Sensorimotor Psychotherapy

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is one of the major, evidence-based somatic approaches used in the treatment of trauma. Pioneered by Pat Ogden, this approach is based on the premise that our body is naturally equipped to resolve the after-effects of a traumatic event. All we need to do is learn to tune into the innate wisdom of the body, simply allowing it to do what needs to be done.

Somatic approaches to trauma are being recognized as essential to the effective treatment of trauma, because we now know, based on recent research, that much of trauma is pre-verbal, or ‘stored in the body’ as a somatic response.

I use Sensorimotor Psychotherapy as a supplement to talk therapy in the treatment of attachment trauma and shame. During our sessions, we may set aside 10-20 minutes to simply observe our body as we recall a recent event during which we had a fight/flight/freeze/fawn reaction. I will guide you to allow your body free reign. We may experiment with shifts in posture or breathing or movements to see what feels right. We may learn how our body needed to be comforted, or how it needed to be protected in the moment.