The other reason why Clinical Somatics and other types of self-care aren’t more mainstream is that in our society, we’ve been taught to let doctors and other health professionals make decisions about our health. We grow up thinking that they are the experts in our personal health. Now, Western medicine is truly incredible in some ways, especially in life-threatening situations. But when it comes to chronic health conditions that are caused by lifestyle, visiting a practitioner of Western medicine is fairly useless. We need to make changes in how we’re moving, eating, sleeping, dealing with stress, etc. We need to take responsibility for our own health. Most people haven’t grown up expecting to have to do this, so it can take a big shift for people to be willing to really take the reins when it comes to their health. And it may take time, patience, and a lot of exploration to find the right solutions for their unique health situation. But, speaking from personal experience, it is so worth it! For any of your readers who aren’t familiar with somatic movement, this video and article are a good introduction.
Bevoya: In your years of doing this work, who do you think is most likely to benefit from the Clinical Somatics approach? Is it a coincidence that I am an overthinker with lifelong migraines and neck pain whose back pain really kicked up in the past couple of years? Is this the kind of story you hear frequently?
Sarah Warren: The type of chronic pain that is relieved by Clinical Somatics is musculoskeletal pain caused by chronic muscle tension. The majority of chronic pain cases fall into this category, but certainly not all. Tight muscles themselves are sore and painful. They pull our connective tissues tight, leading to tendinitis and ligament sprains. They pull our skeleton out of alignment, leading to joint degeneration. Misalignment of our skeleton puts pressure on nerves, leading to nerve pain. So, the underlying cause of most musculoskeletal pain is functional—chronically tight muscles—but the end result might be a structural issue, like a herniated disc or cartilage that has worn away.
So, people whose pain falls into that category are those who will benefit from Clinical Somatics. But on top of that, people need to be willing to slow down and take some time each day to lie down and practice the exercises. This is very hard for some people! Some folks really struggle to do the very slow exercises and focus on what they’re feeling in their body, because they’re used to moving quickly and having an external focus. These tend to be the Type A “go-getters.” I get quite a few emails from these students who report that at the beginning of their learning process they had a really hard time, then as the weeks and months went on, they gradually got comfortable with slowing down and focusing on their internal sensations. And then a whole new world opened up to them. I love getting those emails!
Bevoya: I found and bought your book and online exercises out of desperation after I had tried everything else to improve the iliopsoas tendinopathy I was diagnosed with. So many physical therapist appointments, and my next step was about to be more x rays and a corticosteroid shot to the hip…and none of it was helping. I am three weeks into your program and the improvement is significant. More than that, I am living differently in my body. In particular, I am relaxing my belly muscles more frequently during the day and doing diaphragmatic breathing. What are some of the specific things that other people say they notice about how their body changes after Clinical Somatics?
Sarah Warren: There are so many positive changes that people experience! The most common reason people come to Clinical Somatics is for pain relief, and that’s what I focus on in my practice, so that’s what I hear about most often from students. Muscle tension relief and improved posture are also inevitable if you practice the exercises regularly. Stress relief, better breathing, better sleep. The ability to return to activities and workouts that they love to do but couldn’t because of their pain. A new relationship with their body, with heightened sensation and awareness throughout their body. The ability to quickly and easily get themselves out of pain if a new or old pain arises. Increased empathy, patience, and enjoyment of their daily lives. And, since we hold psychological tension in our bodies as muscle tension, some people report the release of longheld emotional stress and trauma.
