We all experience trauma or deeply disturbing events throughout our lives.
Why do some of these events seem to resolve easily, even leave us feeling
stronger, while the pain from other events persists? We resolve challenging
situations when we are able to complete some form of fight or flight. When
this completion is halted, we become frozen, unable to put an event behind
us, and need help in finding resolution. Research and clinical experience
both stress that to work effectively with trauma, we must include working at the
body level – the body’s felt sense, while continuing to work with thoughts and
feelings.
Invasive images, sensations in the body, physical pain, feelings of numbness
or disconnection, or an inability to calm ourselves are some of the body’s
responses that show we are blocked or stuck in trauma. The body attempts
to work free of unresolved trauma through repetitive movements or avoidant
actions, like tapping, scanning, shrinking, hiking the shoulders, restricting the
breath, clenching the jaw or kicking outward with a foot. Sensorimotor
Psychotherapy utilizes “mindfulness” to carefully follow these patterns.
Therefore, in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, you might hear a therapist say:
“Where do you feel that fear in your body? Does it have a shape or a size?”
“Watch what happens when you just hang out with that sensation of your
heart being squeezed.” “I noticed that your hands began to push forward
when you said you wanted to be free of that guilt; can we slow down and
repeat that movement against added resistance?” Sensorimotor
Psychotherapy can help one to break ineffective patterns, and help to find
what is required to experience a sense of completion or resolution.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is the creation of Pat Ogden, Ph.D. Ogden has
taken theory and technique from the body-oriented psychotherapy of Hakomi
and combined it with components of psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive
–behavioral therapy, neuroscience, and the theories of attachment and
dissociation.
Why do some of these events seem to resolve easily, even leave us feeling
stronger, while the pain from other events persists? We resolve challenging
situations when we are able to complete some form of fight or flight. When
this completion is halted, we become frozen, unable to put an event behind
us, and need help in finding resolution. Research and clinical experience
both stress that to work effectively with trauma, we must include working at the
body level – the body’s felt sense, while continuing to work with thoughts and
feelings.
Invasive images, sensations in the body, physical pain, feelings of numbness
or disconnection, or an inability to calm ourselves are some of the body’s
responses that show we are blocked or stuck in trauma. The body attempts
to work free of unresolved trauma through repetitive movements or avoidant
actions, like tapping, scanning, shrinking, hiking the shoulders, restricting the
breath, clenching the jaw or kicking outward with a foot. Sensorimotor
Psychotherapy utilizes “mindfulness” to carefully follow these patterns.
Therefore, in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, you might hear a therapist say:
“Where do you feel that fear in your body? Does it have a shape or a size?”
“Watch what happens when you just hang out with that sensation of your
heart being squeezed.” “I noticed that your hands began to push forward
when you said you wanted to be free of that guilt; can we slow down and
repeat that movement against added resistance?” Sensorimotor
Psychotherapy can help one to break ineffective patterns, and help to find
what is required to experience a sense of completion or resolution.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is the creation of Pat Ogden, Ph.D. Ogden has
taken theory and technique from the body-oriented psychotherapy of Hakomi
and combined it with components of psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive
–behavioral therapy, neuroscience, and the theories of attachment and
dissociation.
- Ron Rothschild, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., completed the Sensorimotor
Psychotherapy Trauma Training in September, 2005.
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Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
by Ron Rothschild
by Ron Rothschild