Why Somatic Mind, Body, Spirit Therapy Can Help You Heal
By: Ruth Milsten, Licensed Clinical Therapist and Yoga Teacher at Perilla Wellness
A lot of folks have asked me what Somatic Mind, Body, Spirit Therapy is and why I’m offering at a wellness center? Somatic Mind, Body, Spirit Therapy is talk therapy, but with a bottoms-up approach. This means that we bring the body and the nervous system into the room. We identify whether you’re stuck in fight or flight, freeze or submit, and how you can gently make your way back to ventral vagal, which is where we feel safe and connected. I ask clients to imagine that their nervous systems are like a sponge, filled with water (the water is past and current trauma, anxiety, things that have happened to us and more) and we have no way to wring the sponge out. Yes, in talk therapy, we can talk about the sponge-what color it is, what shape it is, how heavy it is, but we can never actually wring it out. In Somatic Mind, Body, Spirit Therapy, we can learn how to wring all of that water out of our sponge. What a relief that is!!
As a trauma trained therapist and yoga teacher, I love using Somatic approaches, as well as Mind, Body, Spirit approaches, such as: trauma release exercises, somatic movement, Internal Family Systems, yoga postures, yogic breathing, guided meditation, astrology, numerology, the Enneagram, sound healing, reiki, assessing and cleansing the chakras and aura and more, to help clients recover and regain balance in mind, body and spirit. This approach is very effective for clients struggling with: past or current trauma, anxiety, panic attacks, freeze or disassociation, fawning or people pleasing, high sensitivity, low self-esteem, chronic stress, life struggles and transitions, grief and more.
The beauty of offering this at a wellness center is that clients can spend part of their therapy session, laying on a heated massage table, and can receive 1-1 sound healing, reiki and energy assessment and clearing, if they want. We will tailor each session to fit your unique needs. If you’re interested in feeling more grounded, centered, calm, self-compassionate and curious, please email me at: rmilsten@hotmail.com, for a free 15 min phone consult, to make sure we’re a good fit to work together.
And here’s something you can do TODAY to calm your nervous system: cross your arms over your chest and gently hold on to each shoulder with the opposite hand. Taking a long slow inhale through your nose, consciously drop your shoulders down, away from around your ears. On the exhale, focus your attention inwards to your heart center and imagine a golden light spreading from your heart through your arms, up to your shoulders, neck and face. Just observe, without judgment, if you feel even a tiny bit more relaxed. Try this once a day and see if you notice a difference. I hope this tip helps!
