What is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy?
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP) is a body-centred talking therapy that aims to treat trauma or unhealthy attachment patterns formed in early childhood. SP draws upon the nature wisdom of the body (posture, movement and the nervous system) to tap into the innate drive in all of us to heal adapt and develp new capacities.
How does SP work?
The effects of trauma, neglect, abusive or emotionally painful relationship with childhood caregivers are held in our nervous systems, posture, and movement habits as well as in unresolved painful emotions and limiting beliefs. For example have you ever noticed the collapsed and defeated postures that our bodies can adopt when we feel depressed or sad? Or the upright and alert posture our bodies have when we are excited or feel positive.
To change these habitual body patterns, clients learn to mindfully follow the natural intelligent processes of body and mind. And build on their body's natural resources.
What can I expect in a session?
SP is a talking therapy, which involves noticing your mind and body's physical responses and then being guided to make adjustments. The first stage is becoming aware of how your body hold the problems you have come to therapy to resolve. The areas you can choose to work with are:-
Strong emotions (that have been suppressed or are overwhelming)
Limiting beliefs (e.g. “I will never be good enough”)
Trauma symptoms (e.g. panic, nightmares)
Physical symptoms (racing heartbeat or physical pain)
I will guide you to become mindfully aware of your posture, movement and physical sensations so you can utilise your body’s intelligence to help you resolve issues and meet your goals.
Is SP for everyone?
SP is particularly beneficial for adults who suffer from unresolved trauma, relationship problems, or who want to reduce stress and improve the quality of their lives. It can be adjusted for clients whose ability to be mindfully aware is limited in some way (e.g. by age, psychosis, disability or acute distress). SP is highly adaptable to individual needs and can be modified based on a person’s strengths, difficulties, capacities and goals.
