SOMATIC RESOURCES

ADAPTED FROM PAT OGDEN’S SENSORIMOTOR PSYCHOTHERAPY INSTITURE TRAINING

Locomotion

Mindfulness about how you walk, move, balance, body alignment, pace, arm movements and joints feel. Notice how core organizers effect the nature of walk.

Defense / boundaries

Using arms to push away; “drawing” an energetic boundary and experiment with pushing object or person out of boundary. Manage distance & closeness studying the effect somatically. Push ball away, play catch with ball

Pelvis

Notice flexibility or rigidity in movement while walking

Relational connection

Ability to reach into space with one or both hands; grasping, holding, letting go, pulling, pushing. Support, orienting, leaning.

Centering

Hand on heart and belly bringing mindful attention to the sensorimotor experience. Practice micro movements; focus on spine, torso, organs in abdomen, gravity. Sense your skin.

Grounding

Sense your body through the perineum, sitz bones. Push feet into the ground noticing the feet and legs. Softening the feet while standing, putting your weight on different areas of feet. Bend knees, feel gravity pull.

Vertical alignment

Become aware of the “stacking” of the body from feet to head. Lengthen the spine compared to compression. Pull up against gravity.

Breath

Notice your breathing as it is. Let the inhale expand the lower belly and exhale letting the air fall out. Experiment with breathing into different parts of body, measured breath and notice the different.

Containment

Sense the back through pressing back against the wall studying the sensations. The container made by the skin. Fill the room with energy. Lie down on the floor and press against the floor. Create container with arms to hold feelings.

Orienting

Experiment with studying what happens with orienting to object symbolizing pleasure & conflict or threat. Or an object’s representing a person you are struggling with.