KP: I hear what you’re saying, that people are coming to you, for this kind of service out of necessity. It’s not recreational, it’s therapeutic.

Beth: Yes.

The other piece that I want to learn more about is attachment. I have a lot of people who come on a regular basis and clearly the relationship itself is a big part of what’s helpful to them. My work is in some ways most suited to working with attachment trauma because touch and even rhythm and a certain kind of sensitivity or attunement can access directly some very tender systems.

Understanding all of this better is new territory for me.I’m very careful with scope of practice, but I’m also coming from a place where I’m recognizing that I already have been working with this.

KP: Right, so the reality is that you’ve already been working with this material connected to trauma, but through the Somatic Experiencing training, you’re now getting that deeper understanding of what’s going on and how best to work with it.

Beth: Having the nomenclature, having the understanding of the biological and psychological systems, so that if I see something in an interaction or in someone’s body, I can recognize it and have a context for it; that’s really helpful.

KP: I’m glad you’re bringing up this piece related to trauma and exploring it more as a bodyworker…clearly it’s an integral component to healing. As a psychotherapist, I certainly have quite bit of awareness of trauma, and unfortunately, it seems that the majority of people have experienced some kind of trauma, whether it’s more subtle or more dramatic. And, awareness of the attachment issue, that is so important…I have yet to meet a client or person who has had the perfect attachment experience. (laughter)

Beth: Yeah, I know, there are all of those attachment studies that say something like 85% of people are securely attached and everyone I talk to says that is just not true.

KP: Yeah, I think that perhaps that’s putting the bar too low. So, as you talk about this, I just think it’s great that all of this is on the forefront of your mind.

Beth: Well, not with everybody, but with enough people that it feels important. I’ve had a lot of people who come for one thing and then something happens and I refer them to psychotherapy. And, then it’s becomes a team effort. I always really love working with people who are already in counseling because they are more open to the deeper layers of what can happen on the table and then what happens on the table they can bring into their psychotherapy. That often works really well.

And, there’s a lot of flexibility to shift gears as needed, sometimes just working on a soothing massage, sometimes focusing on structural changes, and sometimes, it’s the emotional pieces. We’re working with how to deal with and understand all of it.