Frequently Asked Questions - Somatics FAQ
CSE does not diagnose “disease” conditions. Instead, practitioners are trained to identify patterns of muscular tension that correspond to patterns of pain and/or movement dysfunctions. That being said, many of our clients come to us with some type of diagnosis from a physical therapist, chiropractor, or physician, so we've provided a list of the most common ailments we've worked with in the past. If you don't see your diagnosis on the list, please feel free to contact us and ask one of our staff members to see if Clinical Somatic Education can help you!
- Adhesive Capsulitis
- Arthritis
- Back Pain
- Balance Problems
- Dislocations (frequent)
- Displaced Patella
- Dizziness
- Foot Pain/Tired Feet
- Frequent Urination
- Hamstring Pulls
- Headaches &mdash migraines, tension, sinus
- Hip Pain
- Joint Pain
- Knee Pain
- Neck Pain
- Obesity
- Pain, chronic
- Pain, migrating
- Plantar Fascitis (Foot Pain)
- Sacro-iliac Pain
- Sciatica
- Scoliosis
- Shoulders, tight/painful
- Spinal Stenosis
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS)
- TMJ/TMD Syndrome
- Uneven Leg Syndrome
- Whiplash
- and many more!
Traditional chiropractic works to improve skeletal alignment and joint mobility to reduce pain and improve function. There are also chiropractic “mixers” who recognize the effects of emotional state and nutrition on overall health, and incorporate that approach in to their sessions.
Like chiropractic, Clinical Somatic Education (CSE) improves skeletal alignment and joint mobility to reduce pain and improve bodily functioning. Unlike chiropractic, CSE doesn't involve manipulations or adjustments; instead, it teaches your brain to make those adjustments from within. The result is long-lasting improvements and self-sufficiency without the need for indefinite (or frequent) office visits.
In chiropractic, the adjustment is “done to” or “done for” you. You are passively manipulated, and while the changes can be effective, they are often short-lived. This is because chiropractic focuses on the position of the bones, while CSE understand that the bones only move because tension in the muscles pulls on them. the muscles are controlled by the brain; therefore, the only way to effectively change the tension of the muscle ( and allow the bones to come into alignment), is to change the message that the brain is sending to the muscle to contract.
In CSE sessions, your brain actually learns how to replace old, restrictive ways of operating with free, coordinated, more balanced movement patterns. You regain more control of your muscles, and are able to relax tight muscles, often resulting in spontaneous spinal self-adjustments (complete with popping!). As with all types of learning based changes in life, the ways to gain (and maintain!) improvement soon seem second nature &mdash which, in fact, they are! With CSE, you will remind yourself of what your body already knows about keeping itself supple, free, and moving, for the rest of your life.Your brain controls all voluntary movement in your body. That means that as you read this, the movement of your eyes, the position you are sitting in, and the position of your hand on the mouse are all being monitored by nerves sending constant messages to your brain, then reporting back to control your eyes, hands, and the rest of your body.
If you do something over and over, (for example, if you sit in a certain position every day at work, or were in a cast for six weeks when you broke you leg ice skating, or if you just have a tendency to brace your shoulders against the pressures of emotional stress), your brain will stop thinking about that position &mdash you'll just ‘naturally’ come to rest in a particular way, or you will always be a little more cautious on that leg. This is called habituation .
Habituation lets us stop thinking about the mundane things like how to sit in a chair, and allows us to concentrate on more complicated things, like reading, talking, painting, drawing, running...
Unfortunately, the down side to habituation is the very thing that makes it so useful &mdash habituation makes things involuntary. When we stop thinking about how to sit, for example, there are signals coming down from the brain that we are completely unaware of. If those signals cause us to move in pattern that still let us function without pain, that's great. But sometimes, those signals can hold us in patterns of tension that make it difficult to walk, do yoga, or pick up our kids. Even worse, those signals can cause muscles to pull on bones in such a way that our spines, shoulders, or hips can come out of alignment and create painful conditions such as herniated discs, frozen shoulders, sciatica, tendonitis, and more. When habituation becomes limiting in this way, we call it Sensory Motor Amnesia (SMA), because it describes a condition in which we've forgotten how to feel and move parts of our body.Clinical Somatic Education is unique in that you, as a client, are an active participant throughout the session. You will actually learn how to feel the muscles you are keeping tight, and, in relearning how to feel, you will discover new possibilities for motion that you had forgotten &mdash literally! Your sessions combine your own slow, gentle movements with specific feedback from your practitioner to change the habituated patterns that are limiting your movement and causing you pain.
We have found that insurance companies will cover CSE sessions on a case by case basis. Our current policy is therefore to collect payment at the time of your session, and provide any paperwork or other information that will allow you to file for a reimbursement. You can also ask your doctor for a referral, which can often help in attaining reimbursement or even full coverage.
If you'd like more information, please call your insurance and inquire about whether they cover neuromuscular or movement therapy as a part of your policy.
Sessions with a fully certified practitioner can cost between between $100 and $200 per hour. The first session, which includes a full medical intake, assessment, and table-work, generally lasts 1.5 hours and can total between $150 and $250.
Sessions with Clinical Interns are offered at a reduced rate which is based on their year of completion in the Training Program. If you are interested in working with a Clinical Intern, please ask a staff member if one is available.
Certified practitioners have undergone a three-yearr training with Somatic Systems Institute that includes anatomy, functional and structural kinesiology (the study of movement from within/experientially and from outside/objectively), physical evaluation, neurophysiology, and practical techniques.
Clinical Interns are students currently enrolled in the three year training who have completed at least one full year. These students are selected for internship based on their excellent academic and technical work, and receive ongoing support from the certified practitioners and training faculty at Somatic Systems Institute.