Many people are familiar with the mind-body connection, how our thoughts and feelings impact our body. Many of us have been told by medical providers “It’s all in your head.” Literally it is, but not in the way that was suggested - that you are just imagining it, or that your pain isn’t real.
The science behind chronic pain has expanded in recent years to show the physiological changes that are the mind-body connection. The “all in your head” concept is actually a complex process of integrating sensory information into a meaningful experience. Often this experience gets cataloged in the brain as bad, painful, or otherwise harmful to you, and goes on to create physical pain that is most definitely real.
Therapeutic Somatic Processing™ is a method to acknowledge and shift this mind-body connection in a way that is healing to pain and function. ‘Therapeutic’ because it is restorative in similar ways that other medical traditions are healing. ‘Somatic’ because it is a body based methodology, and a ‘Process’ because it takes time to help the brain make physical changes for long term benefit.
TSP™ addresses both structural and nonstructural sources of your pain, both of which present as physical symptoms. When we address both sources, the pain or functional deficit can truly be resolved.
TSP™ is not a short course curative route of care. TSP™ invites an individual to consider concepts such as embodiment, being present to their emotions and feelings, recognizing how these serve to create patterns of tension, guarding, or other physiological changes that actually increase pain or symptoms. All of this takes patience and time, but through TSP™ true resolve to your pain and symptoms can be had.
Therapeutic Somatic Processing™ is for:
Individuals who feel like they have run the gamut to find a way to heal.
Individuals who feel like their hope has diminished, or is lost completely.
Individuals who are ready to open the door to some possible hard learnings around why they move in their bodies the way they do.
Therapeutic Somatic Processing™ Looks Like:
A different process for every person, but always with the underlying intention of understanding your own body’s process of integrating sensory information into meaningful experience.
This is done by utilizing many various approaches, some common ones are mindfulness, sensation awareness, touch practices (by self or therapist), or movement. These experiences help you understand why and how the body tenses, holds, relaxes, etc. To understand what your body is feeling to produce this outcome.
Although we are not licensed mental health professionals, many patients report that somatic sessions feel like a cross between mental health therapy and PT.
When is Therapeutic Somatic Processing™ not the Path:
When there is a clear and evident injury, or physiologic reason, for your symptoms or pain.
When an individual does not feel ready to explore and dive into deeper states of emotion. Sometimes uncovering emotional patterns can impact the functionality of life. There can definitely be better times to start this work based on your life circumstances.
When an individual does not have support via therapists, friends, family, etc. to help them as needed for processing and integrating these discovered, and then newly created, mind-body patterns.