About
The term “somatic” stems from the Greek word “soma”, meaning body. Somatic therapy is strongly rooted in neuroscience and working with the body and nervous system to establish a sense of wholeness and well-being. As people go through life the body keeps a record of experiences. Pleasant or painful the body stores these experiences in the nervous system.
In its essence, the word trauma means “wound”. These woundings can be related to not having enough needs met in early life, chronic lack of safety, chronic stress or major events that overwhelm the body’s ability to cope. Events such as these can affect the body’s stress response system resulting in over-activity of survival states in the nervous system. The aim of somatic therapy is to assist the body in shifting out of survival and in to regulation. Nervous system regulation has many benefits such as better decision making and intuition, improved emotional well being, increased social connection, creativity, and physical health.
Throughout time, the belief in many indigenous and earth based cultures has been that the mind, body, emotions and spirit are all connected. The pioneering work of trauma therapists such as Peter Levine, and Bessel Vanderfolk have shown that including working with the felt sense of the body can improve therapeutic outcomes. In addition to talk therapy, mind body attunement techniques such as breathing awareness, vagal toning, guided imagery, sensory awareness, and self regulation practices are used to enhance conscious connection to the body. Through connection to the body, bodily sensations are tracked. It is through the tracking of these body sensations that the energy of trauma and stress is able to be released from the body and nervous system.
Different philosophies, cultures, ancient ways of knowing and modern scientific study offer a rich breadth of knowledge in supporting healing change. Practices from quantum science, indigenous healing, energy medicine, and yogic traditions are incorporated to offer a broad spectrum of healing resources to support the change process.
A Holistic Approach to Healing
A multidisciplinary approach encompassing ancient healing practices, counselling, somatic therapy and metaphysical concepts.
Somatic Practice
A body based protocol focused on assisting to heal the nervous system from developmental trauma, chronic lack of safety and trauma related illness. It is a series of techniques for nervous system regulation and re-patterning.
Quantum Science
Natural Remedies
Quantum science principles relate to perceiving reality in patterns and frequencies. A key principle is that once something is observed its behavior is bound to change. This is called the observer effect. Through conscious intent patterns, issues and illness are observed in non-attached compassionate awareness. When observed in this way the frequencies underlying the cause of the concern have the opportunity to shift and change.
Regulation Through
Touch
Somatic touchwork is a method of supporting nervous system regulation through the use of supportive, consent based touch. Individuals are fully clothed, sitting in a chair or laying on a therapy table. Touch is offered to support areas of physical injury and discomfort and the body systems connected to the nervous system and stress response.
Somatic Experiencing
A body based therapeutic approach focused on resolving the symptoms of chronic stress and survival energy bound in the autonomic nervous system, the body’s survival and threat response system. One of the goals is to release the trapped energy of shock from the body, and to allow the body to resolve nervous system patterns of fight, flight and freeze.
Indigenous Tools For Living
Indigenous Tools For Living
Heat Therapy
A compilation of indigenous based healing practices for working with complex trauma. The tools encompass connection to earth based healing resources such as animals, plants, stones and elements such as water, weather and fire and spiritual resources such as ancestors and spirit.
Attunement &
Co-regulation
Humans heal in relationship. Illness, injury and the impacts of inter-generational trauma can create attachment ruptures that impact the patterning of the nervous system. The creation of an attuned therapeutic relationship with a safe other can be the source of repatterning to emerge in the nervous system through relational repair. This repatterning can form an internal sense of security, leading to increased states of well being and social connection.
Meet Naomi
Holistic Somatic Therapy Practitioner
Naomi Sturtridge is the creator of Capacity Counselling. She is a person with lived experience on what it means to recover from trauma, illness and injury. Her vision is to offer what she has learned as an opportunity for others to heal, experience freedom and live more expansive lives.
Naomi is a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor with the Association of Co-operative Counselling Therapists of Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree in Addiction Counselling. Through this education she was trained in a variety of traditional and transpersonal counselling techniques. Professionally, Naomi has worked in the fields of mental health and addictions and early childhood care and attachment. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200), Usui Reiki Master and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner in training at the Intermediate Level. She is also certified in Indigenous Tools For Living, a compilation of indigenous healing practices to support the trauma resolution process.
Naomi practices from a holistic, de-colonized and spiritually inclusive approach. For over fifteen years, she has studied a variety of healing practices such as energy healing, herbal medicine, somatic therapy, indigenous ways of knowing, animal communication, yoga, the akashic records, religion, ancestral healing and quantum science. She is a wisdom keeper and the teachings of many ancient ways of knowing guide her therapeutic approach.
Client Stories
Paula B.
"I am beyond grateful to have started somatic experiencing with Naomi. She has such a gentle and considerate approach I directly felt at ease with her. Naomi is so very accepting that even the weirdest things I say are accepted for what they are. She is super patient, spending an entire session slowly exploring the right sitting arrangement and eye contact for me and my body to feel safe.
Somatic experiencing has been a surprise to me. I started learning and listening to the cues of my body and how to soothe my anxieties simply by touch. At the beginning I was so dysregulated that I cried every session, not knowing where's up and where's down. Now the rollercoaster of emotions has become manageable. In the past year I have learned to accept and love myself more, I could tell my dad that I loved him for the first time in years and actually meant it, and I'm starting to feel like myself again plus a bit more understanding of why I am the way I am. I would totally recommend starting somatic experiencing with Naomi, she has changed my life."
P. M.
I started my somatic journey with Naomi about one year ago. I have struggled with boundaries, anxiety an codependency issues for decades. And like many people, I have suffered childhood trauma.
Naomi is an excellent guide in somatic therapy. Her feedback is intelligent and practical. One will learn how to trust and navigate what the wisdom of the body has to tell us. It's like a coming home...to comfort and feeling grounded".
Leslie B.
"I started seeing Naomi in Sept 2023. I had a little knowledge of somatic therapy but felt I wanted something different than the traditional way of counselling. I am so grateful for meeting Naomi and our continued work together. My life continues to change as we navigate through events from my past and present. As a practitioner Naomi not only provides knowledge, exercises, and experience, she takes the time to create a safe environment, gets to know you personally and knows when to use certain somatic techniques that focus on stability within the nervous system. She provides guidance in supporting me within my mind and body. I have always felt safe when working with Naomi, and I trust in her work because of the changes in my life. From our first meeting till now I have noticed my confidence, joy, and well being shift dramatically in positive ways. The once angry, traumatized, and unstable being that Naomi first met me as, I have seen how somatic therapy and Naomi have shifted my life to a life I am not afraid of living. I believe in Naomi and the work she does through somatic therapy because I have shed years of anger, gained an understanding of what is happening in my mind, sensations in my body and, how simultaneously mind and body are meant to coexist. Naomi meets me where I am at each session, there are no expectations, or guidelines, she simply takes whatever path I bring into session, and guides me through the emotions, body comfort/discomfort, and aftercare. Through working with Naomi, I use somatic therapy in my everyday life. I am constantly reminded of the somatic techniques, realizations, and exercises that feel custom to me. The effects of somatic therapy continue to work well after our sessions, and I have never left a session with Naomi feeling concerned, I leave with “this is why I love working with you”.
Benefits
Discover the benefits of choosing holistic somatic therapy as a path to health and healing.
Improved health and vitality
Improving nervous system regulation improves the functioning of many other systems in the body such as the digestive, immune, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Somatic therapy has been used to improve a variety of conditions such as:
* Autoimmune conditions
* Chronic Pain
* Sleep disorders
* Digestive Disorders
Better relationships and connection
Somatic therapy creates improvements in the patterning of the vagus nerve. This nerve is a key component of the body's social engagement system. Increased regulation and vagal tone leads to increased feelings of hope and well being, and decreased reactivity and feelings of being shut down. It can shift the impulse to isolate to one of wanting to reach out and experience connection with others.
Empowered Change
One of the goals of somatic work is to expand the landscape of survival responses the nervous system has access to. Many chronic habits and patterns can be linked to a body being stuck in a survival pattern. By allowing the body to complete survival responses and supporting the emergence of others this opens the door to positive personality change and greater freedom.
Sessions
Services are offered for adults, online and in person in Vernon, British Columbia, on the traditional and unceded territory of the Syilx / Okanagan people. In person sessions are held at Tidal Elements Healing Arts Studio in Vernon. To view the Tidal Elements website please click here.
As a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor (RTC), session fees may qualify for re-imbursement through extended health benefits coverage. Receipts are provided which can then be submitted by the client to their provider for reimbursement. Individuals who would like to utilize extended health benefits coverage are encouraged to check with their benefits provider if their plan covers the RTC designation.
20 Minute Telephone Consulation
Free
A consultation is an opportunity to discuss your goals, ask questions, meet Naomi and to learn if holistic somatic therapy is a fit for your goals for your life.
Holistic Somatic Therapy Session
$125/ 60 Minute
In each session, gentle guidance is provided in noticing bodily sensations. Guided imagery, somatic techniques, counselling, quantum science and energy healing techniques, and indigenous practices may be used to support positive change.
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Book a Consultation
For any questions or to schedule a free 20 minute consultation please complete the contact form below, or send an e-mail to capacitycounselling@gmail.com.
