Individual sessions in Hannah Somatic are for you if you have:

• diseases of the spine and joints;

• chronic muscle pain;

• headaches caused by excessive muscle tension;

• dysfunction of the lower jaw;

• increased nervous tension, sleep problems, inability to relax;

• recover from injuries;

• bad posture;

• breathing problems;

Or you are willing to improve in any kind of body activity such as dance, yoga or martial arts.

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What results do you get after taking a course of 6 lessons?

• Learn to move freely and with pleasure

• Reduce physical and emotional stress

• Increase the flexibility of the body and mind

• Improve stability and coordination

• Relieve muscle and joint pain

• Love and accept your body

What does the course consist of?

You will have 6 private hands-on sessions, each focusing on one particular topic.

1. Releasing of the front body

2. Releasing of the back body

3. Releasing of the side body

4. Releasing of the hips, neck and shoulders

5. Improving the breath

6. Improving the walking

Individual sessions are tailor made to your needs.

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We start with a conversation about your requests, your history and lifestyle. We clarify your goals and how somatic sessions can help to achieve them.

You will learn about principles of Somatic education to have a deeper understanding of how the method works.

Somatics is very different from anything you have tried before and is based primarily on your internal subjective sensations. Therefore “it is better to feel once than to read a hundred times.”

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The session begins with a passive joint examination where the practitioner moves the client's arms and legs to explore the available range of motion. At the same time, you feel, perhaps for the first time in your life, how your limbs move without your participation, as if on their own. In this process you let go your habitual control. When you don't make the usual effort to, for example, rotate your hip at the hip joint, this experience becomes your primary way of being aware of your movements. Together with the practitioner, you notice where movement occurs easily and where obstacles arise such as tension, trembling, “steps”. All this indicates the presence of muscle dysfunction.

Next, we begin to work on transforming sensorimotor amnesia into sensorimotor memory, i.e. we restore the connection between the nervous system and the muscles. The basic technique we use for this was introduced by Thomas Hanna, who called it pandiculation, which translates to “stretching.”

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Stretching is a natural mechanism for awakening the body through voluntary muscle contraction, followed by deliberate lengthening and complete relaxation. Remember how funny babies or pets stretch after sleep. They actively shorten and then lengthen their body. The clinical somatics practitioner will ask you to slowly perform a particular movement that uses the same contracted muscles that we identified earlier, and creates with his hands an opposition or resistance to this movement. To perform this slow and smooth movement, you will be forced to fully engage your cerebral cortex, focusing on controlling this movement. If control turns out to be lost, it immediately becomes clear to you that this movement, no matter how simple it may be, goes beyond the scope of your voluntary attention. The movement becomes intermittent, “stepwise”, it is impossible to control it. Making the movement smooth becomes an impossible task. The pandiculation technique is aimed at restoring lost control of movement to the brain. At the same time, chronically tense muscles relax, and movements become smoother and more harmonious. If you regularly practice somatic lessons at home, you will be able to timely monitor emerging tension and correct yourself in your daily life without seeking help from a specialist.

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In the sessions I also use the techniques developed by Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais in his Functional Integration. In this approach the client is passive and the practitioner is using his own hands to directs the opposite points of muscle attachment towards each other, thereby bringing the muscle into a passively shortened state. At the same time, the brain receives a signal that the muscle, which it is used to maintaining in constant tone, is contracted. Ok, since it is already contracting, you can stop sending the corresponding signals, and then the muscle relaxes. The residual muscle tone is “reset to zero.”, this often follows with a deep breath and overall sense of letting go. This technique is used for particularly tight muscles, where movement is significantly limited.

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Once you have learned to control your muscles through the cerebral cortex, it is important to integrate this new quality of movement into your daily life.

To do this, you receive a homework - simple slowly movements, performed with attention.

The main idea of somatic education is that the client must be actively involved in building connections between the muscles and the brain.

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This is the only way to achieve long-term improvements in muscle tone.

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What Happens During the Healing Trauma Session?

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Somatic Experiencing sessions are a collaborative and personalized process that unfolds at your pace. Here’s what you can expect during a session:

    •    Grounding and Connection: We begin by creating a safe and supportive space, whether in person or online. You’ll be guided to settle into the present moment, grounding yourself in a way that feels comfortable.

    •    Gentle Exploration: Through conversation and guidance, we explore how your body holds sensations, emotions, and patterns connected to past experiences. You’re encouraged to notice subtle changes in your body without judgment.

    •    Resourcing: Together, we identify resources—positive sensations, memories, or images—that help you feel calm and supported. These become tools to help you stay anchored and safe during the process.

    •    Tracking Sensations: I’ll guide you to notice and track physical sensations that arise, such as tightness, warmth, tingling, or movement. These sensations hold clues about how your body is processing trauma or stress.

    •    Completion and Release: Using small, manageable steps, we allow the body to complete its natural fight, flight, or freeze responses. This may involve experiencing a shift in sensations, a deep breath, or a sense of relaxation.

    •    Integration: Toward the end of the session, we reflect on your experiences and support you in integrating any shifts or insights.

 

What to Expect?

Somatic Experiencing is a gentle and non-invasive approach, so there’s no need to relive traumatic memories. Instead, the focus is on your body’s present experience. Sessions are paced to ensure you feel safe and in control throughout. You may feel subtle physical or emotional changes, such as a sense of lightness, release, or calm. It’s common to feel more connected to yourself and your body after each session.

 

Who Is It For?

Somatic Experiencing is ideal for those who:

    •    Are dealing with trauma, PTSD, or anxiety.

    •    Experience chronic stress, tension, or physical symptoms linked to emotional pain.

    •    Feel stuck in cycles of overwhelm, numbness, or emotional reactivity.

    •    Seek a body-centered approach to healing.

 

Benefits of Somatic Experiencing

    •    Reduces trauma symptoms and stress.

    •    Restores balance and a sense of safety in the nervous system.

    •    Helps release chronic tension and improve physical vitality.

    •    Enhances emotional regulation and self-awareness.

    •    Fosters a deeper connection to the body and inner resilience.

 

This process allows you to heal at your own pace, reconnecting with your body’s natural ability to recover and thrive.