A fusion of my personal story and the approaches I use
Here’s how I came to somatic therapy.
After a rich, stressful career as a simultaneous interpreter and translator (French & English), I had a life-and-death health crisis. As I was suffering the after-effects of major surgery and getting no joy or relief from conventional approaches, I tried some healing modalities that worked with energy and the somatic body. I discovered the beauty, simplicity and effectiveness of these approaches for myself and began healing longstanding and painful issues. These modalities brought me into my body and into the present, it helped me to relax, and to see how hard I’d been pushing myself my whole life. It showed me how stress, limiting thoughts, negative self-talk and impossibly high standards had created a storm of dis-ease in my body. I became acquainted with my suppressed natural ability to heal.
This very poignant, direct experience piqued my curiosity: I then wanted to learn more about how we heal and how we can be empowered to heal. And it kindled my desire to play a role in others’ healing.
After taking some Healing Pathway courses and becoming a Reiki Master, I discovered the Integrative Energy Healing program at Langara College in Vancouver. After three years of focused intention, hard work and much self-discovery, 700 hours of coursework and 400 hours of both supervised and unsupervised clinical work, I completed the program in 2009.
Based on this training, my practice over the next six years revealed that my clients with ongoing, treatment-resistant health challenges all had one thing in common: unresolved trauma. It was clear that I needed more specific skills in this regard, and, so, I embarked on three years of training to become a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, or SEP, in 2018.
As an SEP, I discovered that while Somatic Experiencing is a wonderful approach to resolving shock trauma (shock trauma is linked to an overwhelming event or a life-threatening experience). In most of my clients, there was often underlying developmental trauma that needed to be addressed before shock trauma could be renegotiated.
Developmental trauma is how we hold emotional wounds and toxic stress in our bodies from experiences between conception and age 25, when the brain is fully developed.
Now, most of my practice is devoted to supporting folks with developmental trauma. The approach I use is called Transforming Touch, developed by Stephen Terrell. Transforming Touch is a protocol-based healing modality that supports the body to better health through the nervous system.
Although my somatic therapy practice is my bliss, and my vocation, nourishing me in ways too numerous to mention, there are a few outside interests that sustain me as well. Time with friends, and in nature, walking my dog, line dancing, pickle ball, meditation, opportunistic cycling or XC skiing and aquafit all support my overall health and well-being.
somatic therapy Credentials:
Transforming Touch®️ Practitioner
Somatic Experiencing®️ Practitioner
Certified Integrative Energy Healing Practitioner
Testimonials
““I highly recommend Genevieve as a skilled practitioner in Somatic Experiencing and energy healing. She creates a safe and loving space and is competent at actually releasing trauma, with gentleness and kindness.”
”
“Genevieve’s work has heightened my awareness of how much our unconscious runs the show we call life. She has helped me appreciate the power of self-compassion in settling conflict within myself and/or others. Perhaps most importantly, Genevieve models the wisdom and gentleness she guides us to within ourselves.”
“With an open heart and a gentle touch, Genevieve creates a space for “groundedness” … and from that space of deep centering comes a shift into what would provide freedom and grace going forward. With Genevieve’s guidance, I develop powerful visceral metaphors that help guide me and bring me back to essence.”