Never Underestimate the Courage of Your Journey 

As a somatic therapist who practices in Denver and Boulder, Colorado, I often work with clients who have survived, and often thrived, despite the emotional and physical traumas life has handed them.  Sometimes the trauma was subtle and occurred over time. For others the trauma was severe and sudden. I admire people’s courage and inner strength. Living and coping with trauma is not easy. Perhaps others have judged and even mocked a survivor’s fight for wellness and the hard journey of self-discovery and healing. I never judge, as I know through years of working with clients and from my own journey that there is nothing easy about moving day-to-day on a path through suffering and literally having to hold yourself together, even for “successful,” “high-functioning” people.

Courage often comes with a price

If a client has come through an ordeal of physical or emotional trauma, despite how they may appear to the outside world, they often physically hold themselves together. It is a remarkable collaboration of brain and body. People who have experienced trauma often feel tired, sore, and worn-out from the daily challenges of living and it is understandable. It takes a lot of energy just to maintain any degree of emotional and physical resilience following trauma.

In fact, the stress of holding a body together goes from the initial tensing and tightening to a way of life, even while sleeping. Often, those under stress feel more tired after awakening than before going to sleep. This tightening becomes habit, safeguarding the person from having to relive the trauma, and it works – sort of. The problem with  habitual responses is that when they break down after a renewed stressor or trigger, original feelings of wounding are often stirred up again. Somatic therapy can help break that painful cycle.

My work

My work in somatic therapy has its roots in the Rosen Method, an established system that has been in place for more than 40 years and has nearly 1,200 skilled, certified practitioners throughout the world. Somatic therapy is based on working with the whole person, as somatic therapists observe that physical issues are often rooted in emotional, social, and relational challenges.  Before going any further in my explanation of somatic therapy and the work I do in Denver and Boulder, it is important to state that my practice is not a form of, nor a substitute for,  medical or mental health diagnosis, care and treatment. I should also add that I do not view any single way as being the best way. Instead, somatic therapy is meant to complement other approaches. Yes, it can be a stand-alone therapy for high-functioning people. However, I am just as pleased to support other heath and wellness models.

With new clients, I ask about current physical and emotional complaints and lifestyle issues. All of these factors help me better understand the degree, intensity, and duration of “holding” people had to do to contain and guard their emotions and feel safe. In that regard, my practice is about helping people feel where and how they hold tension in their bodies and how they can relax that tension which is often a source of their physical and emotional pain. 

Sustainable, felt change does not have to take years! In my professional experience working with a great many clients, meaningful change is often experienced within a brief course of sessions. As we go through sessions, we help release layers of holding, much like we might imagine peeling layers of an onion. The transformation can be quite profound.

For those who have experienced severe and extensive trauma, the process is the same but the duration can vary. It is often a matter of first restoring trust.  When we can feel safe letting go of holding tension in the body, the effects of trauma can give way to relaxation and to the body building a tolerance for extended relaxation. The release of tension after a stressful event and the return to relaxation is our normal, natural state.

 My clients and I work together to release old patterns of holding tension in the body through simultaneous gentle touch and collaborative dialogue to explore “what is going on” for the person and what helps to relax their tension. We reach a point where the mind and body rediscover a more peaceful state. The work is respectful and safe, and the gains—which can be physical, emotional, personal, and relational— are permanent because we are reminding the brain and body how to relax even after stress.

No one should have to merely survive and endure the effects of past trauma.  We are meant to be free. Your journey has been courageous, but it should no longer be difficult, painful, or limiting.

Todd R. Schwartz is a somatic, whole person therapist and Rosen Method practitioner with offices in Boulder and Denver, Colorado. To reach Todd, please call him at 303-704-8331.