Somatic Reparenting & Leaky Emotions

My clients amaze me.  They are astute, show up for themselves, are constantly leaning into ways of support, and continue to be curious and brave.  Something else that amazes me about my clients is how much I learn from them…everyday!  Two phrases came up in sessions this week with two different clients and I wanted to use this space to reflect on them both.  

The first one was Somatic Reparenting.  Reparenting is a phrase that I am familiar with and is defined as “a therapeutic technique where an individual, often an adult, works to address and fulfill the emotional and developmental needs that were not adequately met in their childhood. It involves providing oneself with the nurturing, support, and guidance that a healthy parent would offer, ultimately aiming to heal past wounds and foster personal growth.”  But what caught my attention about putting the word Somatic in front of this phrase is while the technique of reparenting can be highly cathartic within a healing context, what if someone never knew what it felt like to be nurtured, supported or offered guidance because of a fundamental lack of primary care.  

There are actions that we can all do to “reparent” ourselves, but one of the most fundamental aspects is how it feels physically, emotionally and spiritually.  As I explored this with a client recently, I was curious if they would be able to sense into something that had not been nurtured within them and was not a familiar feeling.  However, as we progressed together it became clear that there was an innate knowing of sensation and emotion that filled in where this client had never experienced these feelings before.  I plan on reflecting on Somatic Reparenting later on in another Newsletter, but I felt like a seed needed to be planted here for now.

The other phrase that a client offered was Leaky Emotions.  This client referred to it sort of in the same category as Leaky Gut or Leaky Brain Syndrome.  Both of these syndromes are caused by barrier issues that allow for toxic substances to leak past the barrier into the brain or gut causing a myriad of health problems.  So what about Leaky Emotions?  

One theory we discussed was that if a person’s subtle emotional body becomes too permeated with intense emotional sensations early on in life, and they have little or no opportunity to express that emotion in a healthy way, then the emotional body gets flooded and everything mixes together, forcing the body into emotional disassociation and paving the way for a mind/body disconnect as the mind attempts to rationalize any emotional sensation as a physical ailment.  Again, we are still working on this and discussion is ongoing.

I feel so grateful everyday that I am able to bare witness to the incredible ways my clients are bringing their knowledge, insights and experience to the healing space.  And how lucky am I to be able to be included in their revelations and curious musings.  I hope to explore these concepts more and will continue to share these moments with you all as they are shared with me.