Somatics Sessions
What is it?
Somatic sessions offer an effective healing process for physical and emotional pain, and restoring a feeling of ease and flow when you’re stuck.
Sessions include work on physical symptoms, similar to what you receive in massage, bodywork, or physical therapy. What makes this work effective is that we also address the emotional and psychological underpinnings of pain and stuckness, using techniques from therapy, coaching, meditation, and breathwork.
What happens in a session?
A typical session starts with a conversation about what you want to tackle. After that we move into work on the massage table or we might opt to do a body-based practice that could happen sitting, standing, or moving. It ends with a short conversation to process what came up.
During the table work, you are an active participant and we follow your body’s lead to find what needs to be addressed. I might work on somewhere that’s causing pain or holding tension, or it could be a place you notice having less feeling. At different moments it might feel like the light touch of craniosacral therapy, the deeper pressure of massage, the adjustments of physical therapy, the dialogue of talk therapy, plus guided movement, sound, breath, and imagery. All work on the massage table takes place fully clothed.
Is it right for me?
Clients often come to me because they’ve tried other methods for healing physical or emotional pain but the symptoms keep coming back. Massage, bodywork, physical therapy, talk therapy, meditation, exercise, energy healing — they may have offered relief, but under stress things start to break down again.
Clients come to me for a broad range of issues. They might be dealing with acute or chronic pain; undergoing treatment for serious illness; experiencing grief after loss; going through pregnancy and postpartum; feeling numb or disconnected from their feelings.
Why is it effective?
Pain is not one dimensional — it’s never singularly physical, emotional, or psychological.
When we try to heal pain by working only on one aspect, we feel better for a little while, but the symptoms inevitably return because the other layers haven’t been addressed.
The fastest, most lasting healing happens when we address all our dimensions simultaneously. A somatic approach works with all the aspects of pain, including what we might not be aware of — the places we feel numb; the hidden emotions, beliefs, desires, and past experiences; and the impacts of our current relationships and surroundings.
Somatics works on your body simultaneously with the rest of you, so that the healing effects are both quick and lasting.
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I am committed to increasing access to healing by offering this work at an affordable rate, and as much as possible I do not turn away clients for lack of funds.
My suggested contribution is $160/session.
For clients who are not able to pay that full amount, I offer a very generous sliding scale.
If you have any concern about money, let’s talk about it and I’m confident we can find a mutually satisfying arrangement.
I accept cash, checks, and electronic transfers via Venmo, PayPal, and Wise.
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Sessions take place at my studio or on Zoom.
My studio is located about 20 minutes north of downtown Durham and 15 minutes east of downtown Hillsborough, NC.
Upon request, I see clients at their homes with a travel fee.
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No. Somatic healing does not currently fit the requirements for insurance plans. For this reason I offer a generous sliding scale to those with financial limitations.
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I see clients during normal business hours Monday-Friday, and by special request in the evenings and on weekends.
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There is no minimum commitment to try somatic healing and I encourage clients to begin with a few sessions to make sure it feels like a good fit.
Some clients experience profound healing from a single session, but I recommend aiming for at least 10 sessions if you are trying to make big changes.
Typically this means starting with 3-4 months, meeting weekly or biweekly. This time allows you to find your footing in new somatic practices and start to see the transformational fruits of our labor.
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If you’re interested in working with me or would like to learn more, contact me here or schedule a short introductory consultation. This is an opportunity to ask questions, get to know each other a bit, and decide if you’d like me to support you.
I provide clients with a private scheduling link to easily book sessions.
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It can.
My practice of somatic healing is trauma-informed and I am comfortable working with many forms of trauma as they come up. However, I am not a licensed therapist or clinician. I am not equipped to be a client's first or primary source of support around acute trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder, issues of addiction, self-harm, or acute personality disorders.
Scientific studies over the past forty years (and indigenous healing methods developed over thousands of years) show that the relationship between client and practitioner is a major factor in the success of healing. For my work to be effective, it will depend on the trust and connection we build through our sessions together. For some people, I will be a perfect fit. For others I will refer them to other excellent practitioners if it feels like we aren’t a match.
It is worth noting here that I identify as white, heterosexual, cisgender male. Many of my clients come from very different backgrounds and identities than I do. Working with a trustworthy and safe male practitioner can be a vital part of their healing. Other clients are more able to heal with a practitioner that shares their identities and histories. There is no right or wrong way — each client must discern for themselves which practitioner feels good for them. This is why I suggest starting with one session before committing to more.
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The lineage of somatics is long and diverse, and I’m happy to talk more about it with you.
Somatics was developed over the past 50 years at Lomi School, Strozzi Institute, and generative somatics. Many teachers have contributed to the methodology and their living lineage.
Somatics incorporates techniques from aikido, meditation, polarity therapy, Feldenkrais, Rolfing, gestalt therapy, body-oriented psychotherapy, linguistics, and other modalities.
My teachers have received formal permission to incorporate practices from their teachers in East Asia, South Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. At the same time, I want to acknowledge that nearly all forms of embodied healing in the so-called United States are subject to the historical forces of colonization and appropriation.