163. Posture and trauma - With Betsy Polatin

Alexander technique teacher and trauma educator Betsy joins me today. We discuss her background in dance, how she discovered trauma work, Somatic Experiencing and Peter Levine, why somatic practitioners need to know about trauma, somatic influence, Stephen Porges, creating “safety”, welcoming vs warning, trauma and identity, flight vs social engagement, the triune brain, “neuro-bunk”, embodiment as a perspective on life, “inhibition”, ground and the empowerment of trauma work. A wide-ranging accessible one with a practical exercise at the end.

[keepkalmkarryon]

Many of us are rounded, hunched over to protect our heart. Being leered at as a kid walking to school, abuse at Moms help your daughters with basic dance who want to rise up and enjoy life! Thank you

[marilenakaretta]

It is so wonderful, crear, and siple the way she laks about it, and this means for me, that is is really embodied the nollege that Betsy Pollatin is giving us here with Mark Walch. tham you so mutch!

[monikabravoiamoptimist]

I have attended at least three workshops with Gabor mate at the sand institute
Betsy’s work is fundamental to experience the body and a relationship towards safety-

And safety is crucial in how one reconnects despite the fact the interviewer has problems with these words -

[andreac]

Safety is not necessarily based on a huge external threat, like war. There are actually people who can feel safer in a dangerous situation than in a calm place. I've been havig issues with feeling safe in my body for a long time. Yes it can be after effect of a big trauma but for example very often there are people who "just" didn't get the support they needed, the attunement, the mirroring for their nervous system when they were infants and they end up later in life after an event like a breakup thrown completely out of their center and start feeling unsafe. I know I am not the only one and it is a horrible state. To think that lack of safety is just about war-zones and situations like that is really not reflecting my experience. And it's not about not feeling welcomed. It's literally about not feeling safe in ones body and in the world.