WHAT IS EP?
Embodied processing is crucial because it acknowledges that our experiences, both pleasant and challenging, are integral to our growth and healing. In somatic-based therapy, we emphasize that individuals are not broken but rather navigating complex emotional landscapes that shape their lives. By embracing and processing emotions fully, we build resilience and expand our capacity to hold space for ourselves and others. This approach prevents emotions from becoming stuck in repetitive loops or left undigested, fostering emotional regulation and restoring balance to the nervous system.
At the heart of our practice is the commitment to helping clients find safety and stability within themselves. By creating a supportive environment, we empower individuals to navigate their internal terrain with compassion and understanding. Our goal is to cultivate a sense of inner security, enabling clients to access their own innate resources and strengths. Through embodied processing, we guide clients on a journey of self-discovery and healing, fostering profound transformation and sustainable well-being.
"Sitting with our felt senses allows us to truly experience and understand our emotions. By showing compassion and welcoming all parts of ourselves, we create a nurturing space that facilitates the healing journey, leading to greater self-awareness and emotional resilience."
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Embodied Processing helps those with trauma and anxiety by creating a compassionate space and building the capacity to sit with and experience their emotions. This process taps into the science of the nervous system, which plays a critical role in our emotional and mental health. When we experience trauma, our nervous system can become dysregulated, leading to heightened states of anxiety or a sense of being stuck in a fight, flight, or freeze response. By focusing on felt senses within the body and welcoming all parts of our experience, Embodied Processing helps to recalibrate the nervous system, promoting a state of safety and balance. This regulation allows for a deeper processing of emotions and helps to release stored trauma, facilitating long-term healing and resilience.
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Safe Environment: The practice creates a safe space where individuals feel supported and not rushed. This safety is crucial for the nervous system to shift from a state of hyper-arousal (fight or flight) or hypo-arousal (freeze) to a state of calm and balance.
Grounding Techniques: Through specific grounding techniques, individuals learn to anchor themselves in the present moment, which helps reduce anxiety and stress. These techniques can include mindful breathing, focusing on the feet, or feeling the support of the ground or a chair.
Experiencing and Integrating Emotions: Rather than avoiding or suppressing difficult emotions, Embodied Processing encourages experiencing them fully in a manageable way. This helps in integrating these emotions, preventing them from overwhelming the nervous system.
Building Capacity: Gradually, individuals build the capacity to sit with uncomfortable emotions and sensations without becoming dysregulated. This increased capacity leads to a more resilient nervous system.
Polyvagal Theory: Embodied Processing often utilizes principles from the Polyvagal Theory, which explains how the vagus nerve influences our emotional state. By engaging in practices that stimulate the vagus nerve (like deep, slow breathing), individuals can enhance their parasympathetic response, promoting relaxation and recovery.
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Sessions should be scheduled at least fortnightly to allow time for integration. Our starting package covers 3 sessions, which is essential for establishing safety in the body. This structure helps you build a solid foundation and ensures you have time to process and integrate the work done in each session.
Karen
“Deb not only helped me to find a resource in my body which I did not think possible, but also facilitated reconnection to my oneness after closing off for 2.5 years.”
Vesa