Playing with Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
Many people wonder what Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is, because in this case, the name most certainly does not “say it all”. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is a body-based talk therapy, developed by Pat Ogden. Most body-based therapies harken back to the influence of Wilhelm Reich, who was a student of Freud. Like Freud, Reich believed that our fears and pathologies are mostly located in our unconscious and that healing involves tapping into and reworking unconscious beliefs and behaviors. Unlike Freud, Reich believed the best path to our unconscious, and to our healing, is through the body. Rather than talking a lot in “psychoanalysis”, Reich believed that "Emotional and physical states can be altered by changing the breathing pattern."
On the one hand, your body is a biological system that responds to many situations on an instinctive level. During traumatic events, your body reacts with a survival response of fight, flight, or freeze. If you have been through a traumatic event but were not able to complete or even attempt a survival response (slam on the brakes, fight off or run away from a threat), these incomplete responses may continue to live in your nervous system in an ongoing way, resulting in somatic (or physical) symptoms, such as shaking, sweating, or nervous tics. If processing trauma, we work together to create a safe environment and give your body the opportunity to complete previously unfulfilled actions and gain closure.
On the other hand, your body is more than a survival system or a sum of anatomical parts. Your body expresses your history, identity, moods, interactions with other beings, and aspirations. Your body is the location of your feelings and an expression of your “self”. You have learned much of what you know to be true through your body, and you have adapted to your world through your body. "
For example, let’s say you grew up in a family that constantly urged you to “try harder” and achieve more. This training might have shaped your body in that your muscles are tight and ready to take action, and you lean forward a bit, always reaching for the next goal. You probably know how to rise to challenges and push through barriers, whether they are organizational roadblocks or people, when the going gets tough. While some co-workers are inspired by your sense of vision, others are afraid to get in your line of fire. Because you naturally crave stability and equilibrium, but you are in a field that is changing at the speed of light, you might feel like if you just moved a little faster, achieved a little more, you could get ahead of the curve and find the resting point.
This mind/body set may have helped you earn praise from your parents, make it to top of your class in school, and/or rise to the top of the corporate ladder. That said, how well does it serve when you are at the top and your job is to create the safety, trust and buy-in of your team that will make innovation possible in your organization? Maybe you realize that you have to change your mind set and become more empathic, a better listener, less perfectionistic and more open to experimentation. How, though, does this work in a body that is “trained” to push, dominate, win and keep moving?
What you may find unique about my approach is that, on top of traditional talk therapy, I might encourage you to tackle emotional challenges with body based practices. For example, if you have trouble asking for help, I might ask you to reach out a hand to me in session so we can see what happens. My philosophy is that fulfilling our potential involves working with our body, as well as our mind.
Your body is a vehicle for taking action. With practice and awareness, you can train yourself to respond to difficulties or blocks with presence and creativity, and initiate the changes that allow you to live up to your expectations. In Reich’s words, “once we open up to the flow of energy within our body, we can also open up to the flow of energy in the universe."