Transformational Bodywork

Release old and negative embodied patterns

Rediscover vitality, joy & pleasure

Many people have a poor relationship with their body: they are not comfortable in their skin and may see their bodies as something to be controlled or fought with. The reasons for this are often rooted in childhood; watch my video to learn more about how your history affects your body.

Alexander Lowen, the creator of Bioenergetics, wrote "Without awareness of bodily feeling and attitude, a person becomes split into a disembodied spirit and a disenchanted body." Many of you will immediately recognise this to be true. Some live in a world of facts & figures, of abstract thinking, of logic & reason - and struggle with the messy world of emotions and relationships. Others fight battles with their body through constant dieting and gruelling exercise, or fall prey to unnecessary lifestyle diseases. It doesn't have to be this way.

Not everyone wants to engage in the analytical work involved in psychotherapy. Transformational bodywork is for those who want to place the emphasis firmly on the body. In these sessions, there is far less focus (or none at all) on dealing explicitly with the psychological roots of behaviour. All my bodywork modalities are working with the bodymind, and if you wish they may incorporate psychotherapeutic interventions. Unlike in psychotherapy, bodymind processing tends to happen at a more unconscious level.

Transformational Bodywork is all about embodiment. Through it you can re-establish your connection with your body and your authentic self. It can help you understand your true needs, be more in touch with your feelings and know how to have them met. It opens you to sensation, breathing, touch, freedom of movement, play, joy and pleasure. It helps you release the old patterns written in your body and the beliefs that say “I cannot”. It aims to make you become at home in your skin: you were born that way and can recover what you have lost. Transformational bodywork can help you reclaim your right to feel vibrantly alive.

Transformational bodywork can provide a wide range of benefits: physical, emotional and psychological.

Here are just some of the transformations one might expect over a regular program of sessions. Some will happen spontaneously, while others will very much depend on the intent you bring and the degree to which you engage with what occurs in the course of the sessions.

• A greater sense of well-being
• Helping you rediscover your natural body rhythms
• Developing your inner sense of aliveness
• Improving emotional & psychological self-awareness
• Deep relaxation
• Boosting energy levels
• Releasing emotional stress and decreasing anxiety
• Encouraging deeper, more relaxed breathing
• Improving physical flexibility, balance and coordination
• Releasing muscular tension and joint stiffness
• Increasing your sensitivity to your body
• Stimulating the release of unconscious material
• Increasing libido
• Improving blood & lymph circulation and digestive transit
• Stimulating the body's natural self-healing capacity
• Promoting relaxed sleep and easing insomnia
• Meeting the need for nurturing and support
• Providing a sensuous experience within safe, respectful boundaries

We can discuss any specific aims you have during our initial free consulation.

I offer 3 types of transformational bodywork: Postural Integration, Pulsing and Bioenergetics:

Postural Integration

Postural Integration is a deep Reichian bodywork method structured around a series of systematic stages that involve deep tissue manipulation and myofascial release in all areas of the body, beginning at the extremities and working towards the core. It is a form of body psychotherapy - with the emphasis strongly on body.

It is not a passive treatment like massage: as I work the muscles, searching for areas of deep tension, I will be encouraging you to breathe, move, feel, make connections, express. Postural Integration is a creative shared dialogue between client and therapist, a human experience aiming to bring mind, body and soul into harmony. Sessions will involve a holistic blend of breathwork, movement and reflective body focusing to increase your bodily self-awareness and felt sense of patterns of holding, together with deep bodywork to soften body armour and enable you to let go of old blocks. The steps are cumulative and progressive, each step building on the last, so certain stages may need to be worked through more than once before you feel ready for the next step.

The effect is a controlled softening of chronic tension and embodied emotions (body armour) that allows mind and body to change and adjust together in an organic process. Postural Integration allows fresh energies to emerge, improving your sense of well-being and your capacity to feel and express. It brings your mind and body increasingly into harmony and helps you discover a new way of being at one with yourself.

Pulsing

Pulsing is a wonderful treatment to help you move more freely and feel more alive. It is a rhythmic, rocking, movement-based approach and is perhaps the most deeply relaxing and most nurturing form of bodywork. With its wave-like movements, Pulsing works with the body's natural rhythms and has a profoundly relaxing yet energising effect, helping to release physical tension, emotional stress and body armour.

It has many benefits on both physical and psychological levels. Pulsing boosts energy levels and your sense of fun and aliveness; at the same time it is profoundly relaxing, deeply nurturing and supportive. Psychologically it can help change old patterns, as the softening of body armour and the release of energy allows transformation to occur gently, naturally and pleasurably. For this reason people are often drawn to Pulsing at times of transition in their lives.

Pulsing also improves movement repertoire, making it highly beneficial to athletes, dancers, practitioners of yoga and other physical disciplines, or anyone who wishes to improve their flexibility, balance and co-ordination. It is a great way to establish or maintain connection with your body.

I also run workshops in Pulsing Rhythmic Bodywork (the photo above is from one of my training weekends). These weekend events are a delightful way to dive into Pulsing. They are suitable for anyone interested in personal development and especially in exploring what it means to be embodied. These workshops also form the basis of a professional training in Pulsing, so are suitable for practitioners of massage, bodywork or exercise modalities who wish to add a new skill. Find out more about Pulsing workshops.

Bioenergetics

These sessions are aimed at improving your embodiment through exercises in movement and expression. They aim to help you:

• Increase vitality
• Breathe more fully and freely
• Be more grounded
• Develop self-awareness
• Improve self-expression

Combining the Bioenergetics exercises developed by Alexander Lowen with movements from other embodiment practices, plus breathwork and expression, these sessions are ideal for those who wish to engage with their embodied self in a more active way. If you have ever done yoga, tai chi, qi gung or Pilates, this work will be recognisable to you, although there are some key differences, especially in breathing and expression.

Even better, as you learn these movements you can do them at home in between sessions, increasing your health and wellbeing.

Other possibilities

I am qualified in many other bodywork and subtle energy modalities, all of which inform my practice. So if you're looking for something I haven't mentioned, please do enquire. Whatever requirements you may have in terms of therapy, bodywork, counselling and support, whatever you need, I am very happy to tailor sessions to suit you. If you're not sure what would be best, feel free to call or email me.