Over the last 11 years of doing this work, Nina has found that working solely on the psychological/ego and body levels is usually not enough for completely trauma healing. She would now like to incorporate the the method of self-inquiry in healing, so the ego can surrender bits of itself (only at a pace you are comfortable with!) to the larger presence of our being. This can be thought of as similar to the Self described in IFS.
Trauma gives rise to ego identifications, which then cause our suffering, thoughts, and feelings. Working with ego identifications is going to the root of trauma, while emotional release is working at the branches. Branches can regrow without cutting the root.
She has also seen that without the Self-Acceptance and Self-Inquiry aspects of the program, the emotional release techniques don't seem to work in the long run because new material is created if we are trying to "fix" rather than respectfully meet our material.
The technique of self-inquiry was famously formulated by the enlightened teacher Ramana Maharshi. He asked people to ask themselves "Who Am I?" This method is consistent with Advaita Vedanta, a Non-Dual spiritual philosophy from India (It is not religious, but spiritual). Nina has studied this for many years now and has blended its effective methods with somatic techniques in her sessions with clients who were open to it.
She does not claim herself to be a spiritual teacher, but rather providing guidance as a counselor. She is a student on the Non-Dual path who has been exploring merging somatic techniques with self-inquiry, a combination which has rapidly accelerated her own healing and those she has worked with.
While it is not a requirement, she would like to work more with those who are open to the self-inquiry technique and/or the spiritual path in general to avoid plateauing on the trauma healing journey. This combination can also help people on the spiritual path to avoid spiritually bypassing their emotions. We can integrate the trauma ego using this combination.
*Please know, whatever your faith is, you can definitely keep it! Non-Dual philosophies are found in Christianity in a Course in Miracles and in all major religions in the world (but on the spiritual/mystical path of those faiths). Even if you are atheist, this work can be thought of as surrendering to Awareness, Presence, the Witness, the Observer, etc. The main point is that we are not going to let the ego run the show, because that can truly go on forever without deeper more sustainable healing taking place.
The non-dual way of living is not a religion. You do not have to change religions. It is about surrendering the ego identifications and the story to experience our True Nature or Higher Power (whatever that is for you), which heals all. This is not magical thinking. There are specific techniques, which are very safe and freeing.
Please know there will be zero preaching. You can take what you like and leave the rest. If you know you don't want any spiritual component in your sessions, just let us know on your intake forms.
8. Nina can work with children ages 7 and up for the secular Somatic Sessions. She is only working with adults regarding the Non-Dual spiritual component that is now merged with the Somatic work.
This is because children and adolescents need to develop healthy ego identities. You must be at least 18 years old for the spiritual option. However, we may make some exceptions if there are 1 or 2 unhealthy ego identities that need to be cleared in order to be healthy. We won't go all the way with ego surrender for children until they are 18 year old adults and can make their own decisions.
There are many ways that SE can benefit children with basic emotional resiliency education for trauma prevention as well as trauma resolution. SE can also offer techniques for managing test anxiety, emotions that come up with bullying or any other life stresses that kids can go through such as divorce of parents, death of a parent, illness, etc.
9. If you are unsure whether SE could help your specific condition, feel free to fill out the forms at thesomaticpt.com/forms first and then email us to book a complimentary consultation so we can assess if I am qualified to help. In some cases, I can see you while you are also seeing a licensed psychotherapist weekly. If a case falls outside of my scope, I will refer you to the appropriate profession who can help.
We look forward to working with you. May you live in peace!