Movement Therapy
A Holistic Approach To Wellbeing
Movement Therapy
Somatics and Dance movement is a holistic therapy approach which integrates the mental, emotional, and physical aspects of both the mind and body. Founded on Somatic, Meditation and Psychotherapeutic techniques, our movement therapy services are designed to provide clients with an increase in communication skills, a deeper sense of self-awareness, and can lay the groundwork for a more dynamic relationship through movement and motion.
What is Somatic and Dance Movement Therapy?
Somatic and Dance Movement therapy is retraining the mind and muscle connection so that you can re-discover your natural way of moving. It helps you to unlearn the involuntary contractions you have learnt (unconsciously) in response to past experiences and events. We also use meditative techniques and movements to help you gain a deeper insight into your body. The development of more body awareness and how it feels at any given moment is an important step in creating true mind to body connection. Body awareness is an awareness of cues from the sensory nervous system. By helping you to connect more with your body, you are then able to utilise it as a resource rather than an alarm.
How can Movement Therapy help you?
In a physical sense this type of therapy helps to improve strength, coordination, mobility and decrease muscular tension. Through our Somatic and Dance Movement therapy you are also able to increase your body awareness and connection, which then helps you to increase your range of motion and movement. As humans we are creatures of habit and can get stuck in comfortable movement patterns, whether they are functional or not. So our mission is to help people become more aware of their bodies and movement patterns and so we can adapt the dysfunctional ones so ultimately they can make better choices & decisions for themselves.
Studies also show that Somatic and Dance Movement therapy can be helpful across the lifespan with a range of difficulties including (but not limited to):
- Anxiety
- Autism
- Breast cancer
- Dementia
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Fibromyalgia
“Movement is life. Life is a process. Improve the quality of the process and you improve the quality of life itself”
— Moshe Feldenkrais
Psychological benefits
Through movement, we can also access a range of psychological benefits which include:
- Reaching a state of deep relaxation
- Self-regulation of the tension and tightness stored in the body
- Unlocking unconscious thought processes and embedded beliefs that may be holding you back
- Understanding your brain and body’s capacity for choice
- Reconnecting with your physical and emotional self to recover from persistent stressors and overcome trauma
Trauma and Movement Therapy
The body like the mind can retain traumatic past events. So when your body and muscles tighten in response to a traumatic event, even when the trauma is gone, the same messages are being sent back to the brain. This tension will remain until the resting position of the body and muscles are reset. We use Somatic exercises to further contract the muscles with little effort, in order to change the messages being sent to the Mortor Cortex of the brain. This then results in a change in the resting position of the muscles and enables the body to release stored tension and trauma and find a new freedom and way of being.
*This form of therapy like any other takes time and consistency to achieve desired results.
NDIS
We are passionate about providing holistic services to our NDIS clients so that they can get the support and guidance they need to live their best life. Our Somatic and Dance Movement therapy can help support emotional regulation, deeper mind-to-body connection, connecting of the right and left sides of the brain, nervous system regulation and sleep issues. We provide 1-1 sessions that are tailored to each client and work closely with the client’s lead Psychologist in order to achieve and accelerate therapy goals.
Our Somatic and Dance Movement Therapy Sessions
Lilley Place is passionate about a collaborative approach therefore our movement therapists work closely with our psychologists to ensure each client is getting the support and care they need to feel better. We can work with clients who are looking for a holistic therapeutic approach to wellbeing. Sessions run for 45 minutes and are currently running in a 1:1 setting.
More Information
What can I expect in my first session?
The first session is about getting to know you, what your goals are and what your experience with movement has been. We help to orientate you with the space and your body so that you feel comfortable to participate in sessions. In this first session the therapist will also evaluate your physical ability so that future sessions can be designed to meet your needs. We will also practise some breathing exercises and simple movements in the body to give you an idea of what to expect in the ongoing sessions.
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What do I wear to a movement therapy session?
Please wear comfortable clothing that you can easily move in. We encourage long pants/ tights and a t-shirt that doesn’t restrict your range of motion.
Do I need a referral to see a movement therapist?
No, you can book in to see our Movement Therapist whenever you’re ready. Please note, we also support NDIS self and plan-managed participants.
Will there be tactile feedback throughout the session?
Within the context of Somatic and Dance Movement Therapy, the therapist is equipped with numerous skills and techniques that revolve around movement of the body and potential consequent tactile contact with clients. Movement and touch serve to assist clients in their psychological and emotional journey. The therapist always evaluates the appropriateness of the use of touch for each client. Whilst we believe there are many benefits to tactile feedback from the therapist, we do require written and verbal consent, so if we do not receive consent the sessions will be run without physical touch between therapist and client.