Feel to Heal is a somatically-oriented, trauma-informed program where we explore the connection between emotions and the body, especially as it relates to chronic pain. It is designed to introduce more ease into our physical structures by building awareness of how emotions and stress affect our body, and by gaining capacity for handling those things in a more embodied way. If you constantly have tension or pain and find yourself in the position of ever searching for how to find relief, perhaps you will benefit from trying this different and unique approach. Or, if you are someone who is simply interested to learn more about how emotional stress and/or trauma affects the body, come and learn with us.
The Approach
Feel to Heal is a 8-week long program for a small group of 8-10 individuals, and is based on the premise that intense emotional processes that are thwarted or suppressed can lead to physical tension and pain felt in the tissues of the body. Many of us have grown up under systems that told us to "suck it up" when it came to our emotions, and true to their message we have learned to hold in our emotions and to fear them. We may think that they are bad, or that they will consume us, or show others that we are weak, or we may view them as simply useless and a waste of our time and energy. But the truth is that our emotions are incredibly important on multiple levels for our well-being and hold a very important function. Without them our vitality--the life energy to do and be what we most want for ourselves and to enjoy it--will suffer tremendously, as will our body. When we block the natural processes of emotion as we move through life--either consciously or unconsciously--the body will feel it, and it can manifest as pain in order to signal that something isn't right.
Who It Is For
The Feel to Heal program is relevant for anyone with a body.☺ It definitely will speak to those experiencing chronic pain that does not resolve (but for a few days or weeks) with traditional pain relief strategies such as massage, myofascial release, physical therapy, exercise, etc. It has a lot to say for anyone pursuing healing of their body and brain. Good candidates for Feel to Heal will have a curiosity about the connection between emotions and their physical body, and will have a willingness to explore their inner world of emotions and responses to stress/trauma in a small group setting. (You will never be forced to share anything you do not wish during the group sessions. And yet, participants are expected to engage with the material and with the group as much as they are able.) Also, it is very important that participants have worked with their medical doctor to rule out any serious conditions that call for medical interventions such as surgery.
Program Details:
Spring 2023 round: Friday nights, March 30 - May 19, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Fall 2023 round: TBD
Early Bird rate: $207 (10% off)
Regular rate: $230
Sliding Scale available; inquire below
(Early Bird deadline 4 weeks before program, must use coupon code EARLY-BIRD at checkout)
Price covers all materials and the 8 in-person sessions. Full payment is required at signup.
Meeting location:
TBD
Some reading and homework are assigned between sessions.
Participants will be asked to sign a commitment form at signup to demonstrate their intention to attend all sessions and to engage fully in the program.
Cancellation Policy:
If a participant cancels before 7 days prior to program start date, they will be fully refunded minus a $5 administrative fee. Cancellations between 4-7 days prior to program start date will be refunded at 50%. After that point, refunds are not possible.
Minimum number of participants to hold the program is 8. By 7 days prior to program start date, if there are not at least 8 people enrolled in the class, an email will be sent to each person notifying them of the cancellation of the program, and they will be fully refunded.
What We'll Do
The Feel to Heal program will give us a safe place to dive into the how's and why's of emotion, and its connection to the body and specifically to pain. During the 90-minute weekly in-person sessions, plus in the homework assigned between sessions, we will:
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deep-dive into the somato-emotional connection
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learn about the body's innate stress response systems and how it handles "threat" in all its forms, including the threat of difficult or painful emotions, and the threat that chronic pain presents
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explore the function and value of emotions
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gain capacity for moving through difficult feelings instead of repressing or stuffing them
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practice sensing emotions in the body and begin to tune into our "felt sense"
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seek to befriend our body and understand its messages
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get curious about our personal relationship to emotions and what events in our life may have triggered our defensiveness towards emotions
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identify what stressors or traumas we have experienced that still hold "charge" (intense emotional responses) in our system
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find ways to safely and gently release the "charge" of the emotions from those experiences
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discover accessible ways to introduce more flow and ease in the system, and specifically in the myofascial structures, for pain reduction
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relate with and learn from others who have similar experiences and are on the same journey
What We Won't Do
This program does not place value on cathartic-type expression of emotions, meaning we're not looking for intense expression of emotions as a form of healing in and of itself. (Do not read that to mean you can't/shouldn't cry or be angry, etc. It simply means that when an emotion shows up, I will teach us how to "be" with it while "containing"--NOT suppressing--it. It's a way of setting healthy boundaries that are honoring to what our system can handle in the moment. I will provide a lot of support in this area, so don't worry if you aren't sure what it would actually look like.) Also, no guarantees can be made of personal healing of particular ailments or traumas, as everyone is incredibly unique and complex. Feel to Heal is an educational and experiential program, and does not replace personal therapy sessions where those are appropriate, either in the mental health, bodywork, or medical fields. My training and background is as a clinical massage therapist and somatic trauma practitioner, not mental health, and as such, we focus primarily on the body and emotions as opposed to one's cognitive or behavioral aspects.
Under the Hood
For those who want to know the origins of this program... Feel to Heal is a program that I personally designed, drawing from many influences and modalities, including EET/EAET (Emotional Exposure Therapy / Emotional Acceptance and Expression Therapy), Somatic Experiencing, and NARM (NeuroAffective Relational Model), to name the most significant. The therapy program shown in the documentary film This Might Hurt and the training I received in that type of therapy (EET/EAET) influenced the creation of this program, although I have morphed it significantly to be more somatically-oriented and NARM-informed, as those trauma resolution modalities form the foundation from which I do all of my work.
Testimonials
"My life is infinitely better. My ability to process more input is hugely greater. My pain now has a voice... I have tools to deal with all aspects of life in a calmer, less harmful way... I am in less pain and far more centered. If I utilize the tools I've gained here, my life will be better than I could ever imagine." --Anna L., participant
"I came into this group already having done quite a bit of research and teaching about trauma. However, I learned new things in this group every week! Allie has a gift for creating a safe space, inviting everyone to share without pressure, and weaving seamlessly between information/teaching and group processing." --Cara C., participant
"This program has really helped me understand the missing part that doctors don't explain--how pain is processed and how our brain and body reacts to it, and how we can control some of the pain by changing how we perceive the pain." --Angela M., participant
"One of the things the program has done for me is to help me understand the connections between my reactions and identifying them on the Polyvagal chart. And in that understanding, an awareness that there is room to move out of the state I'm in to a more restful state. I have also gained an awareness of and curiosity around what is going on in my body when stressors happen." --Emily S., participant