What the heck is SomatoEmotional Release?

SomatoEmotional Release (SER) is part of craniosacral therapy that is deeply healing, profound and let’s face it… a bit weird. 😊It utilises the hands on session and physical support of craniosacral therapy along with journeying with images that come up in the mind’s eye during a session. It is an incredibly powerful technique for facilitating change in your body, mind, and spirit.

Let’s break it down a bit.

• Somato – is about soma or body. Our physical self.
• Emotional – is about our emotional/spiritual body.
• Release – the process of unwinding and letting go.

SomatoEmotional Release is therefore the process of unwinding and letting go of issues affecting our emotional and spiritual bodies through the use of hands-on supportive techniques that also allow tissue release withing the physical body. Pretty cool stuff and super powerful as a therapeutic technique!

What is SER?

SER is what we refer to as therapeutic imagery and dialogue. It utilises your imagination to journey through experiences that are relevant to you at the time of your session. 

The process is based firmly in science and psychology (but it is not psychology as there is no analysis). It combines theories from Carl Jung’s shadow work, Gestalt’s open chair routine, Robert Assagioli’s Psychosynthesis, Fritz Perl’s work as well as the theory of archetypes. There is a lot of rich history and research underpinning this process and therapy. 



The use of therapeutic imagery and dialogue accesses the non-conscious, which speaks in pictures. It is a powerful tool that works to release dysfunction at a cellular level. We know from research undertaken by Bruce Lipton (Biology of Belief) and Besser Van der Kolk (The Body Keeps Score) that each cell holds a memory of everything that has happened to us. Cells hold not only memories from this lifetime, but genetic memories and intergenerational trauma. (Imagine your grandmother experiencing an accident/trauma when she was pregnant with your mother. Trauma passed onto her baby and her baby stores that in her body and passes on to you…; yep, mind blowing when you think about it).

Our non-conscious mind uses a range of hints to bring images to the fore. When we talk about images these are not only pictures in our mind’s eye, they can also be feelings, smells, tastes, patterns or even a complete lack of. Even if you see and experience ‘nothing’ that is an image in itself.

From a Jungian perspective, what we are accessing comes into the field of ‘shadow work’ those things that we suppress about ourselves. It isn’t always bad either. We can have positive things we suppress, such as kindness towards ourselves etc. It isn’t just the angry or antisocial parts. Our non-conscious mind is constantly looking for ways to balance its systems and bring us back to true health or homeostasis.

So why would you want to do this work? 

There are many reasons. I work with an incredible bunch of brave clients who don't want to maintain the status quo and feel there is more to life than where they are at. They might have experienced trauma of various degrees, or it just feel like they are stuck and unable to reach their full potential.

The benefit of SER is that we aren't analysing anything from a psychological standpoint. There doesn't need to be explanation of the trauma, logic or interpretation of the pictures to get a change or resolution. Instead, it is all guided by your Inner Wisdom and what comes up will be appropriate for you at that time, in that session.

At the end I’ve outlined what a typical SER session might look like. It can be more structured than this too. There are several ways to work with SER:

• Spontaneous – this happens during a craniosacral therapy session, or sometimes as soon as the client is in the room and the door is shut.
• Planned – you have an idea of something you would like to explore during the session
• Development – using a process of drawing pictures before and after a session. This can be used to continue the SER across multiple sessions.

No matter what type of SER occurs, it will always be the right one for you. Your Inner Wisdom will guide you through the process so that it is perfect for what you need to release in that session. There are no rules where SER is concerned, and your clinician will go with whatever is presented on that day in your session.

Inner Wisdom

I know we’ve spoken about this in other blogs, but just to recap… your Inner Wisdom (or Inner Physician) is your internal voice. Some might call it your intuition – you know the bit that encourages you to eat healthy, make good choices, trust someone on sight, or not. It’s also the part that knows what you need to heal yourself.

The craniosacral therapy paradigm is to treat people, not pathology. On this basis, the clinician works with you and your Inner Wisdom to effect the change you need in your body in that session. You may come in with a sore shoulder, but your clinician is drawn to work on your opposite hip. The work here, in turn, releases an energy cyst in your pelvis which relieves the pain in your shoulder.

What does and SER session look like?

The story described below is a typical SER session. The subject matter is obviously different and can often include conversations with parts of your body that are causing you pain and discomfort. Is it weird? For you, the client, the first session can be a little different but further sessions and trust in the process allow you feel calm and in control to work with whatever comes up. It isn’t all serious either, we often laugh through the session. Whatever you need at the time to affect a release.

From a clinician's perspective, your body give clues to something important occurring through a complete stillness called a 'significance detector' and this is when the magic happens and the dialoguing starts. It's really cool to experience as both a clinician and a client, which I get to do in training programs and mentoring sessions. By me working on my stuff in this way, it also helps me support you in working on your stuff. 

I know the example below is quite long, but it gives you a great idea of how a session runs and what to expect.

I look forward to seeing you and exploring SomatoEmotional Release with you.



Lynne

Example of an SER session – spontaneous SER (see above)

(The dialogue below has been formatted to hopefully help it make sense as the 'characters' come into play and the session unfolds.)

Let’s start with what happens during a craniosacral session. Your clinician has checked points (listening stations) in your body, identified connective tissue areas that need to be worked on (energy cysts) and then the magic starts.

As a client you feel hands on your body and warmth, maybe tingling, as the tissues start to release and your nervous system relaxes. Next you notice that even though the clinician is working around your chest area, you have a sensation down your right leg. 

Your clinician asks you ‘where are you in your body right now?’ and you let them know that you feel warmth in your chest and a sensation down your right leg. ‘Let me know when that changes’ they guide. ‘As if that’s going to change in my leg when you’re working on my chest’ you think but then you feel the sensation change, initially it spikes then totally dissipates. Curiously you let your clinician know.

The next thing that happens is your body slips into a deep sense of relaxation and calm. You feel your jaw and neck relax and you aren’t aware of your body directly touching the table anymore, it almost feels like you’re floating. You are relaxed and aware but not able to focus on sounds outside your body, apart from your clinician’s voice. 

You become aware of a picture of a blue door in your mind’s eye. Your clinician asks you ‘What’s going on for you right now?’. 

You tell them ‘You’re going to think this is really weird, but I can see a blue door in my mind’. 

‘Hmm, a blue door’, they say, ‘where are you in relation to the blue door?’. 

‘I’m standing in front of it’ you say. 

‘What would you like to do now?’ your clinician asks. 

‘I want to open the door’ you say. 

‘OK, do you have everything you need to be able to open the door?’ they ask. 

‘Um, I don’t think so’ you reply, ‘I need a key’. 

‘Oh, you need a key?’ the clinician asks ‘Do you know where the key is?’. 

‘Yes’ you say, ‘It’s on a hook by the door’. 

‘The key is on a hook by the blue door’ your clinician confirms, ‘what would you like to do now?’. 

‘I’m picking up the key and putting in the lock on the door, turning the handle to open the door’ you say. 

‘So, you’ve picked up the key, put it in the lock and turned the handle to open the blue door’ they say. ‘What do you notice now?’. 

‘Oh, wow’ you say ‘There is a beautiful rolling green field on the other side. It is a meadow with a stream and a lovely big tree in the middle’. 

‘On the other side of the blue door you see a beautiful meadow with a stream and lovely big tree’ your clinician confirms. ‘What would you like to do now?’ they ask. 

‘I want to climb the tree and sit in the branches, look around and read my book’ you say. 

‘Ok’ they say ‘you want to climb the tree, do you have everything you need to do that?’ 

‘No, the tree is too tall for me to climb’ you say. 

‘The tree is too tall for you to climb’ your clinician confirms ‘So, here and now, you can make anything you like happen, so what would you like to do?’. 

‘Oh, there is a ladder on the tree I didn’t see before so I’m going to climb it’ you say. 



‘You’re climbing the ladder on the tree’ they say, ‘let me know when you’re where you want to be in the tree’. 

You pause for a few minutes as you climb the ladder and find a big branch to sit on. You look around and you can see all of the meadow and the stream and settle down against the trunk. It’s comfortable and safe for you to be there. You feel the dappled sunlight on your skin and a deep sense of relaxation. 

‘Where are you now?’ your clinician asks. 

You tell them about the tree and how comfortable and relaxed you are. They confirm that you have climbed the tree, are sitting in it and are comfortable. ‘What would you like to happen now’ they say.

You have this overwhelming feeling that you want to your mum to be there with you. She passed over a year ago, but the feeling is very strong. You tell your clinician this. 

‘Ok’ they say, ‘so today you can do anything you want, make anything happen so would you like to invite your mum to join you?’. 

‘Yes’ you say and you visualise your mum sitting next to you on the branch in the tree, surrounded by the meadow and the stream and it is peaceful. You feel a little overwhelmed with having your mum with you and tears start to flow. 

Your clinician asks you ‘What is happening with your mum right now?’. 

‘She’s smiling at me and holding my hand’ you say. 

‘Oh, she’s smiling at your and holding your hand. And how do you feel about that?’ your clinician asks. 

‘I feel confused’ you admit. ‘Mum didn’t have time for me when she was here. It’s nice to have her here but I’m feeling a bit frustrated and hurt’. 

‘Oh, you’re feeling frustrated and hurt that your mother is with your right now holding your hand’ your clinician says. 

‘Yes’ you affirm. 

‘Is there anything you’d like to say to your mother right now’ they ask.

‘Yes, I want to tell her how disappointed I am about her distance and lack of connection when she was alive’ you say. 

‘Ok, you are disappointed about the distance and lack of connection when she was alive. Talk directly it to your mother’ your clinician says ‘Mum, I….’ she prompts. 

Taking a deep breath, you say ‘Mum, I am disappointed about your lack of connection to me when you were alive. I felt so lonely’ you say. 

‘You felt disappointment and lonely when mum was alive due to lack of connection’ your clinician says. ‘Be mum now. She says….’they prompt. 

‘I understand that now, but you were so independent and capable that I didn’t want to stifle you in your plans, even if I didn’t agree with them. You would become frustrated with me if I did’ you say as your mother. 

‘And you say….’ prompts your clinician. 

‘Oh, you’re right. I didn’t want to be molly-coddled as an adult and I felt you were interfering with what I wanted to achieve’ you say. 

‘And mum says….’ your clinician prompts. 

‘Yes, I realised that so I withdrew to give you space to explore on your own, hoping you would reach out to me if you needed support’ you say as your mother. 

‘Any you say….’ prompts your clinician. 

‘Oh goodness, there were so many times that I wanted to but felt the distance between us was too much’ you say. 

‘And mum says…’ they prompt. 

‘I always loved you honey. I didn’t know how to reach you, even when I could see you struggling. I wish I had tried harder, even if it made you angry’ you say as your mother. 

‘And you say….’ prompted the clinician. 

‘Oh mum, I could have tried harder and knew you were only trying to help but was too stubborn to allow that to happen. I had to be an adult and grown up and work through things myself. But I regret the distance I allowed to develop between us. I missed you holding me. I felt safe then, even if things weren’t great in my world’. 

‘And mums says…’ they prompt. 

‘I know sweetheart. I never stopped loving you. I am so proud of everything you’re achieving. You are strong and resilient and have learned a lot about life in the time I’ve been gone,’ you say as your mother. 

You realise that tears are flowing freely as you hear this message. You are crying for the lost opportunity in life, but also for the freedom in your mind as you realise that nothing stopped your love for your mum, or hers for you. 

‘Is there anything else you’d like to say to your mum before we close the session today’ your clinician asks. 

‘No’ you say. ‘Mum has faded now but I feel her in my heart’. 

‘Oh you feel your mum in your heart now’ your clinician says. ‘What does that mean to you in this moment? they ask. 

‘That I can take mum with me everyday and know that she loves and supports me. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my soul’. 

‘You feel like a weight has been lifted from your soul now you can take mum with you in your everyday life’ they say. ‘So, what would you like to do now to end our session today’ they ask. 

‘I’d like to go back to the blue door’ you say. 

‘Ok, walk me through your journey back to the blue door’your clinician says. 

‘I’m climbing down the ladder in the tree and walking back through the meadow. I feel at peace here. I can see the blue door and am walking through it’ you say. 

‘Ok, so you’ve walked back through the meadow and the blue door. What would you like to do now?’ your clinician asks. 

‘I want to close the door, but leave it open a crack. I don’t want to lock it again.’ you say.

‘So you’re leaving the door open a crack and not closing it fully’ confirms your clinician. 

‘Yes, I’ve realised that this is a safe and peaceful place I can come when I’m stressed. I don’t want to lock that away. I want to work on coming there every day to sit and be at peace for a little while’ you say. 

‘Oh so this is a safe space for you that you can visit every day to be at peace’ they prompt. 

‘Yes. I’m looking forward to it’ you say. 

‘Ok, is there anything else you need to do before we finish your session today?’ your clinician asks. 

‘No, I feel complete and at peace, thank you’ you say. 

‘Ok, let’s bring you back into your body. On your next inhale I want you to feel where your body touches the table you are lying on’ they prompt. 

You feel where your body is making contact with the massage table. At their prompting you wriggle your fingers and toes and take a nice deep breath before opening your eyes. Your clinician gently helps you sit up and you talk about the session and what you noticed. You notice as you sit there that you no longer feel back pain and your headache has cleared. You feel relaxed, but alert and ready to take on your day.

Your clinician talks to you about things processing and unwinding over the next 72 hours and to send a text if you are finding any emotional overwhelm. 

You sleep so deeply that night and wake up feeling a little flat the next day. You remember your session well and realise that you are missing the connection with your mum. Your clinician advised you to sit and take yourself to the meadow when things were feeling a bit much, so you sit and do that. 

You take yourself back through the blue door and back to the tree. You sit there and breathe deeply, watching your breath flow in and out of your body and your mind calms. Even after just 5 minutes of breathing you feel more at ease and ready to take on your day. Your body aches a little but feels more free so you have a hot shower.

As you sit and reflect on your session, you feel a range of things. You didn’t expect to cry and you didn’t know what the pictures were all about but you feel good today. You felt safe on the journey and your clinician held space for you to experience what you needed to at that time. I wonder what will come up in the next session you ask yourself.