Many people encounter difficulties and shocks in their lives. Events and situations they weren’t prepared for. These things can sometimes have traumatic impacts on our health and wellbeing including long term influences on how we live our lives.
Not surprisingly, many Body Harmony clients want to improve these same things. They want to improve their health and wellbeing and how they live their lives.
As a Body Harmony Practitioner I sometimes read a bit to expand my understanding of bodywork and healing. This includes considering different perspectives and approaches to healing trauma.
I recently finished reading the book Waking the Tiger, Healing Trauma: The innate capacity to transform overwhelming experiences by Peter A. Levine. What a great book!
The book outlines an approach to healing trauma which includes what it refers to as the ‘felt sense’. The ‘felt sense’ is presented as a tool for accessing the innate healing processes of our bodies. The book emphasises that developing and working with the felt sense can be a key ingredient in transforming trauma into healing. The reasons for this are fascinating and include that much of trauma can be seen as a natural physiological process that is trying to complete. Working with the felt sense in an appropriate way can help the body resolve this process and heal.
But what is the ‘felt sense’? Peter Levine describes it in a number of ways in the book, including:
‘As we begin the healing process we use what is known as the ‘felt sense’, or internal body sensations. These sensations serve as a portal through which we find the symptoms, or reflections of trauma. In directing our attention to these internal body sensations, rather that attacking the trauma head-on, we can unbind and free the energies that have been held in check. ‘
This makes sense to me. In Body Harmony we use the resource of our sensory experiences, including internal sensations, all the time. It is foundational to working with a listening touch, working with clients and being open to the unique preferences of body tissue. This is reflected in the Core Principles of Body Harmony which can be viewed on our website here.
Body Harmony is not specifically a ‘Trauma therapy’ and certification as Body Harmony Practitioner is not a ‘Trauma Therapist’ qualification. So to be clear, I am not suggesting that anyone stop seeing their trauma therapist and throw themselves into Body Harmony sessions.
However over the years I have seen Body Harmony help people on their journey healing trauma. I know it has helped me. I have found it a supportive safe space to explore change at my own pace.
This book gives me a helpful perspective on what I experience in Body Harmony sessions and some new considerations to bear in mind when working with trauma. It also gives me a greater appreciation for the capacity of our bodies to heal from within, given the right environment.
If you are working with your own or other people’s trauma and haven’t read this book, I recommend it. I think it is potentially useful for Body Harmony clients, Practitioners and Teachers.
If you are a Member of the Body Harmony Association and would like to discuss this or any other aspect of Body Harmony, the next Body Harmony Connection Space will be happening online on 23 February. Members should have already received an email invite. I’d be happy to see you there.
The Body Harmony Association Inc. is a non-profit organisation registered in Australia in 2016.
We support Body Harmony practitioners, teachers and associate members, and promote the benefits of this unique bodywork modality worldwide.
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