Talk therapy is extremely helpful in understanding the source of our issues and in healing the mind, but it does little to reverse or dissolve the chronic tension held in our musculature. Traumatic experiences are often stored in the muscles and ligaments of the body, becoming chronic holding patterns. More often than not people are not even aware they are holding this tension in their body.

Mind-Body therapies work both sides of the equation at the same time. Meditation and Yoga are two ways that we can relieve tension and make contact with these physical tissues where our physical memories are stored. It is not unheard of in yoga classes that someone will have an emotional outburst once they release an area of physical tension that they didn’t even know they had been holding.

The team at Exceptional Wellness understands this important connection. This is why our practice not only offers talk therapy by licensed professionals, but also offers other therapeutic services such as meditation and yoga. Treating the mind-body as a whole helps us link our psychological problems to the experiences of the body and link our physical problems to the experience of the psyche. This gives us an experience of being whole – fully present, active and aware in the process of our healing.

Bringing ourselves into balance requires not only understanding our minds and motivations behind our actions, but also simultaneously getting down into the deeper structures in the tissues that have been subconsciously programmed throughout our lives.

The body records everything that happens to us.  Dance, movement, yoga and martial arts are all forms of somatic therapy that can be used as healing modalities to enrich our experiences in the world.  When used alongside traditional talk therapy, we are more able to heal not only our minds but bodily tensions as well. Many people do not even realize the chronic physical holding patterns in our bodies until they begin to release them.