SomatoEmotional Release is a therapeutic process used in CranioSacral Therapy that promotes release of the residual effects of past physical and emotional injuries.

All emotions go somewhere in the body, whether we are aware of it or not. We have retained tensions from every stressful or traumatic event we have ever experienced.

Somatically, energy is meant to pass through us. When it can’t, because the situation is too much to handle or our systems are already overloaded, or when we can’t fight or flee to discharge energy, the energy can stagnate in our tissues in a freeze response.

Our bodies try to wall the energy off to make it as small as possible, and this creates concentrated areas of stuck energy called energy cysts.

Our bodies try to accommodate these energy cysts (think of a river flowing around an obstruction, like a rock or debris), but they can lead to pain, dysfunction, and emotional stress.

A restriction in one area can have a profound effect on the whole system because our fascia (connective tissue) envelops every cell and organ in our bodies in a continual matrix.

See this video simulating fascia and how a perturbation (from injury or treatment!) can alter the patterns in the whole body.

Stasis is death, and movement is life. Bodywork can help the restricted areas in your body move from a freeze state into mobility. Movement and integration elicit your body’s innate tendency toward healing.

Your body shows me what it needs in order to heal. With hands on your feet, knees, hips, ribs, shoulders, and head, as well as the energy field off your body, I can feel where there is movement in the cranial rhythm and where there is not, indicating areas of restriction.

Fascia is a tissue that can hold and release energy. I facilitate this process by following the tension patterns in your body. My hands get pulled in magnetically, and I follow with gentle pressure until I sense signs of release.

See this video with fascia magnified 25x for an astounding view of this incredible matrix within us and how it releases.

When your fascia releases stuck energy, I feel heat and an energetic letting go. You can feel lighter and able to breathe more easily.

Bodywork can bring up sensations, emotions, and memories, and there can also be more noticeable release signs such as trembling, shaking, and crying. Emotional release is cathartic. If things come up, they are coming out. Your body will let go what it is ready to let go of.

Dialoguing can be used in assistance, but nonverbal processing is also important. Sleep is common as it elicits the parasympathetic nervous system response (the “rest, digest, and heal” phase).

This form of bodywork is implicitly relaxing and healing. It is incredibly gentle and subtle but can result in profound change.

It eases personal growth and is “an ingenious tool for sorting out our lives and redesigning our futures,” said John Upledger, the founder.

Click here for more information about CranioSacral Therapy and SomatoEmotional Release.