Transforming Touch®
“A Specialised Somatic Approach to Healing Developmental Trauma.”
What is Transforming Touch?
Transforming Touch® is a specialised therapeutic approach designed to address the deep-rooted effects of developmental trauma. By focusing on the regulation of the nervous system, Transforming Touch offers a unique, non-invasive way to heal the body and mind, allowing individuals to reclaim a sense of safety, balance, and well-being.
A Regulation Focused Therapy
Transforming Touch is a regulation-focused therapy that integrates concepts from: Polyvagal Theory, Somatic and Sensorimotor therapies, Attachment Theory, and Neurophysiological models.
This holistic approach targets the nervous system, aiming to resolve the disruptions caused by early trauma.
Unlike traditional talk therapies, which often focus on cognitive and emotional aspects of trauma, Transforming Touch works directly with the body’s physiological responses to stress and trauma.
Through hands-on techniques or intentional presence, Transforming Touch helps individuals access and process pre-verbal and early childhood traumas stored in the body. This method is non-pathologizing and non-judgmental, focusing on healing the nervous system rather than simply managing symptoms.
The goal is to repair early developmental ruptures, fostering a deeper sense of safety and regulation.
“Where attention goes, neural firing flows, and neural connection grows.”
Daniel J. Siegel
Is Transforming Touch Right for You?
Transforming Touch is particularly beneficial for individuals who have experienced developmental trauma, which refers to the impact of early stressful events on the developing brain and body. This type of trauma can occur from conception through early childhood and often results in long-lasting effects on emotional regulation, physical health, and interpersonal relationships.
You may find Transforming Touch suitable if you:
-
Experienced early childhood trauma or neglect: If your early life was marked by stress, neglect, or abuse, and you struggle with the long-term effects of these experiences, Transforming Touch can help address the root causes of your distress.
-
Feel chronically stressed or on edge: If you find it difficult to relax or feel like you're constantly in "survival mode," Transforming Touch can support your nervous system in shifting out of this chronic state.
-
Struggle with feeling safe in your body: For those who feel disconnected from their bodies or who have difficulty feeling safe within themselves, Transforming Touch® offers a pathway to re-establishing a sense of safety and connection.
-
Experience overwhelming emotions: If your emotions often feel too intense or overwhelming, this therapy can help you develop the capacity to manage and regulate your emotional responses more effectively.
-
Suffer from chronic physical symptoms: If you experience chronic pain, digestive issues, or other physical symptoms that seem to have no clear cause, Transforming Touch may help by addressing the underlying dysregulation in your nervous system.
-
Rely on coping mechanisms to feel okay: If you find yourself dependent on substances, behaviours, or routines to manage your stress or emotions, Transforming Touch can help you build healthier coping strategies and reduce your reliance on these external aids.
How Transforming Touch Can Help
Transforming Touch offers a range of benefits that can significantly improve your quality of life:
-
Enhanced Emotional Regulation: Many people who have experienced trauma find themselves habitually disconnecting from their feelings and bodies to cope with overwhelming emotions. Transforming Touch addresses the root causes of dysregulation, helping you manage your emotions more effectively, reducing feelings of overwhelm and stress.
-
Improved Physical Health: As your nervous system becomes more regulated, you may notice improvements in chronic pain, digestive issues, and other physical symptoms that were linked to trauma.
-
Increased Resilience: Transforming Touch builds your capacity to cope with life’s challenges without reverting to survival mode. This resilience helps you handle stress more effectively and bounce back from difficult situations.
-
Deeper Connection to Self and Others: Trauma often leaves individuals feeling chronically unsafe and disconnected from their bodies. Transforming Touch focuses on creating a safe, trusting relationship between the therapist and client. As you heal from trauma, you’ll likely experience a greater sense of safety and connection within yourself, which can enhance your relationships with others.
-
Long-Lasting Healing: Unlike treatments that only address symptoms, Transforming Touch works to resolve the underlying trauma. This approach works directly with the nervous system, fostering subtle yet profound changes over time. By restoring a sense of safety, Transforming Touch helps individuals rebuild their capacity for trust, relaxation, and emotional balance.
Understanding Developmental Trauma
Developmental trauma refers to the impact of early stressful events that disrupt the maturation and development of the brain and body systems. This type of trauma typically occurs from conception to around five years old, a period marked by rapid brain development.
During this vulnerable time, trauma can have a profound and lasting impact on a person's mind and body.
For more detailed information on Developmental Trauma, please visit the dedicated page click here.
What is Regulation?
Regulation is the term used to describe our ability to manage our emotional state, to calm ourselves during times of heightened emotion-when we become fearful, deeply sad, angry, or frustrated.
A clear sign of traumatic stress is not being able to regulate.
This is where we are left feeling overwhelmed by our emotions and may also feel that we are out of control of our bodies.
The ability to regulated is a learned process. This means that its not something we are born with but instead something which we develop.
Children are unable to regulate their emotions independently. They feel, and feel strongly, and they express those emotions in the moment without regard for what may be socially appropriate or convenient. Their emotional responses are instinctual and unregulated."
We all need safety and security to support our ability to regulate. However, early trauma or neglect forces us to prioritise survival. If these regulatory parts of the nervous system do not develop it means that people are chronically in a state of survival.
This can have a huge cost on our health, wellbeing and relationships.
*(Italic quotes from Nuturing Resilience, Kathy Kain & Stephen Terrell 2018)
“No matter how much insight and understanding we develop, the rational brain is basically impotent to talk the emotional brain out of its own reality.”
Dr Bessel-Van Der Kolk
“Trauma is not what happens to you but what happens inside you.”
Gabor Mate
Healing With Transforming Touch
Transforming Touch offers a powerful, body-oriented approach to healing developmental trauma. By focusing on the nervous system and integrating key principles from various therapeutic models, Transforming Touch helps individuals move from a state of chronic stress to one of safety, resilience, and emotional balance.
Whether you are struggling with the effects of early trauma or seeking to enhance your overall well-being, Transforming Touch can provide the support you need to heal and thrive.