Why use Somatic Experiencing Touch, Transforming Touch and Transforming Intentional Touch for Trauma Recovery?
Why use Somatic Experiencing Touch, Transforming Touch and Transforming Intentional Touch for Trauma Recovery?
- SE Touch is applied with hands and occasionally with forearm or foot contact, and can also be offered indirectly, such as providing support through a cushion. SE Touch is done fully clothed and is not used to manipulate the body. SE Touch offers support to muscles, joints, diaphragms and organs to support regulation and healthy functioning. Touch can be applied with the client in a seated position or lying face up on a table, or standing during movement exercises. Some examples of when touch can be helpful are:
Identifying an area of the body for tracking internal sensations.
Supporting an area of the body to release tension or constriction.
Stabilizing a highly activated / dysregulated nervous system.
Containing and processing difficult emotions (e.g., feeling therapist’s hands on the outside of your upper arms to provide a sense of containment to reduce flooding).
Bringing awareness to an area of the body that feels disconnected or numb.
Engaging a reflexive action or defense to support completion / discharge of a response (e.g.,
(pushing into a therapist’s hands to engage a frozen fight response).
Resourcing an individual with positive sensation or a healthy body function (e.g., pressure on the feet can enhance a sense of grounding).
Calming an anxiety response, by supporting the brain stem or the kidney/adrenal area. Connecting with tissue / muscle memory or natural biological rhythms.
Increasing blood flow to damaged tissue.
Touch was incorporated in Somatic Experiencing by Dr. Peter Levine, and was further refined as a practice by Kathy Kain, MA, SEP, somatic and bodywork practitioner and senior faculty member with the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute (www.somaticpractice.net) and Stephen J. Terrell.
Stephen co-created Somatic Resilience and Regulation; Early Trauma with Kathy Kain. Together, they teach students internationally. Stephen developed Transforming The Experience-Based Brain: An Integrative Neurodevelopment Approach to the Treatment of Developmental Trauma utilizing Transforming Touch® and teaches the program worldwide.
Transforming Touch and Transforming Intentional Touch , Stephen J. Terrell PsyD, SEP
Transforming Touch® is a treatment modality that follows a specific protocol which has supported healing of thousands of clients. Transforming Touch creates a milieu of safety where a client can begin to feel a difference in their life through subtle, yet profound changes. In this place of safety, the client experiences attachment focused protocols which and consistent and measured for repairing early ruptures and the consequences.
Transforming Touch Therapist® understand the importance of presence. They assume the role of Secure Base during the treatment which opens the door for repair of early trauma ruptures.
Transforming Touch Therapist® rely on the work of John Bowlby who is often times referred to as the father of attachment. Bowlby believed that there are four distinguishing characteristics of attachment:Proximity maintenance: The desire to be near the people we are attached to. Safe haven: Returning to the attachment figure for comfort and safety in the face of a fear or threat. Secure base: The attachment figure acts as a base of security from which the child can explore the surrounding environment and Separation distress: Anxiety that occurs in the absence of the attachment figure.
Transforming Touch Therapist support and understand the importance of the client’s story or narrative. We are all born with survival parts that we use to navigate being born to growing up to death. We listen to each of these parts and honor their individual stories and make note as the story begins to change. Change is a clear indication of healing.
Transforming Touch Therapist provide “Trauma Informed Care” to their clients. Listening to their needs and supporting. As studies have shown such as the Adverse Childhood Experience Study, without intervention there is a possibility of experiencing early disease processes that may lead to a shorter life expectancy.
Transforming Intentional Touch
Transforming Intentional Touch is an equally effective way of facilitating regulation within our client’s nervous systems. All the protocol and enhancements have been tweaked to work without physical touch. The power of working with intention has been expressed and shared from Healers from around the world. Some actually believe it is much stronger than using physical touch.
Transforming Intentional Touch Therapist is an effective treatment for those who work in agencies that don’t allow physical touch and for those limited by licensure laws. This is also enhances our work using telemedicine.
Transforming Intentional Touch Therapist rely on the work of John Bowlby who is often times referred to as the father of attachment. Bowlby believed that there are four distinguishing characteristics of attachment:Proximity maintenance: The desire to be near the people we are attached to. Safe haven: Returning to the attachment figure for comfort and safety in the face of a fear or threat. Secure base: The attachment figure acts as a base of security from which the child can explore the surrounding environment and Separation distress: Anxiety that occurs in the absence of the attachment figure.
Transforming Intentional Touch share all the understandings and workings of Developmental Trauma and support Trauma Informed Care.
