Somatic therapy is a wide umbrella that includes many different kinds of healing work. However, even though we are learning more and more each day about how somatic therapy and healing modalities like craniosacral therapy can help heal trauma and other complex emotional wellness challenges, the work is still not quite mainstream. This post is part of a wider post to help bust some myths about somatic therapy and shed light on the healing work that gentle touch therapy can provide.
The other day, I was having a conversation with a friend and talented healing provider about the word "healer". She was communicating with someone who didn't believe that healers were real. And I think this is a common misunderstanding about the idea of "a healer". The word conjures up images of some mystical process that unfolds in a room full of strange objects that you don't understand with someone who comes in and by some unseen and unknowable force within the practitioner, they create some kind of transformative magical healing in the person receiving the work. Have you seen that movie too? 🤓 This imagery is an exaggeration from our culture (rooted in colonalism and appropriation) that stems from the collective trauma of the modern medical system. Within many modern healthcare environments, we are taught to externalize our knowing about our wellbeing and to give our power away to the outside authority of the medical provider who will swoop in and save us. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with modern medicine or medical providers and many of them are doing herotic work. But even in the most intense medical circumstances, a healing provider is simply providing the support needed for the body to do the actual healing. This is especially true in the subtler forms of the healing arts. This is where maybe its a bit of a misnomer to call someone a healer. A more accurate title might be a "self-healing support provider".
One of the shadow sides to healer work is the ego that can along with it when a practitioner confuses the healing results of their work with their own efforts vs the receptivity and healing potency of the inner self-healing experienced by the client. Within that same shadow lives the belief that a practitioner has already done enough learning to not need to continue healing themselves or that they have reached some idealized level of wellbeing where they feel "done" with the work. If no one has yet told you, I'm sorry to break the news. Healing is a life long process. Yes, the layers become subtler and subtler. But in the end, we are all walking our path home to a reunion with source.
Jessica Garay is creator of Somatic Intuitive Healing™ and Moon Vibe Sanctuary in Portland, Oregon. Jessica offers professional training and certification programs in somatic therapy and craniosacral therapy in Portland, Oregon and around the world online. She is also passionate about helping other healers create sustainable and easeful businesses through holistic business coaching services. Learn more about Somatic Intuitive Healing and how to become a somatic therapist at www.somaticintuitivehealing.com & get support finding your bliss zone at www.moonvibesanctuary.com
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