving, standing, sitting and lying. You start to make connections between different parts of your body. You will get aware of your breath. You will train yourself to lay, stand, sit and move in lively contact with gravity. You will explore ways to use your center. This will support you to be grounded and actively present. The second step is to become aware of what patterns are already present in your body and whether these automatic ways of doing are in line with what you want to convey to the world. The emphasis is on wholeness and connection. In this way, as a third step, you can let go of possibly inefficient neuromuscular patterns and look for integrated, spontaneous and expressive movements.
Hands-on
As Somatic Educators and Therapists, we use Hands-on Interventions to create more awareness in specific body parts of our clients/students. We try to accompany a movement with our hands to understand a movement pattern and guide the movements of the other with intentional touch to find new pathways in movement. In this way we can allow Micro changes to happen. As a change in a part is a change in the whole (Laban), a small Micro change can result in bigger Macro changes.
Patterns
Another important part of the work is to recognize patterns, both preferences and habits. As we live, we create patterns (physical, mental, emotional) and then repeat them. These patterns were created once by well-functioning attempts to manage our condition but can create unconscious repetition that do not serve us anymore. When we shine light on these habits, we can make choices weather we want to repeat them or if we want to make some changes.
On a physical level this often happens after having an injury. For example: you have an injury on your right knee and protect it by putting more weight onto your left leg which creates an imbalance between these two sides. After the injury healed, you ‘forget’ to let go of this pattern which can cause more imbalances on the long run.
On a psychological level similar patterns can become unconscious and eventually dysfunctional. Your body always tries the best to protect yourself from danger. An example of a ‘stuck’ pattern could be that you had a traumatic experience in the past when someone came toward you too fast and with a loud voice and bad intentions and you felt scared and retreated and shrunk away from this person. Now each time somebody approaches you fast, you shrink and retreat without any real danger. It has become an unconscious pattern. Now, you need to identify what is happening in your body, you need to slow down and explore this reaction. With a practitioner next to you, you can allow yourself to move slow and explore this reaction in a safe environment, eventually you can adapt or reverse the pattern toward more attunement to reality as it unfolds now.
Imagery and metaphors
Next to physical exercises, hands-on practices and verbal exchanges, Metaphors can give a good inroad to physically experience a body part with new awareness. An example that we use for the Thoracic Diaphragm is the image of a Dome that gets flattened when we breath in and return to the dome-like structure when we breath out. This image creates a mental image for a physical structure that can help us to find a deep connection between our mind (Metaphor) and our body (Thoracic Diaphragm).
Conditions for the work
A Somatic educator mainly works with a group of people in a studio where there is space to be on the floor and through space, move in micro ways and have an atmosphere of sensing, doing, listening and learning. Embodied anatomy, exercises, partner work, theoretical knowledge and creative explorations help the student to integrate the different parts of the work.
A Somatic therapist often works in an individual setting in a studio. In this one-to-one setting the educator/therapist listens to the needs and goals of the client and proposes ideas to try out. Often the work is in a near-reach Kinesphere, concentrated on the inner sensations of the client and micro movements. The Somatic practitioner tries to use whatever aspect of the ‘toolbox’ seems appropriate, these approaches can involve movement explorations, exercises moving on the floor or through the space, intentional touch, embodied anatomy and metaphors. The Practitioner will ask how the experience/touch/metaphor lands in the client’s moving body and will continue to evolve further from what is verbally shared. The journey is shaped toward what works best for the client, but follows the guidelines, ways of working and tools of this specific Somatic System.
Interested in becoming a Somatic Educator and Therapist?
EMOVE institute is a somatic educational institute aiming to promote embodied studies in the Laban Bartenieff Movement System. We are striving to provide a high standard education that allows people from diverse fields to engage with all aspects of human movement. EMOVE Institute is situated in the Netherlands and works with internationally recognized experts in the fields of movement analysis and somatic practices.
Embodied Movement: We aim to provide a body /mind integrated educational experience balancing theory and practice. Students learn to embody their perceptual, sensorial and analytical understanding; so, they may “know in their bones”. We facilitate greater conscious awareness of movement, which supports deepening movement understanding and gives meaning to action.
If you are interested, contact us, our next education starts in May 2025. www.emoveinstitute.com
Sources:
Kelly Jean Mullan (2014) Somatics: Investigating the common ground of western body–mind disciplines, Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy: An International Journal for Theory, Research and Practice
Martha Eddy (2017) Mindful Movement; The Evolution of the Somatic Arts and Conscious Action
Verbal conversations and teaching material from/with Karen Studd
