'Somatic' derives from the Greek word soma, meaning 'body'.

The practice of somatic psychotherapy is a holistic way of working that recognises the whole experience of a person and is inclusive of physicality, physiology, sensation, feelings, thoughts, mind, heart, spirit and psyche.

Our life experiences may cause us to suppress our spontaneity and creativity. Patterns of feeling, emotion and thought can then become fixed and will be mirrored in our posture and our body language. These patterns become habitual and automatic and are carried into adulthood and may be expressed somatically as intermittent or constant aches and pains, tight muscles, headaches, digestive trouble, chronic illnesses and other sensitivities.

These reaction patterns arise in the context of our early primary relationships.

By paying close attention to internal experience, tracking thoughts, feelings and sensations in a gentle, curious and gradual way, awareness of the connection of internal signals to our external reactions is increased and old patterns can be softened and transformed into more conscious choices of response to the inevitable challenges of being an embodied human-being.