What is Hanna Somatic Education? Hanna Somatic Education (HSE or Hanna Somatics) is a form of brain to muscle training that is extremely effective for relieving muscular tension, improving range of motion and regaining strength and control of your muscles.

Hanna Somatics is a great modality for anyone with ongoing complaints of pain anywhere in their body: back, neck, shoulder, neck, hip, legs etc. I see clients that have pain as a result from car accidents, sports injuries or just plain overuse. Most people experience results in the first session. Some people report that Hanna Somatics has worked for them when traditional physical therapy failed.

The word Somatics comes from the Greek word "Soma", which means "the living body." In 1996, after many years of helping hundreds of people, Dr. Thomas Hanna redefined Somatics. He said that soma, the integrated mind and body, is experienced from within. In other words, we can learn to become aware of the connectedness of mind and body, and how to increase the speed with which messages are communicated. He also challenged the myth of aging and suggests that we don't have to succumb to the idea that as we grow old that we loose control of the body. We have the ability to become wiser and more comfortable in our bodies as we age.

In Hanna Somatics, we use a term called "sensory motor amnesia", which is an involuntary response to stress that actually makes the brain believe that it cannot perform a function. In reality, the brain gets tricked into believing it can't when, in truth, the brain has merely forgotten how to do it. Hanna Somatics addresses this by helping a client to re-pattern his or her brain to create new muscle memory.

What makes this process unique from other physical rehabilitative therapies is the client is actively participating in the re-patterning of his brain to muscle control. The sessions are cumulative and, at the end of every session, I will give you exercises to do at home so that you can maintain your progress and have lasting results.

The goals of Hanna Somatics are to help you:

• Become free of pain
• Enjoy greater flexibility
• Have more energy
• Have better posture
• Become self-reliant - away from needing someone else to make you feel better
• Become more coordinated and graceful in movement
• Refining your motor skills to help you excel in your favorite sport or activity
• Embody more confidence
• Become empowered by taking control of your healing process
• Move more efficiently in your body
• Improve range of movement
• Challenge the myth of aging
• Enjoy a longer life with a healthy body

What is a session like?

Hanna Somatic Educators also like to call a session a "lesson" because we always engage with an educational experience. With every lesson we start by checking in with what's happening in your body. I will observe how you stand, walk and how your body arranges itself. The body becomes a map and shows us what is going on, and each map is particular to each person.

Most of this educational process is done while lying on a massage table, however, at times, we also do movements while sitting, standing or walking. Somatic lessons are done while wearing loose comfortable clothing.

The first three lessons occur one week a part. They give the "soma" a chance to adjust itself from the center out. For example one lesson involves all the muscles in the back, another all the muscles on the side and lastly all the muscles in the front of the body. Each of the three first lessons addresses three main reflexes: The Red Light Reflex, The Green Light Reflex and the Trauma Reflex. As I mentioned the lessons are cumulative so you will experience ongoing results.

After the initial three lessons we then hone in on specific muscles or muscle groups that need a little more attention. As with all lessons I will give you exercises to perform at home. The sessions after that are tailored to fit each individual's needs.

There are videos, books, magazines, journals, and CD's available as learning tools. You can order them through www.somaticsed.com and www.somatics.com.

Somatic Yoga

I also teach Hanna Somatic group and private exploration classes. Sometimes I call them Somatic Yoga classes because I incorporate restorative yoga, pranayama, meditation and visualization. For times and dates please call me.

My training and background:

I graduated from the four-year program at the Novato Institute for Somatic Studies to become a certified Hanna Somatic Educator. During this time I also taught the following classes at Sonoma State University: The Psychology of Yoga, The Psychology of Meditation, Wilderness Psychology, and Eco-Psychology.

To make an appointment please call: (760) 828-8877