SOMATIC MOVEMENT THERAPIES

SOMATIC MOVEMENT THERAPY

NeuroGrove’s somatic, movement-based therapies combine a variety of modalities, including Hanna Somatic Education, Neuromuscular Therapy, and mind-body practices. Hanna Somatic Education is a clinical, therapeutic movement practice combining principles of mindfulness and biofeedback with functional movements. Somatic practices generally refer to the fact that you live, move, think and feel from within a body. What happens at one level of your experience transfers to all other levels of experience; connecting mind, body, and spirit. By working through the body to access the mind, this powerful work can help you access and release stuck patterns of tension, movement, and emotion. NeuroGrove’s approach is particularly helpful for people struggling with chronic pain, stuck emotional states, or the lingering effects of physical injury/trauma.

This work can be done one-on-one with hands-on techniques to help connect you with the parts of your body that are operating unconsciously, on auto-pilot. Through controlled and focused movements, you will be able to more deeply access and unwind tension patterns in your body. Group classes and virtual sessions are also quite effective since the relief is self-initiated, and any touch and guidance only serve to help you learn what to do. No matter how young or old you are, this practice can help you feel and move better in your body. Results are often fast and lasting.

At NeuroGrove, we utilize a combination of evidence-based therapeutic and coaching approaches to help you process emotions, memories, and challenges that arise and succeed in achieving the goals you set. This combination is designed uniquely for you in accordance with your specific needs, goals, and desires.

psychotherapy session at Neurogrove

Movement-based therapies can also evoke the surfacing of emotions that have been suppressed and held within the body and subconscious mind, allowing them to release and diffuse. Research on the correlation between movement therapy and brain function/structure suggests that this form of therapy can increase neurogenesis (i.e., formation of new cells) and neuroplasticity (i.e., formation and reorganization of synaptic connections) in different brain regions associated with emotional experiences.

Somatics neck twist

Our somatic therapies utilize specific movements to exercise specific parts of the brain and body, as well as improve the connectivity and flow of information between them. Engaging in somatic therapies also provides an expressive outlet for the nonverbal, subconscious brain, as well as a healthy release of the fight-flight-freeze response. It breaks up our unhealthy physical, cognitive, and emotional patterns and reprograms them toward healthier ways of being and functioning.

Somatic therapies target various brain regions, including (but not limited to):

  • Prefrontal cortex (e.g., attention, emotional regulation, & cognitive functions)
  • Limbic system (e.g., emotions and stress responsivity)
  • Hippocampus (e.g., memory)
  • Sensorimotor regions (e.g., sensory processing & motor function)
  • Cerebellum (e.g., balance & coordination)
  • Inflammatory markers
  • Mirror neuron systems (e.g., interpersonal skills)

Additional benefits of the techniques used in our NeuroFlow classes include:

  • Enhancing blood flow and oxygen to the brain
  • Improving interhemispheric connectivity
  • Lowering levels of stress hormones such as cortisol
  • Decreasing muscle tension and tension headaches
  • Providing a healthy release for the fight/flight/freeze response
  • Stimulating the vagus nerve and cerebellar vermis (e.g., calming effect)
  • Improving flexibility, posture, and natural curvature of the spine
  • Improving balance, coordination, and proprioception

Our somatic movement classes are designed to be feasible and tolerable for all levels and body types, so come as you are! Engaging in this kind of class is also a powerful way to create close, healthy connections with others who are also working to improve their brain-body wellness.

Through group classes and individual sessions, we utilize this unique approach to support your overall brain-body wellness. We can also offer these services in person or in virtual form to support you from the comfort of your home or while you are traveling!

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