SomatoEmotional Release
What is SomatoEmotional Release (SER)?
As one of my favorite instructors puts it, SER really should be called “SomatoEmotional REALIZATION” instead of release. This process involves discovering many connections between your body and mind by putting all of your attention inward. This may or may not involve dialogue. For example, what does your back pain really want you to know? What needs to happen for the pain to go away? Is there a protective pattern that you learned that was helpful at the time, but no longer serves you? Once the messages from your body are discovered by you, you now have the option to keep things as they are, to let things go, or transform them into something else.
SomatoEmotional Release (SER) can also be thought of as a natural process of releasing emotion that has been stored in the body for some reason. An SER might happen during a CST session when your subconscious mind/Inner Wisdom decides that it is safe to do so, but it is not something that is “done to you” during a session. If you have had any type of bodywork or energy work in your life, chances are that you have already experienced some degree of an SER. A release can range from very subtle (a few tears, laughing, having an old memory pass through your mind out of the blue) to feeling more dramatic (the full wave of emotions that you felt during an old accident for example). It is very common for an emotional layer to be the missing link in healing a physical issue.
What does the wisdom in your body want to say?
Therapeutic Imagery and Dialogue (TIAD) is a tool that we sometimes use during a CranioSacral (CST) session when it is appropriate. The non-conscious parts of us communicate via images rather than words. This technique allows you to develop an image that could be a clue from your body, and then have a conversation with it in a curious and compassionate way. This tool is not Psychotherapy, and not a substitute for mental healthcare. My role is simply to hold space, facilitate a conversation between you and your body, and monitor the physical changes in your body. TIAD can be a very helpful tool to facilitate a conversation with your physical symptoms and find out what they need…and to let them know what you need! It is not used to “make an SER happen,” but it might become a part of an SER if it occurs.
What to Expect:
You are a unique individual! Therefore, every CST/SER session is a unique experience, and the response highly individual for each person. Your body leads the session and I follow along, offering gentle resources as needed. While many people report a deep relaxation and centering after one visit, others may experience some agitation of symptoms before they settle and resolve. Both responses are completely normal and the only correct way to respond is your way. CST should not be thought of as a quick fix for symptoms because it goes much deeper than that. It is a gentle, but incredibly potent, supportive treatment for you as whole person.
