Heal the Body, Heal the Mind: A Somatic, Integrative Approach to Building Resilience after Trauma
“Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of empathetic witness”
~ Peter Levine
Bad things happen to us and in our community daily, but it is what is stored in the body that continues to affect us. Habitual patterns, dysregulation, and disconnection impact our relationship to self and others. Through research on the body’s nervous system, we know that our responses to our environment are shaped by early experiences and reshaped with ongoing experiences. This ability to reshape is what is so important. We can train our nervous system and allow our body and mind to heal.
In this workshop, we will use the framework of Deb Dana who is informed by Stephen Porges’ polyvagal theory to learn and practice skills that will reshape your nervous system’s response to your environment to allow for more ease and capacity for living. Each month we will rotate through a series of skills that support repatterining the nervous system by befriending and attending to our own nuanced body responses, shifting and shaping those responses as needed, integrating these new responses into daily living, and improving your ability to connect with others and your environment safely. Each month will have a different focus, but you can start or stop at any time during the rotating series.
These workshops are for anyone 18 years or older interested in healing trauma or other stress related disorders with a body-oriented approach. This group is not intended to replace regular, clinical therapy, but rather it is an adjunctive resource for building your skills to find regulation in the body and mind that improves your life satisfaction and outlook for recovery.
When: The second Tuesday of each month starting Tuesday, January 10, 2023. The group will meet from 6 – 7:30 pm.
What to expect: Come wearing comfortable loose fitting clothes. There will be opportunities to use yoga mats on the floor for exercises and/or seating to fit your needs, but most importantly we want you to feel comfortable to start the process towards finding safety in your body.
Investment: $40 per session
*Groups are limited to 6 participants so pre-registration is required
Facilitator:
Jessica King is a licensed clinical social worker in Wilmington, NC who uses somatic experiences, mindfulness and meditative practices in her work with individuals, families and couples. Jessica believes people are resilient and that we do transform and grow out of challenging situations when appropriate support and safety is in place. Jessica’s intention for this group is to hold safe space for individuals to learn, process and grow.