Somatic: More than a Hot Topic

Everyone’s using the word “Somatic” these days. You have likely already integrated some related practices into your life. 

The term comes from 1976 when professor and theorist Thomas Hannah defined the concept. It is a fancy word to describe something essential to us all, so I am glad it’s getting talked about.

At it’s core, it’s about healing and soothing through body awareness rather than thinking and talking about our challenges. 

While this is associated with a type of trauma therapy, it is valuable to all of us to learn these skills for our daily sense of well being. 

Here are just a few ways you can access this methodology today: 

Ground: Feel your body weight and how you are touching the earth, stay present with this for at least 3 breaths.

Track Sensations: Notice what you are internally feeling without a story or any judgment.

Body Scan: As Vipassana Meditation teaches, scan your body from the top of your head to your feet, going ‘part by part, piece by piece’.

Resourcing: Retreat in your mind to a time and place where you felt safe and secure, in love and comfort. Be present with this past moment with a recollection of how your body felt.

Pendulation: Focus on a comfortable part of your body, and then focus on an uncomfortable sensation. Go back and forth between the two until the discomfort regulates (even a little is progress). 

Soothing Sounds: Make a humming or ‘Vooing’ sound to trigger the vagus nerve to relax deeper. (There are dozens of great Vasovagal release methods beyond this option as well).

Self-Contact: Warm your hands by rubbing together and then touch the part of your body that feels discombobulated. Send ease and relaxation there. 

Stretching / Dancing: Tune into a yoga session on your own or put on some music and stay very aware of letting your body move how it needs to without self-consciousness. 

Self-Hug: Wrap your arms around yourself and squeeze and tense a bit, then tap each shoulder with your fingers as you release.

There are naturally many more techniques to dig into, including various types of breath work. I hope you’ll choose a few of these to try right now and observe whether they have an affect on you. 

I love how these practices naturally tether us to our intuition. Using our gut is trusting the signals our body gives us without deduction or logic.

If you want to access this more, I am teaching an interactive workshop on Psychic Intuitive Skills at the Spirit Northwest Conference in Portland next weekend. 

We can also integrate these techniques into a  personal tarot reading session.

Engage with receiving and giving empathic energy when you bring in a loved one for a Tarot Together session.

Bring a group of friends together for a lower individual rate when you sign up for a tarot reading lesson with me. 

Give your community with some somatic goose pimples when you hire tarot or palm reader from Portlandia Fortune Tellers for your next event. 

Have a great weekend of paying attention to your whole physical and emotional experience with love and compassion. 

Scroll down for a Flip Through of the Myth Oracle!

Breathe Slowly,

Jenna Lynne Roberts

Present Path Tarot

Portlandia Fortune Tellers