SOMA Structural Integration

The goal of SOMA is to embody people with a profound connection to self through balancing the human structure's connective tissue system or myofascial network within the field of the Earth's gravity. Soma work is a distinctive form of Structural Integration and in the late 1970s became the first of many offshoots from Ida Rolf’s brilliant research and bodywork.

The SOMA technique is a deep-tissue manual therapy that utilizes movement repatterning and useful communication to integrate the fascia, musculature, and nerves—changing the body's shape and function, allowing the body and mind to experience a powerful partnership that is more healthy and sustainable.

This proven process is, by necessity, a ‘sequential unfolding.’ The manual manipulation techniques start superficially and, through the series of sessions, move though deeper and  deeper layers of musculature and nerve.

The outside-to-inside process ensures a building of trust and reestablishes the deep-tissue balance and mobility that is needed to positively effect the nervous, joint, and muscular function. The gains created in each session combine synergistically as the series unfolds—because of this, the benefits created are often continuous.

This proven process also recognizes the brilliance of creating a ‘foundation’ so all the positive changes can be maintained. Soma utilizes thorough bodywork on the feet, legs, and knees to create a felt sense of efficient support. Soma can utilize tools like a Client Journey Book, Personal Logs, ‘home-play’ explorations, and if wanted, Somassage® sessions to further the foundation.

The goal is to attend to the ‘historic back-log’ of specific and systemic injuries, stresses, and traumas that mat-down, dry-up, and prematurely age the body's network of connective tissues—tissues that surround, define, support, educate, and nourish the nerve, joint, and muscle systems.

This back-log is often what limits or makes short-lived the gains achieved with massage, chiropractic, and physical therapy treatments.

Freeing-up, mobilizing and re-balancing the deep musculature and surrounding fascia brings forth the subtle and large somatic shifts that reestablish a sense of joyous embodiment, feeding personal growth and optimum health.

SOMA has been effective in treating sport/auto injuries, chronic pain and diagnoses such as sciatica, whiplash, asthma, fybromyalgia, carpal tunne/repetitive motion strainl, depression, ADD and more.

The SOMA Series of eleven sessions creates far-reaching benefits as it accurately re-lengthens, re-educates, and releases the whole body's connective tissue network; positively effecting the nerves, joints, and muscles. SOMA is a true state-of-the-art opportunity to integrate the fragmented pieces of us that have stopped working together.

Certified SOMA practitioners are trained at the Soma Institute for Structural Integration® in Langley, Washington (formerly in Buckley, WA).