SomatoEmotional Release Therapy (SER)
When I mention SomatoEmotional Release Therapy, I generally get an even more confused look than when I say CranioSacral Therapy.
And if Cranio sometimes gets put in the “woo woo” basket…
Somato has probably been placed in there, had the lid shut, and been pushed to the back of the cupboard.
But stay with me.
Continue below for a more in depth look at what this modality is and what it can do for you.
SomatoEmotional Release (SER) is an extension of CranioSacral Therapy, and the two can actually flow together during a treatment.
You might come in for a Cranio session with absolutely no intention of doing any emotional work.
You lie down.
We start with gentle Cranio work.
Your body begins to settle.
And then, depending on what is happening for your body in that particular session, the treatment may naturally start moving in a different direction.
That is where elements of SomatoEmotional Release can come in.
Because sometimes there is more going on than simply “this muscle feels tight.”
Think about how often we use phrases like:
“I feel like I'm carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders.”
“I had a gut feeling about it.”
“I felt like I couldn't breathe.”
“My heart just sank.”
We say these things because emotions aren't necessarily experienced as thoughts alone.
We can experience them physically too.
Stress, grief, overwhelm, fear, anger and significant experiences can all come with very real physical responses in the body.
SomatoEmotional Release gives us a way to gently explore your awareness of those physical and emotional responses when they arise during a Cranio session.
And before anyone starts picturing me standing over the table saying…
“Tell me about your childhood.”
That's not what we're doing.
I'm not there to analyse you.
I'm not there to tell you what an emotion means.
And I'm certainly not there to force you to talk about something you don't want to talk about.
Sometimes there might be conversation.
Sometimes there might be an emotion that seemingly comes out of nowhere.
Sometimes you might remember something.
Sometimes you simply notice a sensation somewhere in your body.
And sometimes…
absolutely nothing dramatic happens at all.
That's okay too.
The session follows what is happening for you, and we work within what feels appropriate and comfortable.
You might come in for Cranio and stay with Cranio for the entire session.
Or your Cranio treatment may naturally transition into some SomatoEmotional work because of what you're noticing and experiencing in your body that day.
And that's one of the things I love about this work.
I don't decide before you walk through the door what your body needs to do.
We listen.
We follow.
We get curious.
And we see where the session takes us.
If you leave feeling lighter — I've done my job.
If you leave feeling calm — I've done my job.
If you leave thinking “Well… I wasn't expecting THAT today” — I've done my job.
And if you simply leave with a little more awareness of yourself, your body and the way you respond to what's happening in your life…
I've done my job.
SomatoEmotional Release isn't about forcing an emotional breakthrough.
It's about creating a safe, gentle space for you to notice and explore what your body is communicating in that moment.
Is there a little bit of woo woo in there?
Maybe.
But sometimes the most interesting thing you can do is stop trying to explain everything straight away…
…and simply get curious about what your body has to say.