Tamu Thomas - Introduction and Somatic Therapy Overview - “ The Body is the Starting Point”

• This introductory workshop will cover program guidelines and answer participant questions about program protocol, technical issues, small groups, somatic experiences, and CE requirements.
• Tamu is renowned for her ability to create “brave spaces” where everyone is invited and welcome. The space Tamu holds has been described as “A place where your nervous system can rest.” This will give us the opportunity to settle into our bodies and begin learning.
• Typical talk therapies engage the mind and often leave out the body, encouraging people to become aware of disturbing thoughts and behavior patterns and work to change them. In somatic therapy, the body is the starting point to achieve healing. This form of therapy cultivates an awareness of bodily sensations and teaches people to feel safe in their bodies while exploring thoughts, emotions, and memories.
• This workshop will cover how somatic therapy works and give you basic skills to begin to work with clients to help them become aware of their bodies as an invaluable ally and resource to recognize and listen to the language of the body through attention and awareness. You will prepare to establish safety in the nervous system and recognize when and why safety is not accessible.
• As a somatic therapist, your focus will be on the body, the soma, as experienced from within. Tamu supports you to begin to conceptualize your own somatic experiences as a way to interpret and navigate health, interaction and boundaries, focusing on the body as the first boundary.

“How Trauma Lives In the Body”- Tamu Thomas and Gabor Maté Tamu -

• Through exercises and didactic teaching, you will learn about the role of the body, brain, and nervous system in the client’s and counselor's psychological well-being you will have an overview of Somatic Therapy Theory and Practice and its place in current trauma recovery.
• Tamu will help you distinguish various states of the nervous system and utilize the knowledge of the body and nervous system to interpret your client's overall well-being.
• Tamu’s teaching will bring you deeper into the cultural and societal underpinnings of stress and trauma. She will describe how industrialization/toxic productivity has impacted our relationships with our bodies.
• You will be introduced to initial somatic practices and tools to begin to bridge the mind/body gap in clinical settings.

Gabor-

• Dr. Maté will cover themes around how the body holds trauma, illness and how to move towards healing in a toxic culture. Gabor will inspire you to cultivate presence and illustrate how to be in the present moment to bring attention to body signals in clients and yourself.

Gabor will present on how to:

• Be with what is.
• Bring attention to body signals in clients and yourself.
• Enable clients to access emotional states through body awareness.
• Create and maintain a safe, sacred space between client and therapist.
• Facilitate the expression of what has remained unexpressed.
• Keep a client engaged in the present moment experience.