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Yes, yes it absolutely would, so sign up today!

The end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, I guess I should write a little more than that. 😂

Who needs somatic work? In my opinion, the only person that might not have benefitted too much from somatic work would have been Jesus Christ, as I’m pretty sure he was quite embodied and in tune with everything. But even then, he had so much pressure and the weight of the world literally on his shoulders, so he could of used extra support too!

Many people think they are just fine. -“I don’t need no stinkin’ help! That’s just how I am. That’s how my parents were and how my grandparents were. Go help somebody else that is really struggling.” They might say.

They are not familiar with the wide variety of ways that nervous system dysregulation can show up.

(You can find my article, 26 Signs You may Have a Dysregulated Nervous System HERE. Ignore the point on neurodivergence/spectrum as that is not really accurate.)

The facts are that

  • All humans are living in a stressful world not built to support our body or nervous system.
  • Most of us have lots of unprocessed fight/flight/freeze/fawn/collapse energy,
  • Most of us have some level of acute and complex trauma we’ve never explored.
  • Most of us are not even aware of our Parts or SELF energy or what that even means.
  • Most of us have learned a variety of ways and addictions to suppress, repress, or bypass our real needs.
  • Many of us have chronic health conditions from how we have learned to adapt to survive.

So how exactly would somatic work help me?

Embodiment

Somatic work helps us to become more embodied.

What does it mean to be more embodied? Embodiment is being more connected, harmonious, and aligned throughout our entire body. This would include our thoughts, our emotions, sensations, impulses, actions, beliefs, nervous system, etc. Moving toward connection and a welcoming attitude instead of dissociation or disconnection.

Stressful World

Somatic work can help us to build more capacity to live and cope with with our current stressors. Think of a plate or a box. Somatic work can help us to grow a larger plate or box so that we can hold more things in it without so much overwhelm.

Nervous System Energy:

Somatic work helps us to be able to go into and stay present with our unprocessed fight/flight/freeze/fawn/collapse energy and patterns. We can become aware of our impulses and emotions connected to being angry, wanting to fight, to run away from difficult situations, to overwork, to overthink, to fix it, to overdo, to freeze and be indecisive, to fawn and not speak up for what we need, to collapse into fear, shame, depression, suicidal thinking, On the opposite side of things, this can also show up as bracing and resisting feeling emotions. For example, we never get angry, we never say no, we never feel ashamed, we never feel anxious, etc. As we can stay present with this energy and discharge what needs to discharge, this can integrate the energy back into our body, so that we are more balanced and grounded in the here-and-now.

Trauma:

Somatic work can help us complete the emotions and responses related to acute trauma such as car accidents, natural disasters, assaults or attacks.

Somatic work can also help us to fill our needs that we have never received in our life, such as needs for warmth, touch, affection, being seen, being heard, being believed, being listened to, being interested in, being praised, being valued, not being judged when we express ourselves, etc. The need for someone to stay with us and not abandon us, even when things are difficult.

As we have more capacity to be with unpleasant states of the nervous system, and also start to meet our needs, we can start to dissolve and integrate the loops and cycles of emotional flashbacks from CPTSD-“the melange of fear, shame, and death-like depression of abandonment.”(1)

Curious what melange means? Me too. My vocab isn’t great, okay? Vocab word #1.

(2)Melange-

“a mixture, a medley,” usually “an uncombined mingling on elements, objects, or individuals,” 1650s, from French mélange (15c.), from mêler “to mix, mingle,” from Old French mesler “to mix, meddle, mingle” (see meddle).

Parts and SELF:

From the Internal Family Systems (IFS) lens, somatic work helps us to be more aware of who we really are at our core (SELF), vs the subconscious and conscious voices that lead us (Parts). These Parts often run the show even without us knowing it, guiding us now based on our past experiences that are no longer healthy for us today. When we have more awareness of these Parts, we can disidentify, or unblend from their control, see how we can give them what they need, and start to connect more easily with supporting ourselves(SELF) in what we really need and want today.

Think of the somatic work as growing the inner parent, the SELF, the steady and supportive but also authoritative and principled you. As the parent (SELF) is more present and consistent in guiding the children (Parts), the children learn that they are not alone. The children start to trust in following the parent’s lead. They can start to ease up on all their tight holding patterns and unhealthy, disruptive behavior. The whole dynamic can start to open up and trust and help each other instead of constantly arguing, abusing,  and neglecting each other.

Suppression, Repression, Bypassing:

(3)Repression is unconscious. The person does not realize they are blocking something out, and they cannot voluntarily recall the hidden content​.

Suppression is conscious. The person is aware of the thought or feeling but chooses to avoid or ignore it​.

 

(4)Emotional bypassing refers to avoiding or suppressing emotions rather than addressing them directly. This coping mechanism often develops in childhood as a response to difficult or traumatic experiences. When emotions feel overwhelming or are deemed unacceptable, suppressing them may seem like the only way to cope.

 

We are basically trying to trying to manage the pain underneath by pushing it down or running away or ignoring it.

There many different ways we can repress or bypass, often because of a belief that a Part is holding and the pain it carries. Here are a few examples:

Maybe I can make it better if I get more knowledge or understanding. I need to fix it.

  • We may seek more knowledge from a theoretical or research or mental point of view to avoid feeling things in the body or to avoid feeling uncertainty.

I am not a good person or can’t do enough, so I need to do more or do better.

  • I need to try really hard to be more Christian or to be a better person, worker, student, etc. Pray more, Volunter more. Work harder. Achieve more.

I need to get away or avoid.

  • We could go into our head and analyze our feelings instead of just being present with them
  • We can label emotions as “bad” or “negative” so that we have to “stay away” from certain ones. Anger is “bad”. Depression is “bad.” Anxiety is “bad.”
  • An overly simplistic, “Don’t worry. Everything will be ok. God will take care of you.”
  • Or for those that use practices such as yoga or mindfulness, they could be telling themselves that they are trying to to “transcend” or “open up their mind” or “empty” their mind, as just another way to avoid feeling the unpleasant and difficult feelings that they are holding inside
  • We can avoid all negative talk and difficult situations by saying “everything happens for a reason” or focusing only on the positive.

I don’t need to do anything. Why try now? What’s the point?

  • We could fall back on, “God’s going to fix everything in the future.”, so that means we don’t need to take any responsibility for ourselves now.
  • Or some might believe, “We are all just this cosmic energy anyways, a vast consciousness. Whatever will happen will happen. There is no real point or no real meaning in life. I don’t need to be responsible and I can do whatever I want to do.”

Any addictive behavior can also be a way we avoid, suppress, numb out.

In short, any kind of repression, suppression, bypassing is just a way to dissociate or disconnect from being present to our experience-our thoughts, sensations, emotions, and impulses.

Somatic work can help us identify and explore the different ways that these patterns may show up for us.

Health Conditions:

Somatic work can help us to be aware of all the energy that we are holding inside. All of the different ways that we have been bracing, guarding, contracting, not listening, not providing ourselves what we need, perhaps for decades. All the ways that we continue to loop in our nervous system and Parts’ based patterns. We can start to find a better balance and release stuck emotions and energy and our system starts to regulate. We may start to stay in more of a restful parasympathetic state instead of a sympathetic, stressed state. This can all lead to improvements in our sleep, digestion, detoxification, energy, skin, and overall well-being.

Summary:

In short: Somatic work leads to greater PRESENCE and Often greater HEALTH, which means a bETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.

The more embodied we become, the more we will be able to deal with life’s stresses.

The more embodied we become, the more we will feel grounded, safe, connected, and oriented internally and externally.

The more embodied we become, the more we will be able to work through fight/flight/freeze/fawn/collapse nervous system energy so that we can be more in ventral vagal-CONNECTED nervous system energy. We will be less angry, frustrated, anxious, worried, overwhelmed, impulsive, depressed, confused, dissociated, ashamed.

The more embodied we become, the more we will be able to process and complete our acute trauma and give ourselves what we need to repair our complex/relational/developmental trauma.

The more embodied we become, we will naturally be able to be more in SELF energy

  • Compassionate
  • Creative
  • Curious
  • Confident
  • Courageous
  • Calm
  • Connected
  • Clear
  • Have greater Choice
  • Present
  • Persistent
  • Playful
  • Patient
  • Have greater Perspective

Which means we will be less

  • Callous
  • Guarded
  • Cold
  • Uninspired
  • Apathetic
  • Insecure
  • Timid
  • Spineless
  • Restless
  • Disconnected
  • Ambiguous (Vocab #2-intentionally veiled or uncertain (5))
  • Stuck
  • Living in past trauma loops
  • Vacillating (Vocab #3-to show uncertainty about the right course of action(6))
  • Fickle (Vocab #4-likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly(7))
  • Dry and serious-minded
  • Impatient
  • Close-minded

The more embodied we become, the more we will be aware of our suppression, repression, and bypassing, so that we can decide if we want to continue those patterns.

The more embodied we become, the easier it is for our body to feel physically well, sometimes even improving our chronic health conditions.

Yes this work really is that powerful and that important.
Questions to Think About
  • What stressors are you currently facing?
  • Do you notice any fight/flight/freeze/fawn/collapse patterns in your nervous system?
  • Do you have any evidence that you might have had acute or complex trauma in your past?
  • Do you see that the qualities of SELF energy show up naturally to you in your day to day life?
  • Do you get the feeling that you might be suppressing, repressing, or bypassing emotions?
  • Are you dealing with any chronic health conditions?

 

In the future I will share some ways this work has helped my life specifically.

Curious to give somatic work a try? Book a discovery call, or send me a text, email, or call HERE.

 

*Notice: I’m glad to provide these resources to empower your personal health journey, not as a substitute for professional medical care. While I encourage sharing links, please respect the intellectual property of Mountain and Meadow Health, LLC. You are responsible for your own health outcomes. Consult with your trusted health advocates before making significant changes. Contact Evan Ritter for professional licensing.”

 

Sources:

  1. https://www.pete-walker.com/fAQsComplexPTSD.html#Abandonment
  2. Melange-https://www.etymonline.com/word/melange
  3. https://www.simplypsychology.org/repression-vs-suppression.html
  4. https://dcmetrotherapy.com/understanding-emotional-bypassing-how-suppressed-emotions-worsen-pain-and-fatigue/
  5. https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambiguous
  6. https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacillating
  7. https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fickle

 

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