Embodied Therapy
As well as traditional talk-based therapy we can also, if you wish, work in a more embodied way, using movement, breath-work, art, creativity and hands-on contact.
Discover new ways of being you
In the sessions you are free to move, vocalise and express yourself as you wish, helping you to experience new ways of being and to expand the range of possibilities that are open to you in the rest of your life.
Heal early wounds and trauma
Embodied therapy is particularly suited to healing very early emotional wounds and 'developmental trauma', freeing you to move positively the future free from the burden of the past.
Deepen connection with yourself and others
Embodied therapy can also be especially good at helping you to discover and dissolve unconscious blocks which get in the way of forming deep and satisfying connections with others.
What happens in a session?
The sessions are very flexible. They can include talking, movement, voice-work, breath-work, contact and touch, music, artwork, writing and more, depending on the issues you bring, what you feel comfortable with, and the changes you are hoping to make.
““Working with Marcus has been life changing, he’s helped me realise my body is an ever present resource for self-healing and learning, thank you.””
Embodied work may enable you to access and transform parts of yourself which are difficult to get in touch with just by sitting and talking. Allowing the body to fully feel, express and tell its story can bypass the ‘stuck record’ of thoughts, beliefs and words and enable you to let go of the past and open up to new experiences and ways of being. There is no formula for how we would work or what a session might look like. Everyone is different. Some of the ways we could work include:
Moving. Often, we don’t offer ourselves a chance to let our body move as it really wants to. Movement is a very basic way in which we communicate how we feel to ourselves and others. Movement can allow us to access emotions in a new way, and can bypass the ‘stuck record’ that can happen when we rely over-much on talking and thinking to solve our problems. We work in a good sized, comfortable space in which you are free to move and spread out (or be still and contained) in any way you wish.
Breath-work. working with the breath is one of the most powerful ways to calm an over-active nervous system, to help you to land in your body, and to process feelings in a safe way.
Hands on work. It’s difficult to feel solid and secure if your body is out of balance, holding excess tension or emotion, or is unable to connect to the support the ground offers. If it feels helpful we can use hands on work to help your system to come back into balance, align, integrate and release.
Talking. Though embodied therapy can sometimes look very different from traditional ‘psychotherapy’, sometimes it really is just ‘good to talk’!
Trauma work. it is common for people to have a certain amount of trauma stored in their body. Trauma is not only generated from single very dramatic events — there is a growing recognition that it can also develop from long periods of lower-level distress and anxiety. Body work is increasingly being seen as one of the most powerful and effective ways to let go of these kinds of stuck feelings. This can liberate us from stuck patterns of behaviour and release long held tension and stress. If such feelings come up we will take care to regulate and ensure that you are not overwhelmed and things can integrate properly.