What is Somatics?

Part Four: Is Clinical Somatic Education right for me?

Clinical Somatic Education (CSE) is a highly effective chronic pain treatment for people whose pain is being caused by their habitual muscular patterns. CSE also has enormous benefits for athletes, people who experience stress, and anyone who wants to improve their posture and movement.

Most importantly, CSE is right for you if you are ready to take responsibility for your health, do the prescribed homework exercises every day, and be engaged in an exploratory learning process.

So, how do you know if your pain or condition is being caused by the way that you habitually stand and move? One way is to visit a certified CSE practitioner and get an assessment. You can also read the list of conditions below; these conditions are most often caused by learned muscular patterns causing pain and doing damage to the body. However, you should always consult a doctor to find out if your pain or condition is being caused by something other than the way that you are using your body.

What conditions can Somatics help?

Back pain
Bursitis
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Disc problems
Frozen shoulder
Joint pain
Kyphosis (rounded or forward-head posture)
Lordosis (arched lower back)
Piriformis Syndrome
Plantar Fasciitis
Sciatica
Scoliosis
Shallow breathing
Temporomandibular Joint Disorders
Tendinitis
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Uneven leg length

While most people come to CSE seeking pain relief, it has many other benefits, such as:

Releasing chronic muscle tightness
Improving posture and movement
Reducing stress
Improving sleep
Improving breathing
Enhancing athletic performance
Preventing and recovering from injuries
Effectively warming up and cooling down from workouts
Increasing flexibility and range of motion
Improving balance and coordination

Clinical Somatic Education for Athletes

Clinical Somatic Education has profound benefits for any type of athlete. Daily practice of CSE exercises keeps your muscles flexible, your joints moving freely, and your whole body relaxed and free of soreness. CSE exercises prevent injury and are much more effective than stretching for warming up and cooling down the body.

CSE exercises also allow you to develop a high degree of awareness and control of your body and your movements. Not only will you be able to use your body in an extremely precise way, you will also be able to sense when your movements are the slightest bit “off,” allowing you to prevent habitual misuse before it causes you pain or injury.

Using Clinical Somatic Education as prevention

It is widely accepted that we should eat a healthy diet and exercise on a regular basis in order to prevent conditions such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes, as well as to simply increase our life span. Likewise, Clinical Somatics exercises are best used as a preventative practice.

Every human being has learned muscular patterns that will most likely, at some point in his or her life, cause pain or damage to the body. Practicing CSE exercises on a regular basis before you experience pain or physical degeneration is the most effective way to prevent chronic pain and degeneration and maintain upright posture and free, flexible movement throughout your life.

Check out the other five posts in this series:

Part One: What is Clinical Somatic Education?
Part Two: How Clinical Somatic Education was developed
Part Three: How is Clinical Somatic Education different from other methods?
Part Five: What to expect in Clinical Somatic Education lessons and classes
Part Six: The Clinical Somatic Education learning process