Transforming Touch®
A somatic approach for developmental trauma
Transforming the Experience-Based Brain® (TEB) is a regulation-based model utilizing touch, either in person (Transforming Touch®) or remotely over Zoom (Transforming Intentional Touch®).
This modality was developed by Dr. Stephen Terrell, who found that approaches such as talk therapy and certain types of somatic work aren’t very effective in healing developmental trauma. In this model, we understand that chronic stress, fear, and trauma affect our ability to grow, learn, explore, and relate. And as we heal and begin to have more regulation on board, we develop more capacity for all aspects of life.
Healing brings about the ability to do something different. And we celebrate that difference.
Touch is our first language and is often the missing language in developmental trauma. When our early developmental needs aren’t met or we experience frequent misattunement, we develop a lifetime pattern of not feeling safe in our body and nervous system. The power of touch helps to calm the nervous system and build capacity over time, restoring a sense of safety and trust. Safe and consensual touch activates the release of oxytocin, the “tend and befriend” hormone, which creates pleasant feelings in your body and is your brain’s direct and immediate antidote to stress hormones like cortisol.
Transforming Touch® works with the early attachment system and holds space for those who have highly sensitive physiologies, experience chronic stress and anxiety, or have experienced developmental trauma. Through this work, our systems can begin to re-organize and re-pattern the early experiences that affected our physical, social, intellectual, emotional and spiritual wellness.
Transforming Touch® follows a predictable routine of light, therapeutic touch (always through clothing, always non-sexual, and always consensual), and supports specific areas of the body involved in the nervous system’s stress response, such as the adrenal glands and brain stem. The repetition and consistency of this modality can foster a greater sense of safety as the nervous system learns what to expect and the attachment system heals. By bringing support to these areas of the body, the nervous system is able to gradually soften, allowing both body and mind to experience a more restful and regulated state.
As a Transforming Touch® and Transforming Intentional Touch® provider, my goal is to create a container for you to experience healing through safety, presence, and regulation. I do not rely on pathology or labels. Rather, I view our bodies as having adapted in pretty smart ways to the conditions created by our circumstances. I believe that our bodies already know how to heal if we can experience more safety and less time in survival mode. We are capable of creating new neural pathways that allow for less stress/anxiety and more ability to learn, relate, and heal. We are capable of healing with the right support.
Imagine your life with more ease
Experience the profound effects of Transforming Touch® in my Somatic Circle.
This live online 8-week small group program is designed to support and nurture your nervous system. We’ll work with specific areas of the body involved in the nervous system’s stress response, such as the adrenal glands and brainstem. By bringing intention to these areas of the body, the nervous system is able to gradually soften, allowing both body and mind to experience a more restful and regulated state.