It is universally accepted that infants have emotions (affects) well before they have developed the cognitive skills to remember, assess, or name them. In our work, we have observed that there are somatic and behavioural patterns that are pre-, or non-cognitive expressions of affect, which can be accessed via somatic interventions. The approach in this class focuses on emotions being basic to animal/human organisms, and that they occur before we adapt to our experiences. By definition, the class focuses on the inter-relationship of body and feelings before trauma occurs, so it does not specifically focus on trauma.

In this workshop we will examine the somatic and behavioural components of these simple affects, practice somatic interventions, and knit together an understanding of the way in which the body gives access to these emotions.

In this workshop we will be specifically engaging the patterns affiliated with emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, excitement, gratitude, and joy. For each of these affects we will consider things such as:

• Body changes during the emotion
• Behaviours associated with the emotion
• Information conveyed by the emotion (watch out, change something, accept something, life is great, oh, others are here too)
• The usual observers’s response (how do you respond to each emotion? Expressed or unexpressed)
• Pro-social value of the emotion
• Common disorders of the emotion (psychological, somatic, behavioural)

This workshop is appropriate for advanced practitioners with extensive professional practice experience, and who have a grounding in a somatic practice/approach of some sort.

Attendees will have been working in their profession long enough to have come naturally to the question of how emotions and somatic expressions of affect interrelate.

Please Note: The Somatics of Emotions workshop is not appropriate for those just starting out in their professional practice.

If you are not sure if you meet the prerequisites, you are welcome to submit your professional background information and it will be reviewed by Kathy and Tony to determine if this workshop is a good fit for you (or one of them will contact you for further information).

Continuing Education credits may be offered for this program, depending on date and location. Please click “Learn More” below to see our Continuing Education page, or see the registration page for scheduled trainings, for further information.

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Class Learning Objectives