DESCRIPTIONS OF SOMATIC PRACTICES FOR ANXIETY, PTSD and STRESS REDUCTION
With Hannah Caratti, LMFT, E-RYT
Emotional Freedom Technique
From The Body Keeps the Score by Trauma Expert, Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.: “In our early therapy
sessions, we focused on calming the physiological chaos within. We used every technique that I have
learned over the years, like breathing, with a focus on the outbreath, which activates the relaxing
parasympathetic nervous system.
I also taught her to use her fingers to tap the sequence of acupressure points on various parts of her
body, a practice often taught under the name EFT, Emotional Freedom Technique, which has been
shown to help patients stay within the window of tolerance and often has positive effects on PTSD
symptoms.”
Emotional Freedom Technique is the Core Practice of Energy Psychology, also called ‘EFT/Tapping.’
Excellent videos are available on YouTube… EFT/tapping for anxiety, for depression, for backaches. Five
Simple Steps to Emotional Healing: The Last Self-Help Book You Will Ever Need by Gloria Arenson, MFT
The Nervous System: Fight or Flight vs Rest and Digest
From Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., The Body Keeps the Score: “In PTSD, the sympathetic and
parasympathetic nervous systems are out of sync (and HRV, heart rate variability, is low). Our interest
in yoga gradually evolved from a focus on learning whether yoga can change HRV (which it can) to
helping traumatized people learn to comfortably inhabit their tortured bodies.”
Trauma-Sensitive Yoga in Therapy by David Emerson (associated with Bessel Van Der Kolk’s Trauma
Center) “Any time we breathe or move in a new way as part of trauma treatment, we begin to
challenge, in a gentle but clear way, the traumatic notion that my body is not capable of having new
experiences and that all it can do is hunker down and resist traumatic memories that are hidden inside
every seemingly innocuous muscle movement.”
Trauma sensitive yoga is: invitational, shared authentic experience (object relations), nonhierarchical,
supportive of personal exploration and physical embodiment, instead of being goal-oriented (not trying
to look a certain way in a form or yoga pose). For many participants, this practice leads to a deeper
sense of responsibility and self-care.
Yoga Skills for Therapists and Yoga for Depression: Books by Amy Weintraub: People don’t take meds
for depression 1x/week….they take it daily. Yoga for Depression needs to be done daily, just like taking
meds! Amy offers trainings in Life Force Yoga for Depression & Anxiety for psychotherapists and yoga
teachers at many retreat settings across the U.S.
Yoga for Anxiety, PTSD & Stress Reduction, developed by Hannah Caratti, during a 20-year exploration
of the most helpful yogic practices to calm the nervous system and return to a state of peace and
balance. Hannah has been exploring the benefit of having some clients rest on a couch or a yoga mat
during a portion of the therapy session. Please see quote below on: “What’s the couch got to do with
it?”
Authentic Movement by Janet Adler and Joan Chodorow. Uroboric Movement is self-soothing
movement (rocking, self-massage). Tai chi and Qi Gong also help clients come back to the present
moment, to their breath, and to their embodied self.
What’s the couch got to do with it? The low-down on lying down on the couch in psychoanalysis.
When we recline, we drift into that more dream-like state in which we recall forgotten feelings and
memories, where we gain access to deeper sensations, fantasies, anxieties, and longings.
What is most important is to create a safe space in which the patient feels free to tell the analyst more
and more. If that atmosphere can be created in a face-to-face arrangement, then I say "so be it." But if
the patient and analyst can bear the added vulnerability of using the couch, an unusual and precious
freedom of expression may be found. From an article in Psychology Today: post published by Jennifer
Kunst Ph.D. on Apr 03, 2014 from A Headshrinker's Guide to the Galaxy
Vegas nerve
Healthy Vegas nerve communication between your gut and your brain helps to slow you down like the
brakes on your car by using neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine and GABA. These neurotransmitters
literally lower heart rate, blood pressure, and help your heart and organs slow down so that you can rest
and digest.
Using positive self-talk and taking deep breaths is a quick and easy way to engage the Vegas nerve and
parasympathetic nervous system to calm yourself from both the top down and from the bottom up.
From C. Berglund's post on Psychology Today May 23, 2014 from his book, The Athlete’s Way.
Unwinding the Belly by Alyson Post is a wonderful book, based on the Chinese system of abdominal
massage called: Chi Nei Sang. Unwinding The Belly, Healing with Gentle Touch by Alyson Post &
Stephen Cavaliere can be ordered here: http://allisonpost.com/_new/audio/bookaudio/
Walk & Talk Therapy Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D., and Psychologist John Arden, Ph.D. (who manages
trainings for Kaiser therapists in Northern CA and has written over 26 books on emotional well-being,
and brain-based psychotherapy) recommend exercise as the No.1 mood-enhancer, on a par with
medications for efficacy of treatment for anxiety and depression.
Japanese Acupressure (Jin Shin Jyutsu Self Help Practices) A new participant in our meditation and
healing practice group has been dealing with anxiety and depression. She stated that this (Japanese
acupressure self-help practices) helped her more than anything else, by calming the nervous system.
Additional Resources: Solutions for Sleep, by Dr. James Rouse (DVD, available on Amazon).
The Anxiety Workbook by Dr. John Arden
Integrative Restoration: iRest (has been described as similar to Dr. Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing)
The iRest Program for Healing PTSD: A Proven-Effective Approach to Using Yoga Nidra Meditation and
Deep Relaxation Techniques to Overcome Trauma by Richard Miller, PhD (who was on a panel with Dr.
Jon Kabat-Zinn at a White House discussion in 2012 on the use of Meditation & Stress Reduction in
Government Agencies). www.irest.us Hannah Caratti LMFT’s mentor: Richard Miller, Ph.D.