What is Somatic Archaeology© and How It Can Aid in Your Healing
In this blog you will learn about Somatic Archaeology©, the five steps, and who this approach is and is not designed to support.
Thank you for being here, my name is Kayla Scheiber, I’m a licensed mental health counselor in Washington state. I provide telehealth (video) mental health counseling, somatic therapy, and incorporate yoga with clients living in Washington state. I am a mother and biracial Coast-Salish indigenous woman.
In this blog you will learn about Somatic Archaeology©, the five steps, and who this approach is and is not designed to support.
A little bit about Somatic Archaeology©
The practice of Somatic Archaeology© was created by Dr. Ruby Gibson (Lakota) and her grandmothers in her ancestral lineage. Somatic Archaeology© integrates somatic (relating to the body) approaches, mindfulness, the medicine wheel, neuroscience, epigenetics, elemental balance, and indigenous principles. Somatic Archaeology© helps you ‘unearth’ feelings, sensations, thoughts, unhelpful generational patterns that are stuck in your mind, body, and Spiritual self.
The ‘unearthing’ processing is like the metaphor of an Archaeology dig site. If you were an archaeologist and went to dig up ancient fossils or artifacts, you would not take an excavator and tear everything up. Instead, you might gently dust what’s at the surface, taking your time to dig up what’s beneath the surface . You also might take your time to honor every small artifact, and treat them with care, and use all these artifacts you unearth as information to learn about the past culture and civilization.
A Bottom-Up Approach
The archaeological dig is the process of digging up what feels stuck or blocked areas in your body using a bottom-up approach. Somatic Archaeology © is a bottom-up approach to the traditional psychotherapy space. This is a bottom-up approach because you go into your body to unearth sensations and move these emotions through your body using breathing, grounding and movement.
A seemingly small bodily sensation during a Somatic Archaeology© session can help be helpful information and will aid in your healing. A recurring pain or strain in your body will also give you information to move and release emotions out of your body. We often carry memories and emotions in the tissues, organs and certain points in our body. When you are guided in a Somatic Archaeology© session, you can unearth ancestral trauma and give it back to the person, time, and place where that trauma originated.
The 5 Steps of Somatic Archaeology ©
I Notice
The first step of Somatic Archaeology© is “I notice.” The I notice step is noticing from a felt sense in your body. Sometimes people, especially trauma or intergenerational survivors may have difficulty noticing what’s in their body. As your facilitator, I help you resource in your body by incorporating breathing practices, grounding, and moving at a slow pace for you to drop in your body. With the I notice step, you might notice a couple different areas in your body, or one certain point.
I Sense
The second step of Somatic Archaeology© is “I sense.” The I sense step is about locating a specific area in your body to focus on. That might be your neck, your heart space, or maybe a recurring strain in your lower back. This step is about investing and gaining more information about the sensations in your body.
Is there a color?
How big or small are the sensations?
Do the sensations feel inviting or would you like to avoid them?
Are the sensations moving or are they fixated?
You might have an image, a voice speak to you, or an intense feeling move through your body. The goal with I sense step is to stay with the sensations and get to know as much as you can about these sensations in your body.
I Feel
The third step is “I feel.” The I feel step is about creating space to move the sensations in and out of your body.
You might feel like you would like to move your body.
Maybe you need to cry.
Perhaps you need to breath out what’s stuck.
Or maybe you need to release sensations and energy out of your five senses.
The “I feel’ step is about releasing somatic memories to create more room inside your body.
I Interpret
The fourth step is “I interpret.” After you have unearthed, made sense and cleared out these areas of your body, it’s time for the “I interpret,” step. This step is about voicing your new truths now that your body can finally accept this information. Maybe you can believe, “it wasn’t my fault, my feelings are valid.” You can say that affirmation of, “it wasn’t my fault, my feelings are valid,” and your body can really feel and absorb your new truth..
The Western psychotherapy model often focuses on “I interpret” without going into the body first.
How are you supposed to replace unhelpful thoughts with more helpful thoughts if your body is still holding onto intense sensations and feelings?
The first three steps of Somatic Archaeology© cannot be missed, they are vital to interpret and make sense who you are now. Now that you actually feel capable and able to face those blocks or stuck points in your life.
I Reconcile
This completed step of Somatic Archaeology© is “I reconcile.” The I reconcile step is integrating and reflecting your experience.
When you bring your attention to this area of your body, how does this feel now?
When you feel reconciled and whole inside, this creates space for your True Self to dream out loud and give you inspiration to live out your soul’s purpose here on Mother Earth.
A Holistic Healing Approach
Somatic Archaeology© is a holistic healing approach. Somatic Archaeology© is designed for people who have a spiritual connection, whether that be with animals, your ancestors, Mother Earth, God, or the Universe. This holistic healing approach is not just the “mind-body” healing but is Mind, Body, Spirit healing. Your spiritual connection is important because your Spiritual self will guide you into your body, unearth, and remember who you really are. This holistic approach is also designed for people who would like to incorporate essential oils into their healing sessions. Specific essential oils can aid in releasing sensations and feelings out of your body.
Somatic Archaeology© is not designed for people who are struggling with an active addiction that are causing difficulties in their personal, family and social lives. This approach is also not designed for people who are wanting Western psychotherapy talk-therapy approaches such as CBT, DBT, or Solution -Focused therapy.
Finding A Healer Trained in Somatic Archaeology©
During a Somatic Archaeology© session, you might only get through the first two steps with I notice and I sense. Again, any information that you unearth and gather during a session will guide you on your healing path. If you are wanting a more holistic approach to healing mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual ailments, consider working with a healer who is trained in Somatic Archaeology©. I work with young adults, parents, and indigenous populations in Washington state. Feel free to Contact Me here to schedule an appointment with me. You can also schedule your first appointment here: