Body Memory & Transforming Your Body’s Emergency Response System.

February 11, 2018

“There is no present or future, only the past, happening over and over again.” ~ Eugene O’Neill

Do you wish you could feel closer and more connected in your relationships?

Do you want to feel less stressed, drained, anxious or stuck? 

Without your awareness, your body holds unconscious memories and patterns, and goes into an automatic nervous system response when confronted with stress and challenges. Even when we know we don’t need to feel afraid, our body responds in the same automatic ways, and sometimes our symptoms are felt more intensely as time goes on.

When difficult events or situations happen in our history, they leave an imprint on our bodies, brain and psyche. These body imprints do not yield to our own outer development and growth, and there is no opportunity to have a fresh, new now and no real flow in our lives – and our emotions and feelings can stay stuck within us, in some fundamental ways.

You may have tried remedies and treatments to help with your feelings, and still your feelings of overwhelm, anxiety, panic, low mood, numbness or stuckness keep coming back. These feelings affect all aspects of our lives – in our relationships, we may feel that we can’t seem to communicate or to fully to connect to our partner, and we feel shut down or disconnected, sometimes for months or years.

When we were children, we adopted many behaviours to protect us, to cope, to get our needs met, and to survive in situations that were not conducive conditions for a child to rest, play, grow, mature and thrive.

These unconscious and unknown behaviours now bring us down, make us sick, anxious, depressed or in pain, and damage our relationships with others and ourselves.

We don’t know how to modify, change or reduce these behaviours because they are so unconscious and habituated. These unconscious defensive responses can be felt in our bodies – making us feeling consistently stressed, overwhelmed, numb, anxious or depressed.

With a somatic approach to being with body-based symptoms, your automatic nervous system responses can begin to shift over time. This somatic process is geared towards overcoming longstanding uncomfortable feelings; restoring your inner balance, equilibrium and creating a solid inner foundation.

Here’s some of what we do in a session together:

1) Have a present moment, body-focused experience of presence, power and groundedness – feel good body sensations, as well as the not-so-good body responses that you are hoping to shift.

2) Experience gentle movement and shifts between good somatic responses and the more difficult feelings.

3) Track sensations and fluid movement held in your body – and move back and forth between past experiences that may be keeping you stuck in a difficult, automatic, nervous system response – leading you to feelings of restored balance and relaxed alertness.

This work is powerful and helps you to:

  • Empower yourself by cultivating body and sensory awareness;
  • Free yourself from troubling body sensations and feelings;
  • Enrich the quality of your life immeasurably;
  • Transform your nervous system – affecting you, your family and children;
  • Learn what love feels like deep within your body.
My relational somatic therapy practice is focused on relieving the physical and emotional effects of relational and physical trauma and chronic stress.

A Somatic Experiencing, Relational Psychotherapist and Body-Mind Centering practitioner, I have a gentle, educational approach to help you learn how to calm your body’s emergency response system, quiet your body and mind, and build a sense of safety and resilience in your life.
 

My hope is to be with you and guide you to the healing resources that live within your symptoms and have been a part of you all along.

Together, we create a consciousness of embodied, emotional well-being – leading to lasting growth and healing, regardless of the challenges you may face.

This process works to transform challenging, conflicted relationships, addiction, chronic illness and pain -and provide each person with an opportunity to feel good about yourself, sometimes for the very first time.

I will nourish and support you using the body’s natural process to heal revved up, numbed out or overwhelmed feelings.
 
With a focus on relational patterns, body and nervous system functioning –  so you can understand and process your emotions, attachment patterns in relationships and self-protective strategies that may be keeping you out of connection.
 

I look forward to being with you.

love Kim, xoxo.

Join me for Somatic Transformation – A Heart-Mind Embodiment Immersion – Cultivating Embodied Well-Being, Healing Through the Body – Program, Workshops, Individual & Couples Sessions.

Cultivate body awareness & embodied well-being – in an integrative, body-focused, heart-centered, relational way – whether you’re in the Markham/Toronto area or want to work together using secured online video.
 

 

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Testimonial 1

When I came to you I felt confused, disconnected and broken. Now, I'm on my way to feeling whole. Thank you.
Kim Cochrane
2016-10-06T10:59:12-04:00
When I came to you I felt confused, disconnected and broken. Now, I'm on my way to feeling whole. Thank you.

Testimonial 2

I’m so glad I’m giving myself space to explore what’s happening in my life and to understand my feelings.
Kim Cochrane
2016-10-06T10:59:51-04:00
I’m so glad I’m giving myself space to explore what’s happening in my life and to understand my feelings.

Testimonial 3

I've wanted to do this for a while and I'm so glad I did - I trust myself more now, I feel more calm and open - working together has changed the course of my life.

Kim Cochrane
2016-10-06T11:00:16-04:00
I've wanted to do this for a while and I'm so glad I did - I trust myself more now, I feel more calm and open - working together has changed the course of my life.
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Kim Cochrane