If you suffer from chronic pain and are looking for relief, you may want to consider Somatics for healing. Somatics is a field of study that deals with the individual from the inside. For this, self awareness is a very important part of Somatics.

Somatics is a gentle, easy form of voluntary movements that can be done in 5 to 10 minutes each day. These are very simple movements that are similar to stretching, but are more breathing intensive and focus on the internal sensation one feels through different movements and postures.

A Bit About Somatics

Somatics for healing the body involves sensory motor training that relieves stress and reduces pain. It also encourages healing of many types of injuries. The sensory motor capacities of the body are at the core to Somatics. Our sensory motor functions can be controlled by learning a conscious voluntary way of movement, coupled with sensory awareness. Our reflexes are both sensory and motive but, in many cases, they have become involuntary. We automatically react to the stimulus, and that is an involuntary reaction. The goal of Somatics for healing is to teach us to be aware of and in control of our movement by voluntarily responding to our own sensory functions. As a result, we can achieve greater posture, health and well being.

Benefits of Somatics

A host of conditions are improved by Somatics. Engaging in Somatics for healing will give your body optimal flexibility and improved balance which, in of its self, is a major boost to your well being. In addition, Somatics can provide relief from pain caused by conditions such as stress, arthritis, brusitus, planter fasciitis, pulled tendons, sciatica, carpel tunnel syndrome and many other painful conditions.

Some of the other fantastic benefits of practicing Somatics for healing the body are the improvements found in breathing, better joint flexibility, and greater range of motion. Overall, this helps facilitate better posture which enables your body to function more efficiently. One may also find increased strength and coordination is also part of the great results of reconditioning your muscle control.

Discovering Somatics

The exercises of Somatics are based entirely on conventional neurophysiology. The movements are fun, smooth and easy to learn. There are classes available where you can learn and practice Somatics, or you can have individual lessons. If you would rather learn in the comfort of your own home, there are videos to be purchased that will take you through each movement step by step. Whichever way you choose to learn Somatics for healing, you will be retraining your muscles and mind to work together in a way that will provide optimal results.

If you suffer from chronic headaches, neck and shoulder pain, back pain, sciatica, tension and stress or any other similar conditions, it is worth your time to educate yourself about this unique practice that can and will provide so many benefits to your overall health and well being.

Somatic education is a means of learning how to properly function and coordinate one's body through sensory motor awareness.

While the term "Somatic" refers to an individual's ability to sense his or her inner processes, education in this practice reflects the learning and increased ability to sense oneself from within. The underlying connection to Somatic Education is mind-body integration, which in turn enhances natural control of the body's muscular system. This can provide more efficiency as well as flow of energy through improved physiological functioning.

The video above is from Somatics.com. It was created by Lawrence Gold, a Hanna Somatic practitioner.

In numerous cases the Somatic education approach has been useful in overcoming chronic pain, as well as improving physical performance. One of the chronic conditions alleviated through this approach is the Sensory-Motor Amnesia (SMA).

What is Sensory-Motor Amnesia?

Sensory-motor amnesia is a state under which we lose our sense of muscular activity and control due to habituated movements. The amnesia occurs as certain muscles take more control of others, causing the inactive muscle to be less effective, and often times tight and sometimes painful.

With Sensory-Motor Amnesia, one is left with a sensation of pain and stiffness in a part of the body without the sense of the action of the muscles causing it. The remedy to this condition is to learn how to sense the muscular actions causing the pain and consequently learning how to control those muscular actions.

Prevalence of Sensory-Motor Amnesia

It is not uncommon for an individual during his or her lifetime to lose a certain degree of awareness in certain muscles. This is often times because we subconsciously hold muscles tight, without being fully aware of it.

However what we are aware of is the pain or soreness, as well as skewed bodily movement. Somatics seeks to overcome that unawareness, and train our minds to recognize those muscles that are being held tight. 

Role of Somatic Education for SMA

Somatics is essentially a method of mind-body training that aids in overcoming common health difficulties that would otherwise be remedied through physical therapy, chiropractic, osteopathy, massage therapy among other treatments.

In the case of Sensory-Motor Amnesia, Somatic education supersedes the traditional physical therapy approaches of stretching and strengthening of muscles to alleviate muscular spasticity. Unlike the standard physical therapies that accentuate strength and flexibility, Somatic education puts an emphasis on control and release of muscular tension.

In addition, while most therapies will use stretching, Somatic education helps one learn to relax which translates to longer lasting and greater freedom of movement.

Practicing Somatics

There are many techniques that have been proven for Somatic education. Body-mind centering is a Somatic approach that relies on experiential anatomy, breathing, use of movement, and our perceptions. Many techniques of somatic education focus to train people on how to make habit changes while using your body with more ease and freedom.

A process of learn-by-doing making various techniques based on movement and sensation is employed during Somatic training. This enhances a sense of awareness to the body parts to feel more intensely thus encouraging a more clearly defined and voluntary control of the muscles. The results of Somatic training is actually self-perpetuating and improves with continuous practice.

Somatics greatly depends on an individual's self-awareness and thus ability to better control his or her muscular control. To learn more about Somatic education, visit Somatics.com.