Breathwork & Somatic Inquiry

At Arras Healing we offer a unique and blended Somatic Inquiry therapy for trauma and mental health recovery. Working with a combination of bodywork, breathwork and somatic techniques we can create a 'conscious process' for the Nervous System to reorganise itself. 

Somatic Inquiry is a relatively new type of therapy working with the body, sensations, and emotions to create movement and spaciousness for healing to occur. By becoming comfortable and familiar with what is known as our “felt sense” we can gradually increase our window of tolerance and ability to be with ourselves during distress and strong emotions.

Somatic Inquiry’s lineage comes down to us through Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing method and also draws on Polyvagal Theory in therapeutic practice, developed by Deb Dana and Stephen Porges. There is also a great deal of crossover with the breathwork and embodiment world.

Through somatic therapy, we create conscious ways of relating to our experiences on a moment-to-moment basis. This is empowering work, giving us back movement, choice and freedom in our healing journeys. It is particularly powerful for working with trauma, PTSD, complex trauma, dissociation, so-called personality disorders, anxiety, depression, autoimmune illnesses, bereavement/grief, and a range of other conditions.

Clients are supported to grow their "somatic capacity" to reach self-regulation and feelings of safety and connection within their mind, body, spirit.

This is known as the “bottom up” approach in therapy because we are working body-to-mind, as opposed to “top down” approaches such as talking therapies, psychotherapy and some types of CBT and psychology. It is becoming more accepted in the mainstream and the NHS that we also need a body-based approach to healing trauma, rather than a predominantly cognitive-based one. There is, of course, still room for both of these styles but we are gradually moving towards more awareness of the physiological impact of trauma on the body, the nervous system, the breath, and fascia/tissues, even impact in our bones!

Watch a video introduction to Somatic Inquiry on YouTube here.

Candy has trained in somatic therapy with Dr Thomas Hübl PhD and the AIR School of Breathwork. She is a trauma coach, breathworker and Somatic Inquiry therapist with special interest in healing trauma and complex trauma. She is a tutor in breathwork for the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body. She also works with organisations providing trauma-informed leadership consultancy. Candy regularly participates in continual professional development with the likes of Richard Schwartz, Gabor Mate, Diane Poole Heller and other leaders in the somatic trauma healing and breathwork fields.