My recent struggle to open awareness to include body sensations and tensions that were previously sub/unconscious has naturally led to the exploration of somatic therapy modalities. (Nothin' like two blown discs to smack you into reality, and show ya that ya got some mad healin' to do). The idea of body armor, once simply resonant as a conceptual model, has morphed into a living, breathing reality that I now have the opportunity to witness on a daily, and often moment-by-moment, basis. The trick is noticing, of course. The bigger trick is letting go. I'm still working on it.
 
Questions I have learned to ask: How conscious am I of my body? Am I holding any tension anywhere? If I'm centered in my mind (while working, etc.), can I descend further into somatic awareness? What does it take to achieve full body-mind-spirit integration? How might the process unfold, starting right now?
 
Myriad healing therapies have been developed by humanity, some with roots deeper than others. Most are now lauded by only a passionate minority and criticized, sometimes sharply, by those donning either the traditional, mythic or rational, objective perspectives. More people are turning to them when Western medicine fails to heal chronic pain, including those who started as skeptics. 

In a series of posts I'll be presenting a brief overview of several modalities that have the explicit goal of full being awareness; they exist along a spectrum from body- to mind- to spirit-focused. I will be continually investigating these modalities, personally and professionally, as I move towards, through and beyond graduate school and onward to total integration.

I know through experience that adding the lens of somatic psychology to human development is a powerful means to bring forth a healthy body-mind-spirit relationship. This is especially true for the trans-identified among us, who often struggle to reconcile internal phenomenology with seemingly dissonant external physical and social realities.

Before I get into therapies which I only know a little about, one simple rule of thumb I have learned, book-wise and experientially: Breathe. Deep. Always. Rooting oneself in the breath - literally - harnesses the innate abilities of the body and the mind. If we don't breathe deeply as often as possible (except when in the presence of a smoking person / factory / bus / pile o' leaves), we restrict the flow of vital energy through our bodies, and our body-mind-spirit suffers. This, of course, has a ripple effect outward into our lives.

So, let's look at a variety of methods for obtaining full centauric awareness, which is crucial for ascending the spiral towards Union, shall we? First up: 
 
Reichian Energetics "is a form of personal growth work based on the bioenergetic and character analytic principles elaborated by Wilhelm Reich.  In this approach, the client works with a private instructor to overcome restrictions in functioning and to promote a more vital way of being.  The emphasis is on deeper, more natural breathing and on increased energy.  Patterns of chronic holding in the organism are identified, and their meaning is clarified.  As these patterns are loosened, the free flow of feeling and awareness is fostered, and the capacity for self-expression is stimulated.  At the same time, a greater degree of self-understanding and self-possession is established, facilitating an enhanced responsiveness to the challenges of life.  The goal of Reichian Energetics is genuine personality growth rooted in a deep identification with the life of the body."

A fascinating side-note: The great thing about Wilhelm Reich is that he was labeled a madman and put into jail because of his oh-so-radical ideas about character, body awareness and sexuality. Well, okay, he was a little crazy for his time: He postulated that the orgone was a form of life energy that was released with sexual orgasm. He invented the orgone accumulator, which he hooked men up to for the purpose of proving his theory that ejaculation increased life vitality. Oh, and he was in favor of teen sex. Heretic! The FDA burned thousands of his books. Einstein discredited him. He died in jail. Despite the public smear campaign against him, his ideas on body integration now have quite the following in some intellectual and therapeutic circles.

Next: Hakomi