SomatoEmotional Release
What isSomatoEmotional Release?
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SomatoEmotional Release is a therapeutic process designed to release the residual effects of past injuries, traumas, and negative experiences from the body, mind, and nervous system. This modality is based on the scientifically backed concept that memories are stored not only in our brains, but in our bodies as well. In CranioSacral Therapy, we refer to the areas of the body where traumatic tissue memories are held as Energy Cysts. SomatoEmotional Release uses gentle touch and therapeutic dialogue to locate and help the client to release energy cysts in the body. SomatoEmotional Release is an inside out approach, meaning the practitioner is not “doing” the release, rather they are helping to support the client to let go of these held patterns and helping them to integrate the changes. This has a therapeutic effect of releasing both physical and emotional pain, restrictions, and holding patterns from the body and helping to restore the autonomic nervous system to a regulated state of homeostasis and safety.
Energy Cysts
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Dr Upledger used the term Energy Cyst to describe an area of increased entropy and disorganization in the body that has been created by some kind of physical or emotional trauma which the body has walled off, thereby creating a compensation pattern. When the energy cyst has been present for a while it will also cause fascial restrictions. This entropy can also feed into the spinal nerves and spinal cord, and cause facilitated segments—areas where the dural tube gets stuck within the spinal column. Energy Cysts cause interference waves which are superimposed on the body’s normal physiological rhythms and movements. Every compensation pattern has a price. Our bodies have to develop new pathways and patterns around them and that takes energy. Energy Cysts can also entrain a person emotionally. For example, if someone is really angry when they experience an injury and an energy cyst develops, that person might become someone who is easily angered and has difficulty regulating this particular emotion. In this case, freeing up the energy cyst from this event can also free this person from the residual anger that is being held in the energy cyst.
What Causes Energy Cysts?
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Energy Cysts are often caused by direct impact trauma. They can also be caused by other disruptions to the body such as surgeries, toxins such as radiation and EMF, spiritual or emotional conflict, emotional trauma or any kind of unresolved trauma, and long-term inner conflicts.
John Upledger identified the 3 most likely conditions to cause the formation of an Energy Cyst as
1) The intensity of the experience (physical or nonphysical)
2) A history of previous trauma or injury to that part of the body
3) The presence of some kind of disturbing emotion when the impact or situation happened
Who Would Benefit from a SomatoEmotional Release Session?
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- Anyone with a history of trauma, PTSD, or CPTSD
- Anyone with chronic pain
- Anyone with emotional or nervous system dysregulation
- Anyone with depression or anxiety
- Anyone feeling stuck or struggling physically, emotionally, energetically, spiritually, or existentially
- Anyone who has been unsuccessful in maintaining therapeutic changes in the body from manual therapy
- This work is very powerful to use in conjunction with counseling and other spiritual or cognitive Therapy
- Supporting and Integrating major life events and changes
What to Expect During a SomatoEmotional Release Session
- I will ask you some intake questions and let you tell me anything you want me to know before we start the session.
- You will be fully clothed on a comfortable table.
- You can talk and ask questions at any point before during and after the session.
- I will use a process called arcing to feel for the primary Energy Cyst in your body, after which I will sit down with my hands on the area where the energy cyst is located. I will monitor changes in the Cranial rhythm that occur during the SER process to verify that we are working in the right area.
- Once an Energy Cyst has been located and we are in the SER process I will check in with you and ask you some questions about what you are experiencing. You can tell me as much or as little as you are comfortable with sharing.
- You will be fully awake and most likely will be relaxed and comfortable. You will NOT be in a trance or a hypnotic state.
- You may experience body sensations such as tissue release, localized heat, tension or softening in the tissue, light shaking or other spontaneous movements in parts of your body, spontaneous eye movements, or therapeutic pulsing in the tissue.
- You may experience memories from past experiences, images or sounds from memories or from symbolic information similar to a waking dream state. This could include colors, tastes, or other sensations. Memories and other images and sensory information that come up during the SER process are not random. They are specific to the Energy Cyst we are working with and can offer useful information for you to work with during or after a session.
- You may experience spontaneous emotions with or without a specific memory arising during or after a SomatoEmotional Release session.
- Insights or resolutions about past or current events or circumstances in your life
- You can stop the session or take a break at any point. I may also encourage you to take a break and to orient yourself to the room and to the present time.
- We may work with one or more Energy Cysts during a session.
- We will do some integration and possibly some manual therapy to work with fascial restrictions and other imbalances related to the Energy Cyst or Cysts we worked with.
Where did SomatoEmotional Release Come From?
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Dr John Upledger, the founder of CranioSacral Therapy, developed the concept and application of SomatoEmotional Release with the help of Dr. Zvi Karni while working together as researchers in the Department of Biomechanics at Michigan State University. Dr. Upledger (1932-2012) was a certified fellow of the American Academy of Osteopathy, an academic fellow of the British Society of Osteopathy, and a Doctor of Science, Medicina Alternative. Dr. Karni, who holds doctoral degrees in both biological engineering and biophysics, was a visiting professor on leave of absence from his position as Chairman of Biological Engineering at the Technion Institute in Haifa, Israel. Their mutual research mission was to explore the possible areas in which the fields of medicine, physics, and engineering might integrate to better serve humankind.