Dr Pat Ogden, pioneer in somatic psychology and creator of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, with 45+ years of clinical work. She discusses how early caregiver relationships shape the body, why trauma lives in physiology, and how body-centered practices (movement, posture, gestures) reveal and shift implicit attachment patterns. Practical somatic interventions and the principles behind this approach are highlighted.
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Yoga and Dance In A Psychiatric Ward
Pat taught yoga and dance in a psychiatric hospital and observed calming and activating effects without fear.
She believes offering control and choice helped recalibrate patients' nervous systems safely.
insights INSIGHT
Body Patterns Mirror Attachment Histories
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy treats movement, posture and physiological habits as central to psychological health.
Early attachment relationships literally shape bodily patterns that must be addressed to change beliefs and behaviour.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Trust Organic Growth In Therapy
Trust the client's inner intelligence and follow the direction their system already seeks rather than imposing solutions.
Adopt nonviolence: accept all parts and help the person take the next organic step toward growth.
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Dr Pat Ogden is a pioneer in somatic psychology, the developer of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and one of the leading voices revolutionising our approach to trauma treatment.
This conversation explores how sensorimotor psychotherapy can help us understand and treat attachment wounds - particularly those picked up in early life.
You’ll learn:
— How the body starts to “shape” itself based on our relationship with our early caregivers
— The underlying principles that sensorimotor psychotherapy is built upon
— Why how we organise our experiences may be the most important factor in our mental health and wellbeing
— How sensorimotor psychotherapy helps to elicit unconscious and implicit patterns, so that healing can take place.
And more.
You can learn more about Pat’s work by going to: https://sensorimotorpsychotherapy.org.
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Pat Ogden, PhD, is a pioneer in somatic psychology, the creator of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy method, and founder of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute. Dr. Ogden is trained in a wide variety of somatic and psychotherapeutic approaches, and has over 45 years of experience working with individuals and groups. She is co-founder of the Hakomi Institute, past faculty of Naropa University (1985-2005), a clinician, consultant, and sought after international lecturer.
Dr. Ogden is the first author of two groundbreaking books in somatic psychology: Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Trauma and Attachment (2015) both published in the Interpersonal Neurobiology Series of W. W. Norton. Her third book in this series, The Pocket Guide to Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, published in 2021, and she is working on Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for Children, Adolescents and Families with Dr. Bonnie Goldstein. Her current interests include groups, couples, children, adolescents, and families; complex trauma; Embedded Relational Mindfulness; implicit bias, intersectionality and culture; the relational nature of shame; presence, consciousness, and the philosophical/spiritual principles that underlie Sensorimotor Psychotherapy.
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Interview Links:
— Dr Ogden's website - http://sensorimotorpsychotherapy.org/
— Dr Ogden's books - https://amzn.to/47gGd5I
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