Our physical habits—of sensation, posture, and movement—reflect implicit knowledge of our histories of trauma, relationships, and resources, as well as our future possibilities. However, this wealth of information often eludes our awareness. The intention of the somatic practices in this card deck is to experientially illuminate the innate and unique knowledge that resides in our bodies, and to nurture a more deeply embodied connection with ourselves, others, and the world. The cards are divided into fifteen themes: ancestors and community, body connection, body sensation, boundaries, breath, containment, culture, five fundamental movements, grounding, mindfulness, movement, posture, the senses, positivity, resources, and the future. Our bodies have different lessons to teach us at different points in our lives, so readers are encouraged to revisit these enlightening, somatic exercises time and again to glean new insights.

Psychotherapists who have been trained in models of psychodynamic, psychoanalytic, or cognitive therapeutic approaches are skilled at listening to the language and affect of the client. They track the clients' associations, fantasies, and signs of psychic conflict, distress, and defenses. Yet while the majority of therapists are trained to notice the appearance and even the movements of the client's body, thoughtful engagement with the client's embodied experience has remained peripheral to traditional therapeutic interventions. Trauma and the Body is a detailed review of research in neuroscience, trauma, dissociation, and attachment theory that points to the need for an integrative mind-body approach to trauma. The premise of this book is that, by adding body-oriented interventions to their repertoire, traditionally trained therapists can increase the depth and efficacy of their clinical work. Sensorimotor psychotherapy is an approach that builds on traditional psychotherapeutic understanding but includes the body as central in the therapeutic field of awareness, using observational skills, theories, and interventions not usually practiced in psychodynamic psychotherapy. By synthesizing bottom-up and top down interventions, the authors combine the best of both worlds to help chronically traumatized clients find resolution and meaning in their lives and develop a new, somatically integrated sense of self. Topics addressed include: Cognitive, emotional, and sensorimotor dimensions of information processing * modulating arousal * dyadic regulation and the body * the orienting response * defensive subsystems * adaptation and action systems * treatment principles * skills for working with the body in present time * developing somatic resources for stabilization * processing

The body's intelligence is largely an untapped resource in psychotherapy, yet the story told by the "somatic narrative"-- gesture, posture, prosody, facial expressions, eye gaze, and movement -- is arguably more significant than the story told by the words. The language of the body communicates implicit meanings and reveals the legacy of trauma and of early or forgotten dynamics with attachment figures. To omit the body as a target of therapeutic action is an unfortunate oversight that deprives clients of a vital avenue of self-knowledge and change. Written for therapists and clients to explore together in therapy, this book is a practical guide to the language of the body. It begins with a section that orients therapists and clients to the volume and how to use it, followed by an overview of the role of the brain and the use of mindfulness. The last three sections are organized according to a phase approach to therapy, focusing first on developing personal resources, particularly somatic ones; second on utilizing a bottom-up, somatic approach to memory; and third on exploring the impact of attachment on procedural learning, emotional biases, and cognitive distortions. Each chapter is accompanied by a guide to help therapists apply the chapter's teachings in clinical practice and by worksheets to help clients integrate the material on a personal level. The concepts, interventions, and worksheets introduced in this book are designed as an adjunct to, and in support of, other methods of treatment rather than as a stand-alone treatment or manualized approach. By drawing on the therapeutic relationship and adjusting interventions to the particular needs of each client, thoughtful attention to what is being spoken beneath the words through the body can heighten the intimacy of the therapist/client journey and help change take place more easily in the hidden recesses of the self.

Following an already- established and successful "pocket guide" format, Pat Ogden discusses sensorimotor psychotherapy. Whether you are new to the approach or in need of a handy reference, this book will help. Topics include: trauma and early attachment injuries, dissociation, dysregulation, and mindfulness. Case studies round out the book.

In a deep dark forest, Little Coyote grows up with a tough gang of big strong coyotes. They are cruel, call him names and order him about all day long. Little Coyote is too small to run away or to stand up for himself, so he learns to do what he's told and makes his body small so nobody notices him. Then, one day he goes on an adventure and ends up discovering new hidden strengths that he never knew he had. This therapeutic picture book is written to help children aged 4-10 and adults to talk about difficult experiences growing up (including things they may still be going through), and explores how they can affect how your body feels and reacts to things. It is followed by easy to read advice for adults on how to help your child.

Sprinkle the pig has moved to a new house, with a new family, but he misses his old family. On his first day at school his classmate yells at him, and everything gets too much. He cries and cries, and soon the tears become a river and carry him away! Wise monkey spots Sprinkle, but he is too far away. Can he help Sprinkle to find hidden strengths to survive the river of tears? This therapeutic picture book is written to help children aged 4-10 and adults to talk about being separated from or losing loved ones, and explores how difficult experiences can affect how your body feels and reacts to things. It is followed by easy to read advice for adults on how to help your child.

One sunny day, Bomji the rabbit and his friend Spotty the cat meet something very scary while picking flowers in the woods. The friends manage to escape, but afterwards Bomji just doesn't feel safe anymore. His body feels a bit different and he starts to have bad dreams. His friend Spotty is worried about Bomji - how can her friend be helped? Luckily, wise Teacher Owl is there for them. This therapeutic picture book allows children and adults to talk about a frightening experience. The story is followed by helpful guidance for adults on how to help their child. It explores how your body and how you feel is affected by scary experiences, and explains how you can use your body to help to recover too.