Somatic Experiencing

Gonca Alban completed her Somatic Experiencing training with SOS Internationale, the Somatic Experiencing training body in the UK, a part of the US training programme formed by Peter Levine.

Gonca discovered Somatic Experiencing after over a decade of teaching and practising yoga, which increased her awareness of her body, mind and emotions, creating a desire to understand herself and her attitudes and responses in life better and heal old wounds. Her yoga and meditation practise and career provided a natural foundation from which she could grow her understanding of trauma, healing, the connection between mind and body and effective ways of accessing and healing old traumas, stuck fears, phobias, chronic pains, depression, and other ailments, using the body and the mind together.

Her experience, both in herself and her clients, has shown her how powerfully healing the combination of working through the body on one side, and being able to understand, verbalise and make sense of what comes up on the other, can be. Somatic Experiencing brings together these forms of therapy beautifully and effectively, awakening the body’s natural healing mechanisms and allowing deeper understanding, healing and resolution to take place.

Gonca started her Somatic Experiencing practise in an addiction clinic in London, where she worked for two years before joining the ReCentre team. She has been teaching yoga and meditation for many years. She is also a nutritionist, writer and painter.

For more information on Gonca or to get in touch with her, please visit GA Health & Yoga.

Somatic Experiencing is a type of therapy that helps resolve and release physical and mental issues. Any shock or trauma, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Developmental Trauma, operations, accidents, emotional shocks, and similar overwhelming events create patterns and defense mechanisms in the body, that unless released can inhibit a person leading a full and happy life. With Somatic Experiencing therapy these held patterns can be released.

During Somatic Experiencing sessions the therapist guides the client through simple, powerful strategies that mobilise the body’s innate self-healing systems. It is a form of body-sensation led talking therapy that helps relieve physical, emotional and psychological symptoms, resistance to situations and feelings of ‘stuckness’. Somatic Experiencing increases our capacity to live a more whole, balanced, integrated, joyful, energetic life, bringing forth our full potential to truly be ourselves and feel fully alive, shedding our limiting attitudes and beliefs. It increases our awareness of ourselves and the way we function, respond and react. It nurtures our joy and interest in life and increases our confidence in ourselves and the world.

Somatic Experiencing can help people affected by a wide range of symptoms, including:

● Stress and anxiety ● Phobias, panic attacks ● Shame and lack of self worth ● Mood swings and depression ● Digestion issues ● Immune system problems ● Headaches and migraines ● Neck and back pain ● Avoidance issues ● Addictive behaviours

And many other symptoms that manifest in physical and mental distress.

The setting is similar to any other ‘talking therapy’ session.

A session takes place with the client seated comfortably. First we talk about what has brought them there and what they are hoping to resolve. Then I use various methods to allow the body’s innate healing mechanism to take place. We all are able to heal fully, if we let our body do so, however often our mind gets in the way and we get stuck. Through ‘tracking’ the body and being guided by feelings or physical sensations that come up in the body during the session, we can release these innate healing mechanisms and allow the body to resolve any recurring or ingrained issues it might be holding on to. It is more about listening to the body and being guided by it, rather than using the body in movements or exercises.

It varies by person and situation. Some traumas are so deeply embedded, it can take many sessions. Sometimes a client comes with a very straight forward trauma, for example an accident or operation, which can be resolved within a few weeks.

This is entirely up to the client. It is not essential, however it can be helpful. Touch would only be used if the client feels comfortable with it.