Navigating through the landscape of grief and trauma can be an intensely private journey, yet there exists profound power in communal healing. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to participate and then lead grief and rage rituals, a ceremonies designed not only to acknowledge these heavy emotions but also to transform them through the…
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As we journey through the landscape of trauma recovery, we may encounter an unexpected companion along the way—resistance. This internal force, often perceived as an obstacle, can actually be a guidepost and a protective ally. In the process of somatic self-love, we learn to honor our resistance, not as a barrier, but as a valuable…
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In the journey of self-discovery and trauma recovery, understanding the spectrum of shame is incredibly useful. Often perceived as a negative emotion, shame holds a dual nature. Healthy shame can serve as our moral compass, guiding us back to our true north of love. It’s a transient feeling that helps us align with personal and…
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“In every culture and in every medical tradition before ours, healing was accomplished by moving energy.” – Alberto Villoldo. Modern therapy approaches often sidelines the body’s role in our health and wellbeing. Emphasizing mind over matter, relegating the body’s role in our inner ecology as secondary, even inconsequential. For the last 25 years, emerging evidence…
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In its ebb and flow, life unfurls a myriad of emotions – joy, sorrow, love, grief, and everything in between. These emotions are etched deep within our bodies and stored in our cellular memory. It’s not just our experiences that reside within us but also the emotional legacies of our lineages. One of the things…
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As the creator of the somatic self-love approach, I’ve drawn heavily from established theories such as Antonio Damasio’s Somatic Marker Hypothesis and the seminal work of Dr. Bessel van der Kolk. Somatic Marker theory hypothesizes that our emotional experiences leave physiological imprints or ‘markers’ on the body, which influence our future decision-making and emotional responses.…
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A “somatic spell” can be defined as an embodied pattern of trauma- and stress-related responses that become ingrained in an individual, family, or culture. These patterns emerge from repeated exposure to trauma, stress, or oppressive systems and can manifest in various physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms. From a Systems Thinking perspective, somatic spells can be…
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Patriarchal structures refer to systems of social organization and cultural practices that privilege men and reinforce male dominance over women and other genders. These structures have been prevalent in many societies throughout history and continue to shape social, political, and economic dynamics today. Patriarchal structures manifest in various ways, including: Gender roles and stereotypes: Patriarchal…
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The term “sites of shaping” refers to the various aspects of an individual’s experience that influence and shape their beliefs, behaviors, and identities. For women in the patriarchy, these sites of shaping encompass the societal, cultural, and historical forces that influence how women perceive and experience themselves within the confines of patriarchal systems. These sites…
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The concept of the “collective social feminine body” refers to the shared experiences, perceptions, and somatic manifestations that arise from being a woman in a patriarchal society. It acknowledges that the experiences of women are not solely individual but are shaped by broader social, cultural, and historical forces. The collective social feminine body encompasses both…
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