Somatic Solutions
@ The Village Integrative Health Center
930 Alhambra Blvd Suite 220 Sacramento, CA 95816
Integrative Structural
& Somatic Bodywork
in Sacramento
Work with both physical structure and nervous system patterns in the same appointment
About The Session
The Integrative Structural & Somatic Appointment is designed for people whose concerns don’t fit neatly into either a purely physical or purely nervous-system-oriented approach.
The appointment gives us the flexibility to draw from Structural Integration, a hands-on, participatory approach focused on physical structure, movement, tension patterns, posture, and biomechanics, as well as Somatic Experiencing®, a body-centered approach to working with nervous system responses to stress, overwhelm and trauma.
Often, these appointments are spent primarily at the treatment table doing hands-on work, but the purpose of the contact can vary. At times we're working directly with tissue, joints, movement, or biomechanics. At other times, touch provides sensory input while we attend more closely to nervous-system responses. You participate by reporting what you're noticing and following movement or attention-oriented prompts.
Why work with both structure and the nervous system?
What does an Integrative Appointment look like?
Who is this appointment for?
How is this different from Structural Integration alone?
Is this trauma-informed bodywork?
Do I have to talk about my trauma?
What if I don’t know which appointment I need?
Pain and discomfort don’t always mean there’s tissue damage or physical problems.
How we move through the world can the ways we habitually brace, protect or hold ourselves can be influenced by our histories. This includes: repetitive activities, injuries, habits, stress, and nervous system states we’ve lived with. Likewise, persistent pain and physical restriction can influence how safe, relaxed, mobile or at ease we feel.
It doesn’t mean all pain is in your head or that every physical problem is caused by trauma. What it means is it’s a two-way street: physiology and perception continuously influence one another.
Working with both physical inputs and the way those inputs are perceived, interpreted, and responded to gives us more than one place to look for change.
Structural Integration works through tissues, joints, movement, biomechanics, posture and our relation with gravity.
Somatic Experiencing® works through our perception of our senses, emotions, movement impulses, and physiologic state.
An integrative appointment explicitly permits us to work in either lens and to move between them, depending on what’s useful in the moment.
There isn’t a template.
But, generally we begin seated and check into recent history and what you’re currently noticing in your body. I may ask to observe you standing and doing some simple movements like walking, or lifting your arms.
Hands-on work most often occurs at a treatment table while you remain comfortably clothed. I may apply sustained contact to muscles or connective tissue, support a bone or joint and invite you to notice what sensations arise or make subtle movements.
I may also ask you to notice areas of your body I’m not contacting, movement impulses, images or other aspects of your experience. Once you feel sufficiently resourced, I may invite you to briefly revisit relevant historical material while staying connected to present-moment support and noticing what happens in your body. This can happen with or without physical contact.
We might work seated, standing or with larger movements in the room or without any physical contact.
The goal is not to make sure we spend time in both modalities. The goal is to use what is most useful at the time.
This appointment may be a good fit for you if you experience things such as:
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chronic or recurring muscular tension
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pain or tension that changes with stress
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persistent stress that has a physical component
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difficulty relaxing even when you’re trying to rest
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posture or movement patterns that feel rigid or effortful
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physical bracing associated with stress
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feelings of overwhelm or hypervigilance
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a history of trauma that continues to influence you in the present
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a sense of being disconnected from your body
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physical symptoms that change with stress and emotional state
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an interest in hands-on work and the intersection of mind and body.
You do not need a trauma history to book this appointment.
And, having a trauma history does not mean we need to talk about your traumatic past.
A Structural Integration appointment stays primarily focused on the physical organization of your body in space in the form of tension patterns, movement potential, posture, and biomechanics.
An Integrative Structural & Somatic Appointment gives us the freedom to follow your nervous system responses when they become relevant.
For example, we may begin with a manual-therapy focus on tension in your shoulders and notice that the tension changes with your breathing or a feeling of vigilance. As we explore that, an impulse to pull away or protect may emerge, along with difficulty allowing the musculature to soften.
In an Integrative appointment, we might then shift from working directly with the tissue toward another aspect of the experience. I'm looking for the approach most likely to help us move toward the goals we've set together.
Yes.
At Somatic Solutions in Sacramento, I offer bodywork and manual therapy informed by my training in Structural Integration, Somatic Experiencing® and study of the psychological and sociological dimensions of the intersection of body and mind.
Touch and physical contact is a conversation.
In my clinical approach, touch is collaborative and consent-based. I pay attention to your agency, pacing, boundaries, physiological responses, my intent, and your subjective experience of the work.
Being trauma-informed also means I don't assume that my model of what your body should do overrides your experience of your own body.
Often, a headline is sufficient.
You can tell me as much or as little of your history as feels relevant. Much of our work can stay focused on what's happening in the present moment: what you're sensing, noticing, doing or wanting to do.
I do not provide psychotherapy or diagnose mental-health conditions. When someone’s needs fall outside my scope I make referrals to an appropriate professional.
That’s ok.
If you already know you want Structural Integration, Somatic Experiencing®, Massage Therapy or Movement Education specifically, book that service.
If what interests you is the ability to work with both physical structure and nervous system responses, the Integrative Structural & Somatic Appointment is probably the best place to start.
At the outset of working together we always review history and goals during the intake. From there, I map out a way forward and we decide together what feels appropriate that day.
