How to Prevent Somatic Help From Becoming Another Tool of Domination

In this talk Steve will briefly trace the history of psychology and somatics to the current moment. We will look at major themes relevant to the decolonization of somatic psychology. In particular, the distinction will be clarified between the goals of symptom relief and liberation of mind and being. Methodologies—somatic or not—need to provide clinically relevant guidelines when practitioners are to behave more directively. Rogerian, reflective listening and attunement interventions are already powerful tools. A therapist who directs a client with a question like, “What do you feel in your body?” should have compelling guidelines, and well-articulated therapeutic reasons for this communication that usurps the client’s autonomy of attention. This talk will try to offer such guidelines and will aim to sensitize the somatics community to such issues of everyday domination. Therapeutic missteps like these are reinforced by modeling by experts and common, but mistaken, beliefs — especially that 1) specific sensations are associated with specific, historical traumatic events, and 2) that sensations said to be associated with trauma need to be felt in the body.