Have you done talk therapy and felt like something was missing? Do you intellectualize too much? Have you felt stuck in fight/flight/freeze for a long time? Would you like to form a new relationship with yourself and your body? Do you struggle to feel or interpret “your feelings”? Do you experience chronic pain that is “medically unjustified”?
Trauma Touch Therapy™ might be just what you need.
What is Trauma Touch Therapy™?
Trauma Touch Therapy™ (TTT) is non-invasive, client-centered, body-based therapy. Neither talk therapy nor massage. It does not aim to “fix” you. It provides you the opportunity to feel supported in your connection to and autonomy over your body’s past trauma. The mind takes a backseat and allows the body the chance to be seen and experienced through exploring sensation. TTT utilizes a variety of grounding tools, educational components, and a compassionate witness to allow reconnection and reclamation of the body. The gentle, patient, playful approach of TTT allows clients to be the expert in their experience without having to re-endure the trauma or fear the explosive intensity that can happen with some other types of therapy.
Client and Therapist approach sessions in partnership to tailor their work to each client’s individual needs. I’ll guide you through exercises to explore sensation within the body. As you explore, I monitor your physical responses, ask questions to deepen your awareness, and offer up tools for you to incorporate in your exploration.
Trauma Touch Therapy™:
- encourages small, organic releases
- teaches healthy self-regulation
- nurtures curiosity
- trusts the body; it’s simple and innate
- highlights hope and possibilities
- is transformative
- makes space for sensation and emotions
- and, most importantly, empowers clients.
“The recognition that the body is the avenue of experience, that affect is experienced in and through the body, that needs and desires are experienced in the body leads to the understanding that trauma is experienced and encoded somatically.”
-Bessel Van der Kolk
In other words, everything you experience is felt in and through your body: hunger, exhaustion, sadness, joy, love– down to a cellular or chemical level. Trauma also gets encoded in our cells. The problem with that is, trauma is stickier, and we need more help to process and release it.
Why Trauma Touch Therapy™?
Many people struggle to interpret and then process or “feel” their feelings. We become so disconnected from our bodies over time as a way to “protect” ourselves from the intensity of our feelings. To escape the wave of overwhelm, we numb ourselves. But the more we try not to feel something or deal with it, the louder it becomes. Our bodies and our nervous systems demand to be seen, throwing everything they can at us to make us listen and witness. This demand takes its toll, whether it’s through an increase in pain, unexplained illness, never-ending exhaustion, or a plethora of other symptoms.
Time for a little science!
When we experience physical or emotional trauma, our body produces inflammatory proteins. These proteins can cause inflammation in a single area or can spread inflammation throughout our body. If you have experienced recurring trauma and high levels of stress for an extended time, your body continues to create more and more inflammatory proteins (thank you, Histamine). Glial cells, which are part of your nervous system, then become very inflamed, overstimulated, causing microglial activation. This creates long-term inflammation. As we know, inflammation is the root of all preventable disease. Rarely do people possess the tools to combat this overwhelming inflammation on their own because no one teaches them how to do so. (READ MORE)
How does this differ from or complement PRISM’s C.E.L.L. approach?
With the C.E.L.L. model, we approach the story that comes up in the tissues and work to witness it and then rewrite it. The Trauma Touch Therapy™ model has us focus on sensation and removing the tie between sensation and story to decrease the power of the story. These two approaches are beautiful and beneficial both separately and in conjunction. When we keep rewriting the story but can’t unwind or remove the hold it has on our tissues, Trauma Touch may be a better fit for that particular struggle. If we can separate the sensation from emotion, but that sensation is unable to complete the cycle and unwind out, our C.E.L.L. approach can aid us in scaling that hurdle.
Hear what clients have to say about TTT:
“My 10 sessions of Trauma Touch Therapy with Soriah was truly transformative. From the very first session, Soriah’s professionalism, knowledge, and compassionate presence created a space that felt safe, supportive, and empowering. Their ability to gently guide me through the process while honoring my pace made all the difference. I always felt seen and respected. Soriah’s intuitive approach and grounded demeanor brought a sense of calm and trust that allowed for meaningful healing to unfold. I will carry and cherish these tools I have learned. I’m incredibly grateful for the journey and highly recommend Soriah to anyone seeking trauma-informed care with heart and integrity. Thank you Soriah!!” -C.C.
“Soriah was the healing piece I’d been searching for after years of talk therapy. They helped me to develop the necessary tools to finally listen to, understand, and honor my body’s whispers. Soriah’s natural ability to create a safe place to explore, play, practice self-love, learn, and let go and just “be” was transformative. With their help, I was finally able to come home to myself.” -M.D.S
“I believe Soriah has a gift of healing and teaching and they bring compassion and a deep knowledge into their practice. Soriah has a gentle approach and demeanor that kept me feeling safe and protected during our sessions together. After decades of not knowing how to listen to or allow my body and voice to be trusted or safe, I’ve begun to be able to recognize and feel the shifts within her and learn how to trust myself in my own body again. I’m grateful to Soriah for being a deep part of this journey.” M.H.
Due to the slow and patient nature of this work, the best results are seen with a multi-session commitment. 8-10 sessions are recommended. With that in mind, I am very aware of the state of our economy and the stress it adds to our wallets and nervous systems. This work is so important, and I believe in making it accessible to those who need it. If this is a particular concern, we can discuss payment options during the consultation.
Q. What if I don’t feel like/think I have experienced Trauma?
A.
That’s okay! You can still benefit from TTT without having any sense of past trauma.
Q. What if my Trauma involves being touched?
A.
Touch is just one of our tools. We may never make physical contact in our sessions, and that’s alright!
Q. What if I have already tried somatic therapies? (EMDR, ART)
A.
TTT is very complimentary to these, especially with how involved TTT is, thanks to our multiple tools.
Q. Do I need prior experience with therapy?
A.
Previous experience with therapy is not required, though some find it supportive to do both TTT and talk therapy in conjunction.