Who Benefits From SPRe?
““The autonomic nervous system is a relational system toned in experience with others.” ”
In a word - everyone! Anyone with a body can benefit from a SPRe session. It is the attunement we create together that facilitates change and growth.
It can be difficult to navigate life with the extra burden of chronic pain or illness, difficulty focusing, the effects of childhood trauma, or anxiety. I work with clients who have chronic illnesses and/or pain; those who have digestive issues or IBD; those who struggle with anxiety and difficulty regulating; those who feel that ADD or ADHD impacts their lives negatively; those suffering from work or relationship-related tension; or individuals who just feel that something isn’t right in their lives or that they could have more of an unidentified “something.”
Together, we can determine how you can feel better!
We usually tell people that they will be able to determine after one session whether or not its a good fit for them.
Give yourself the great gift of self-discovery and relief of pain and stress.
The benefit of my somatic work is the combination of attunement, compassionate co-regulation, and the hands-on relief of your body’s symptoms. We are creating a relational process together, a process that has been shown to reduce stress, create better understanding of your nervous system, and even new pathways in the brain that promote better mood and more ease. A session with me can create lasting and effective change.
“My chronic symptoms have calmed down a lot since seeing my SPRe Practitioner. My pain is reduced, and I understand that when I feel more pain and fatigue, it’s usually because I’m stressed about something”
I especially love to work with people with stress-related diseases and/or chronic pain, because I feel I bring a lot of personal understanding to our work together. I understand how constant pain and fatigue can feel.
However, I want to work with anyone who wants to experience more comfort and ease in their body. Feeling “better” is possible!
People often ask me why they should engage in this process, or if having therapy is really worth the time and money. I tell them that engaging in my own SPRe process was rewarding for a multitude of reasons! If I had to pick the major benefit of therapy for me, it would be what I call a feeling of “extra space and time” in my own brain when it comes to relationships and reactions, as if my brain goes into slow motion. In the past, when I felt scared by or angry at someone I was in relationship with, I might lash out, or react quickly. If I was in a difficult situation, I couldn’t make quick decisions, or recognize someone or something that was unsafe.
“If I had to pick the major benefit of therapy for me, it would be what I call a feeling of “extra space and time” in my own brain when it comes to relationships and reactions, as if my brain goes into slow motion.”
After years of SPRe, I’ve been able to develop the ability to emotionally and mentally distance myself from the difficult thing, person, or situation in front of me for just long enough that I can really feel what is happening internally and decide how I want to respond. I didn’t realize, until I listened to a clip of a talk by Harriet Lerner, one of my favorite therapists and authors, that I was, in essence, working with my own Fight/Flight/Freeze/Fawn response!
Dr. Harriet Lerner, Fight or Flight
Does It Feel Like This Sometimes?
“I have a lot of lower back pain, and it keeps me from exercising”
“My neck hurts all the time.”
“I feel like a fraud.”
“I’m a caregiver and I feel burnt out.”
“I feel anxious a lot, but I don’t really know why.”
“I feel like I suffer from ADHD symptoms which make me feel scattered. They keep me from focusing and doing what I need to, which makes me feel bad about myself.”
“I have fatigue that feels like someone’s pressing down on my shoulders.”
“My jaw is so tight it keeps me from sleeping through the night”
“I have trouble bending down to pick up my kid.”
“I’ve been feeling a lot of pain, but I don’t just want to take medication.”
“I practice meditation and yoga, but my body still hurts.”
“My doctor just said I might have a stress-related disease. What is that?”
“I spend a lot of time on my social media, but I still feel lonely.”
Do any of these resonate with you? All of these life experiences are expressed through your body - SPRe Bodywork invites you to bring these physical messages so we can begin to interpret them together.
Have you been told you need to: “just breathe,” “relax,” or, “just be in your body.” Many of us don’t just know how to do those things, so it isn’t helpful information. Besides, you might not be “in your body” because its less painful to be out of it!
It’s all about exploring - together - what your bodymind is already experiencing, what it might know, and what it might want.
I’m happy to work with clients who also wish to continue their cognitive therapy sessions; SPRe can be a great compliment to talk therapy. Together, we can work on embodying and integrating therapeutic realizations.
Everything you need to know is already in your body, it just needs to be invited, and explored. I attune with who you are - past and present - so your body is a reliable source of information that you have constant access to.
Your body contains all the information you need! Let’s explore it together.
“I have had a lot of talk therapy, and I like the combination of the bodywork and talking. I can’t just talk about how I’m feeling and dissociate; the bodywork helps me stop dissociating and actually feel what I’m feeling. It solidifies the transformational work. ”
