Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: An Introduction - Dr Pat Ogden, PhD

Dr Pat Ogden is the creator of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Method, a pioneer in somatic psychology, an author, international lecturer and one of the leading voices revolutionising our approach to healing trauma.

Her books include “Trauma and the Body”, “Sensorimotor Psychotherapy”, and “The Pocket Guide to Sensorimotor Psychotherapy in Context”, which advocates for an anti-racist perspective in psychotherapy practice.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

— What sensorimotor psychotherapy is, how it was developed and the foundational principles it is built upon.

— Why the body is “a manifestation of the unconscious”, how each of our bodies tell a story and how to tune in to the story that your body might be telling you.

— How relational misattunements in early life are stored somatically, and how the developing self is defined both by who our caregivers perceive us to be, and also who they deny us to be

— The role our sociocultural context plays in our mental health and wellbeing.

— The importance of taking an experiential approach to your therapeutic education.

And more.

You can learn more about Dr Ogden’s work at: 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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Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
00:11 - Approach to Trauma and Body Awareness
10:52 - How Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Transforms Trauma
16:44 - How Early Influences Shape Somatic Experience
21:43 - Reflections on Privilege, Oppression, and Embodied Experience
28:09 - Identity and Misrecognition
32:05 - Principles of Century Psychotherapy
39:53 - How Sensory Motor Psychotherapy Addresses Depression and Body Dynamics
46:02 - Cross-Pollination in Therapy: Integrating Sensory Motor Psychotherapy and IFS
47:46 - Dr Pat Ogden’s Book Recommendation

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Interview Link:

— The Pocket Guide to Sensorimotor Psychotherapy in Context: https://amzn.to/3yHyYnq

3 Books Dr Ogden Recommends Every Therapist Should Read:

— The Pocket Guide to Sensorimotor Psychotherapy in Context - https://amzn.to/3EES0xB

— The Body Keeps the Score - https://amzn.to/3GHsUkn

— Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Trauma and Attachment - https://amzn.to/3guqET7