4 Minutes
CONTENTS
In the last decade, there has been a revolution in mental health treatment. With works like The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk and The Polyvagal Theory by Stephen Porges, the research shows us that our experiences can live on inside of us long after they have happened. In order to properly treat people, the body must be addressed. At The Balance, we understand this deeply, and it informs everything we do. It’s not just about bodywork like yoga, tai chi, massage, and acupuncture but also about welcoming the body into therapy sessions as well. One of the core techniques we champion in our clinic is Somatic Experiencing: a technique that was first developed by Peter Levine, a pioneering psychologist, after observing how animals released stress and trauma in the wild. To understand this concept more, we sat down with one of our Somatic Experiencing experts, David Cornwell, to discuss what it is, where it comes from, and why it is so valuable in a therapeutic process.