“Soma” is the Greek word for body. The term “somatic” is used to describe a 1st-person perspective of the body. There are many therapies that qualify as somatic, as they help you develop a keen understanding and awareness of yourself.
So what is Applied Somatic Therapy?
Applied Somatic Therapy / Arts is the practical application of somatic theories, principles, and techniques. AST provides customized education and tools for self-therapy when issues arise in the real-world and one cannot get into a therapy office. These tools are resources for recognizing when the body is experiencing the physiological effects of stuck trauma, and assist in helping the body “shake off,” or process those effects, without having to dredge up or re-live the experience.
These tools teach nervous system regulation. They can include customized somatic techniques for redirecting pain or anxiety message pathways, visualizations/meditations, and are coupled with craniosacral therapy for a nervous system rest. Or they help the brain retrain the body through the integrative aspect of manual therapies such as Pain Management on the AST service menu. AST tools are designed to help healing continue outside the treatment room.
How does AST play out in modalities I offer?
FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT/STRUCTURAL BODYWORK:
How many times have you received a massage, felt aligned and better for about 2 days, and then your body went back to the way it felt before? Through trial and error, and wasting a lot of money on sessions that didn’t last, I discovered that there is approximately a 2-day window after a massage in which the brain-body connection needs to be addressed to keep us from going back to the body’s former postures/habits. You may have been orienting to the issue that is presenting for a long time. For efficiency, the brain keeps us in postures and habits that we perform frequently. Adapting to repetitive motion, chronic posture, or an injury creates compensations elsewhere in the body that are deeply embedded in nerve-to-muscle messaging. We need to create neural pathways for new habits as we free up the structure. It is imperative to retrain the brain to restore function to the body. AST offers techniques that awaken awareness, and methods that can be used to keep the change going.
FOR CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY (CST):
At AST, the process of somatic awareness often begins with filling out the intake form. It helps piece together a picture of how what is currently presenting could be the after-effects of several major life events/stressors that occurred within a 1-2 year period. And how what we experienced during our first 18 months of life, when we were neurologically being “hooked up,” can affect our resilience, or influence patterns that seem to repeat throughout life.
The intake process also helps us to identify resources we already have for coping, or learn new ones.
Clients can also choose the option to receive information and tools for regulating stress and anxiety states in the nervous system (NS), preventing the brain from associating present-time stressors with past trauma physiology, and recognizing when the NS is providing an opportunity to “shake off” or resolve past trauma that is stuck in the system.
During the session I use somatic tracking skills when needed. I offer optional guided visualizations when clients would like help redirecting startle reflex (Fight/flight) or pain messaging pathways.
Please note that biodynamic craniosacral therapy (BCST) in and of itself can facilitate a deep sense of somatic awareness, without the above AST offerings.
Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is a non-invasive treatment attuned to the subtle rhythms of the craniosacral system—the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that surround and protect your brain and spinal cord. During a CST session your nervous system has the opportunity to adjust as the fluid membrane system balances and bones gently release.
Clients find benefit from CST who experience symptoms of stress, fear, anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, ADHD, TMJ dysfunction, vertigo, concussion, and/or have digestive, sleep, or autoimmune issues, earaches, migraines, phantom pain, pain that recurs after injuries have physically healed or that increases with stress, brain fog and feeling “off center.”
MyoFascial Release (MFR) is a hands-on manual therapy that frees up muscle that has become bound by connective tissue (the fascia). From what I’ve observed in hundreds of clients, most issues felt in a muscle actually originated in the fascia.
MFR helps clients who are experiencing issues like chronic back, neck, and shoulder pain, sports injuries, headaches and migraines, fibromyalgia, postural issues, RSI, TMJ, surgical recovery complications, and much more.
Many PTs now use the same manual, active fascial release techniques that I have used since 1993! And Airossti’s main approach is MyoFascial Release. But because they are limited by insurance filing, they spend 15-30 minutes working on you, before passing you on to a tech for some exercises. Usually this means only addressing one area of complaint.
But so often where you feel pain is not where it is originating. I am not limited by insurance filing, so I can look at the structure as a whole, and spend as much time as needed, in the hopes of discovering the root cause of your issue. I can help identify compensators, muscles that are “offline,” and ones that counterbalance poor postural habits, all of which might be contributing to pain you feel in one area.
Prices start at $125 / session*.
*Current pricing is available in the booking system. View prices and book online here
With Applied Somatic Therapy you will be learning skills that will save you money by avoiding continued appointments for many issues.
Massage therapy is not covered by most medical insurance policies, at least in the state of Texas, unless the therapist physically works at a doctor’s office. Auto insurance PIP typically covers massage, and I can give you a receipt to submit for that. Check with your claim specialist to determine if you need a referral from a doctor or chiropractor, or if you can submit for reimbursement without a referral. Some clients have been able to use their Health Savings Account to cover massage or craniosacral therapy. Please note that I do not have information on eligibility for this, so you will need to investigate this in advance of a session.
Get in touch to learn more.
If you have any other questions or would like to set up a phone call to see how Applied Somatic Therapy can help you, please reach out.