Building Safe Spaces: Helping Women Reconnect with Themselves.
Artwork by Catrin Welz-Stein
Discover new tools and insights for creating safety and authenticity in therapy.
Somatic Psychotherapy offers a deepened understanding and range of tools and resources that enhance my flexibility and adaptability to support and guide clients.
I engage with clients through their gateway or "dream door" that is most ready to be explored at the time. It's akin to finding an acupuncture point where the qi is responsive to your attention and ready to surface. I sense this as the client's dream body gently guiding me, inviting me to follow and honour their unique process.
With women, I observe that there is often a preparatory phase before they can connect with their dreaming body. I view this as a form of connective ceremony or ritual, where they begin to embrace and romance their own body and spirit, with my encouragement and guidance.
Initially, trying to work directly with somatic channels that many women are unfamiliar or unconnected with can feel overwhelming and unnatural. It can even be counterproductive. This is especially true for women who believe they are somatically and emotionally connected but have not yet created a sense of safety within themselves.
To build authentic and embodied safety, I use various approaches. The foundation is ensuring that I am offering safety, consistency, and presence. Teaching clients about their nervous system and its signals, helping them understand and develop compassion for its nuances, and providing supportive practices to restore balance and regulation, are essential steps before we can delve deeper into their unique process.
Many women struggle to express themselves authentically through their voice or body, and some may not even know what their authentic self looks like. I find that exploring their night or day dreams or introducing safety through the analogy of stories and myths can be particularly effective.
This use of active imagination helps them connect with their dream body and the Dao in a safe manner. Through this symbolic connection, they gain perspective and the ability to authentically express and communicate.
The Daoist myth of the Heart Spirit (Shen) in "Dragon Rises, Red Bird Flies" resonates deeply with many women, particularly those who have faced challenging life experiences. The symbolism within this myth offers a powerful and safe vehicle for women to reconnect with their sense of self through active imagination, guiding them on their journey back to themselves.