ISMETA
www.ismeta.org >>
growing the field of somatic movement education and therapy
Our Purpose
ISMETA’s purpose is to grow the emerging field of somatic movement education and therapy. We ensure that training programs uphold high standards of education and practice, and maintain a professional registry of their graduates. We are committed to building the community of somatic movement practitioners worldwide and advocating for the profession in legal and governmental arenas. We work to educate the general public about our work and help our colleagues in complementary and alternative medicine, human services, and the performing arts understand its benefits.
Our Practitioners
Registered somatic movement practitioners (link to Find a Practitioner page) have completed extensive training in ISMETA approved programs. They use knowledge of anatomy with combinations of movement, sound, breath, touch and imagery to deepen clients’ understanding of themselves in movement. Somatic movement practitioners work with the body but acknowledge that movement affects the dimensions of psyche and spirit as well. As a result, their work facilitates improved vitality and performance, expanded creative expression and integrated personal transformation in clients’ daily lives.
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THE FIELD OF SOMATIC MOVEMENT zur deutschen Übersetzung >>
EDUCATION AND THERAPY
The field of somatics has developed over the last century through a process of inquiry into how consciousness inhabits the living body. The term is derived from the word "somatic" (Greek "somatikos", soma: “living, aware, bodily person”) which means pertaining to the body, experienced and regulated from within. According to Thomas Hanna, who first coined the phrase, “somatics” is the study of self from the perspective of one’s lived experience, encompassing the dimensions of body, psyche, and spirit.
The field of Somatic Movement Education and Therapy represents a variety of approaches to the process of awakening awareness of the human body, or soma, in movement. Registered practitioners guide individuals and groups into inner experiences of their bodies, deepening the clients’ understanding of themselves in motion. This transformational learning process can include sound, breath, touch and imagery in addition to movement.
Benefits of Somatic Movement Education and Therapy
- Increased health and wellness
- Improved performance
- Expanded creative expression
- Integrated learning and transformation
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