I presented at the Renfrew Foundation Conference last weekend in Philadelphia on “Motion and Emotion” – what happens to the body when movement is introduced.  Karol Ward, LCSW co-presented with me and it was the blending of our practices that we were able to share with 35 therapists in a 3-hour workhsop.

There have been many times during my practice when emotions would erupt in the client after the introduction of movement to the body.  Some women would laugh hysterically, others would cry and I believe some left not knowing how to process or what to do with the emotions.  The good news is there are skills and tools to help you regulate the emotion to better integrate and understand it. 

The use of breath can help slow you down or “take the edge off” long enough to feel what is happening.  Making a sound or a sigh that matches the emotion will also help move the emotion through the body.  Movement, as already noted, will help release blocked emotion.  Touch to soothe the area that needs attention (heart, chest, abdomen) can be very empowering.  Talk can also help process what feelings may arise.

An integrated team apporach — movement specialist, therapist, doctor, and nutritionist — can all assist you in integrating these skills into your program.  It is this shared language between health professionals that will create the healing for the whole of you.

For more information on Karol Ward, LCSW and her programs, visit www.karolward.com.  You can also order the 2 CD set of “Motion and Emotion” by contacting CSC Digital Media at 805-536-5436 or csctapes@earthlink.net, session #EDO6-SA11.