“I lost two friends recently and have been grieving their loss. Until Sarah started working with me I didn’t realise how deeply I was carrying that loss within me.
As Sarah carried out my treatment I felt a weight lift, followed by a deep connection to my friends, my own feelings and older grief I didn’t know I still carried.
By the end of the session I felt lighter, like I could breathe again. It was a very relaxing and uplifting experience and a lovely feeling.”
This testimonial illustrates how the death of someone close affects our very being; each individual cell. Grief is a very personal and whole-body experience to which our entire nervous system can respond in many different ways.
It is important to remember that grief can not only relate to a bereavement, whether human or animal. It can also relate to a loss of relationship, home or employment.
Grief is a process, and there is no easy way to navigate the ever-changing thoughts and sensations that may present at any one time.
Therefore, if we are able to just be, allowing time for the many different waves of emotion to flow over us and through us, we may avoid getting in the way of the process. We are less likely to find ourselves permanently being dragged under or caught up in the whirlpools of our emotions or the emotions of those around us.
Where strong emotions are present, our bodies can hold these within the tissues, where they can potentially remain for decades. These felt senses of shock, sadness, anger, despair, pain, etc., can stay in our nervous systems as reminders of past bereavement and amplifiers of our current loss. This is known as “overcoupling”.
Overcoupling, as described by Dr Peter Levine, occurs when our unprocessed trauma energy from the past attaches to a current or ongoing situation or event. This can often lead to disproportionate reactions in relation to whatever is going on around us.
My role in the therapeutic process is to calmly hold space and allow each individual’s nervous system to offer up whatever it feels safe to work with at that particular time.
I follow the inherent treatment plan that we all have within us. This takes us back to the blueprint of our very existence, allowing tensions to be released and constrictions to unwind. This allows for a more balanced and adaptive response to not only the current situation or predicament but also to future situations.
The chest, gut, jaw, neck, shoulders and hips are areas where unresolved emotions or trauma may become stored. These emotions can manifest physically as muscle tension, digestive issues, headaches or other physical symptoms.
The lungs, in particular, can appear to hold grief, sadness and anxiety. By observing the tissue and inviting it to release trapped or stuck emotional energy, a state of balance and resolution can likely be reached. The client may be able to let go of the heaviness associated with their loss and allow themselves to inhabit the ‘being and allowing’ state.
This is a more optimal state for their grieving process to take all the time it requires.
Both Somatic Experiencing® and Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy are, by definition, trauma-attuned modalities. Used together, either online or in person, they can facilitate the resolution of embodied trauma in a very profound but gentle way, honouring the unique wishes and needs of each client.
If you think you could benefit from working with me, please get in touch. Email sarah@ytenehealing.co.uk or call me on 07747 111040.
Please remember to contact your medical practitioner in the first instance if you have any concerns regarding your health.
