Bridge the gap between mind and body and learn to integrate somatic awareness into your understanding of anxiety, trauma and depression with Vanessa Bear.

Friday 19th March 2027.

*Working with the Embodied Mind*

Event Description:

This one-day workshop offers an introduction to integrating somatic awareness into talking therapies. We will explore conceptual frameworks for understanding how attachment theory, developmental and relational neuroscience and contemporary trauma research explain why many of the difficulties clients bring to therapy, such as anxiety, depression, trauma and somatic complaints, are experienced through the body as well as the mind.

We shall explore key concepts relevant to embodied psychotherapy, including attachment, autonomic regulation, somatic markers, bodily and sensory awareness, and non-verbal communication. The workshop will begin with a brief introduction to the origins of somatic psychotherapy before exploring how developmental and relational experiences shape embodied patterns, including regulation, boundaries, posture and ways of interacting.

Drawing on the work of key contributors including Wilhelm Reich, Daniel Stern, Antonio Damasio, Daniel Siegel, Peter Levine and Babette Rothschild, we shall explore how developmental psychology, attachment theory, interpersonal neurobiology and trauma research have shaped contemporary understandings of embodiment and their relevance to therapeutic practice.

Through lecture and experiential exercises, participants will explore practical ways of engaging with clients’ non-verbal and embodied experience, helping clients develop greater awareness and understanding of their embodied experience alongside talk therapy. The practical approaches introduced can be integrated into existing therapeutic modalities and adapted for both online and in-person clinical practice.

The workshop is designed specifically for therapists whose primary modality is talking therapy, you don’t need any prior training or experience in somatic approaches to attend.

The aims of the workshop are:

• To provide an accessible introduction to the theoretical foundations of embodiment in psychotherapy, drawing on attachment theory, developmental and relational neuroscience and contemporary trauma research.
• To develop participants’ understanding of how anxiety, depression, trauma and somatic complaints are experienced through both mind and body.
• To explore how developmental and relational experiences shape embodied patterns, including regulation, boundaries, posture, movement and ways of relating.
• To introduce key contributors to embodied approaches to psychotherapy, including Wilhelm Reich, Daniel Stern, Antonio Damasio, Daniel Siegel, Peter Levine and Babette Rothschild.
• To develop therapists’ own embodied awareness and understanding of their own bodily responses, regulation and presence within the therapeutic relationship.
• To support therapists in recognising non-verbal and embodied aspects of clients’ experience, including posture, gesture, movement, breathing, sensory experience and autonomic regulation.
• To introduce practical ways of attending to embodied experience within therapy, including orienting, grounding, resourcing, tracking embodied cues and supporting present-moment awareness.
• To support therapists in integrating somatic awareness safely and ethically within existing talking therapy approaches, both online and in-person.

This workshop is suitable for experienced therapist and therapists in training and newly qualified, of any modality.

Trainer:

Vanessa Bear is a UKCP-registered psychotherapist working with adults and children, a certified Somatic Trauma Therapist and clinical supervisor in training. She is trained in yoga therapy and eco-psychotherapy and has extensive experience integrating nature-connection and embodied practices into her work. Vanessa is the creator of the Wild and Wellbeing Card Deck and co-author, with Babette Rothschild, of the “Help for the Helper Workbook” and the “8 Keys to Safe Trauma Recovery Workbook”.

Trailer:

PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP

Online CPD Workshop for Counsellors & Psychotherapists: This workshop will be delivered via Zoom. Bookings close 24 hours before the start of the workshop, and joining details will be sent to all delegates on the Thursday before the workshop (between 2pm and 6pm, after bookings have closed). Please note that by booking a ticket for this workshop, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions for Zoom events, so please read through them carefully before making your purchase.

Catch-up:  This workshop will be recorded. All delegates will receive instructions about accessing the recording on the Thursday AFTER the event. The recording is available to view in your own time for 28 days. Full details are included in emails sent to delegates. After this time the recording will no longer be available, so if you are planning to use the catch-up function, please ensure that you have adequate time to view the recording within this time frame.

Discounted Ticket Price – £99 

Available until Sunday 21st February 2027, subject to limited availability. Pick this ticket if you are on a reduced income or a student counsellor/psychotherapist.

Standard Ticket Price – £119

Available until 11am on Thursday 18th March 2027 when bookings close. Pick this ticket if you can afford to pay this, or if all the discounted tickets have been sold.

*Please be aware there are a limited number of tickets at each price point, including where a Super Early Bird ticket price is offered*

Please note that the use of the new subscriber code is limited for each workshop and when the maximum number is reached the code will no longer work.

Ticket Payment: 

Bookings must be paid for either via Paypal, Credit/debit card (via Paypal, no Paypal account required), or bank transfer. All payments via bank transfer must be made by 11am on Thursday 18th March 2027 to secure your place! 

CPD Certificates: 

All delegates will be supplied with a CPD Certificate. This will be available after completing a short feedback survey, the link for which will be sent out on the Thursday AFTER the workshop takes place.