Somatic Groups

Read on for general information about my groups or click on a link above to find out details on a particular one.

My groups are about building awareness (ie bringing more of our unconscious self into our consciousness).  Fundamental to building awareness is building connection with our whole being, meaning our mind as well as our body.  If one of these is left out of the equation then the road to happiness is more arduous and much longer.

At the core of my work is Zapchen Somatics.  This is a specialised stream within the field of Somatic Psychotherapy and while it has a long lineage is mostly attributed to the work of Dr Julie Henderson, a practicing somatic psychotherapist and Buddhist.

All of my workshops use the gentle exercises from zapchen somatics to assist in softening and increase relaxation in the body.  This is turn promotes energy redistribution (it’s like your mind focuses differently and on different places within your body) so that you get a better sense of connection and a feeling of being more settled.  All of the work is done in a private and safe place – in fact I encourage participants to show compassion for themselves and follow their ‘gut’ – if an exercise doesn’t feel right – then don’t do it!  The exercises themselves are all easy and things we probably did as kids e.g., blowing raspberries, humming, rocking – so everyone has the necessary experience 🙂  These exercises help us to tone the diaphragms of the body, which supports the flow of emotion and energy.

The M-Body-Ment course allows participants to practice the exercises a number of times over the 8 weeks, building up a set of tools that can be used to support wellbeing after the course finishes – especially during difficult times.  There are opportunities to share individual experiences with the other members of the group too, in a supportive space, a community of like minded folks.  Sometimes in M-body-Ment we may also do some gentle bodywork with a partner, this maybe just sitting back to back, or working with kidneys (allowing the nervous system to relax).  These are more potent exercises and I want to reiterate that while I encourage people to participate – I also encourage them to respect their limits.

Coming Home is a workshop that is very similar to M-Body-Ment.  The difference is that this course is for gay men and is a place where they can feel safe to be themselves.  The intention of this course is for gay guys to experience being comfortable being gay.