Somatic Movement Therapy

A somatic movement is one which is performed consciously with the intention of focusing on the internal experience of the movement rather than the external appearance or result of the movement. The word somatic means “of or relating to the living body,” and it has long been used in medical terminology. Due to its generic definition, the term somatic can be used to describe a variety of forms of movement and healing modalities. For example, somatic yoga, somatic experiencing, somatic therapy, or somatic dance therapy. The term somatic education was coined by Thomas Hanna. Hanna used the term somatic education to describe methods of sensory-motor education that use somatic movement to improve motor control and sensation and change learned muscular patterns. Many people find somatic movement methods to be highly effective in relieving chronic pain and improving bodily function. Somatic Movement is performed as slowly as possible in order to engage the human nervous system. The human nervous system learns new things very slowly. When we perform movements quickly we are simply reinforcing existing learned patterns. Somatic movement is also performed consciously, with full internal focus and attention. This ensures awareness of the learning process. Exploratory and mindful, somatic movement encourages us to be focussed on the internal experience of the movement rather than the end result. Somatic Movement Therapy can assist with a vast variety of physical, emotional and mental imbalances providing an holistic pathway to balance, health and well-being.