Members of the gs Practitioners Network (gsPN) have all trained in gs’ methodology including the Somatics, Trauma and Resilience  and Embodied Leadership work. They have all seen practice clients as a part of their development, and get supervision from more experienced practitioners. Many gsPNers also have other training and experience – some as therapists and social workers, some as organizers and movement leaders, and more.

gs somatic work includes: somatic awareness, somatic opening, and somatic practices. Somatics explores and supports resilience, helps to develop new embodied options and choices and also addresses individual and collective trauma healing, as needed. A key part of the approach is hands on somatic bodywork. Somatic bodywork includes touch, breath patterns, and conversation. Your practitioner will also likely ask you to take on daily somatic practices as part of the transformation process. All of this work will be grounded in what we call your “declaration.” That is—what is important to you, your vision, your commitment and longings.

All of gs somatics is held in a politicized context, and with an intersectional analysis. While your practitioner may not have worked in your movement sector or issue area, they are familiar with the pressures of organizing, movement building, movement dynamics, and more.

In choosing a practitioner, take some time to consider what you want to get out of the work.

• What is important in your growth and healing now?  
• What do you want to be different 6 months from now? A year from now?

Next, talk to 2-3 practitioners. If you can, do this over video so you can see each other. Talk with them about what you want and how they work. Here are some questions you can ask:

• How do you work? Do you include somatic bodywork? How does a typical session go?
• What would we focus on in our first 3 sessions?
• Given what I have shared about what I want, what do you feel you could help me with? 
• How do you think I can change and grow in 10 sessions with you? In 20?
• Anything else that is important for you to consider like: working over video, overlapping communities, no/low fee, confidentiality, etc.

If you don’t have access to a gs practitioner in you area you can see someone over video.  You can also talk with your practitioner about seeing someone locally for somatic bodywork, or another type of bodywork as needed. 

We ask you to use the somatic process guided by a gs practitioner fully for yourself. Please do not, in turn, teach others the somatic practices you are learning. While many of the practices are simple- they also have depth. We want to make sure to take care of people, and use the work accountably. If you are interested in more training, please contact us.