Mindful Somatic Awareness for Anxiety Relief: A Body-Based Approach to Moving Beyond Fear and Worry

by Michele L. Blume PsyD, SEP, Arielle Schwartz PhD (Foreword by)

Overview

Quiet the fear in your body before it hijacks your mind—all while restoring resilience and vitality!

Anxiety is a modern epidemic, and unfortunately it just seems to be getting worse. If you’re one of the millions of people who suffer from anxiety, you probably already know that trying to control your anxious thoughts and worries won’t work. That’s because fear doesn’t begin with your thoughts. It begins in the body.  So, how can you calm your body so your mind will follow?

Written by a psychologist and Reiki practitioner, and based on cutting-edge research, this book shines a much-needed spotlight on the role our bodies play in generating and perpetuating anxiety. Using the SOAR model—Sense, Observe, Articulate, Reflect—you’ll learn to connect more deeply with your body, observe your senses, and articulate and reflect on what you observe. By shifting your attention to bodily sensations, you’ll actually reduce activity in the fear-generating parts of your brain.

You’ll also find simple body-based exercises that allow you to cultivate insight into your anxiety response, so you can strengthen your relationship with your body, and, over time, cultivate a lasting, regulated response to the various anxiety triggers in your environment.

Give yourself the gift of mindful body awareness. It has the power to ease the suffering that comes with chronic anxiety and will help you connect with a deeper sense of self—so you can pursue the pleasures and passions of a truly authentic life!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684035267
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	10/01/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	200
File size:	937 KB

About the Author

Michele L. Blume, PsyD, SEP, is a licensed clinical psychologist, somatic experiencing practitioner (SEP), and certified Reiki practitioner. She is also trained in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. Her work focuses on mind-body integration to heal developmental trauma. Blume works in private practice in Redondo Beach, CA. To learn more about her, visit www.drmicheleblume.com.

Foreword writer Arielle Schwartz, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, EMDR therapy consultant, and certified yoga instructor with a private practice in Boulder, CO. She is author of The Complex PTSD Workbook and The Post-Traumatic Growth Guidebook, and coauthor of EMDR Therapy and Somatic Psychology.
Arielle Schwartz, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, certified complex trauma professional, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) consultant, and Kripalu yoga teacher. She is an internationally sought-out speaker, leading voice in the field of trauma recovery, and award-winning author. As a faculty member at the Polyvagal Institute, she is a course instructor on mind-body approaches that apply polyvagal theory for trauma recovery. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology at Fielding Graduate University, and holds a master’s degree in somatic psychology through Naropa University. She is author of seven books, including The Complex PTSD Workbook, EMDR Therapy and Somatic Psychology, and The Post-Traumatic Growth Guidebook.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Foreword ix

Chapter 1 Anxiety and the Somatic Self 1

Chapter 2 Mindful Somatic Awareness 23

Chapter 3 Reconnecting to Your Somatic Self 43

Chapter 4 Anxiety and the Fear Response 61

Chapter 5 Anxiety, Negative Thoughts, and Core Beliefs 83

Chapter 6 Anxiety and Perception 101

Chapter 7 Anxiety and Boundaries 117

Chapter 8 Anxiety and Relationships 137

Chapter 9 Anxiety and Play 155

Chapter 10 Anxiety and the Healing Journey 171

References 181

Interviews

Blume resides in Redondo Beach, CA (the Greater Los Angeles Area).

Editorial Reviews

Michele Blume has a deep understanding of the experience of anxiety and how it manifests in the body. Her comprehensive SOAR model offers a road map to healing through the use of relatable case examples, clear and easy-to-follow exercises, and recordings which may be used by clinicians and laypeople alike. As a trauma therapist, I was able to integrate her model into sessions with immediate results. She is a loving guide who exudes compassion, wisdom, knowledge, and humility.”
—Jenna Abell, PsyD, trauma and attachment-focused eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)-trained psychologist

Jenna Abell

As a somatic psychotherapist, my work with clients often focuses on the debilitating effects of anxiety in their lives. Michele Blume’s insightful book provides the missing link between the work I do in the therapy office and the ongoing work clients can continue to do on their own. Through targeted exercises, it provides a road map for those looking to transcend their anxiety and reach their full potential and vitality.”
—Kelly Mothner, PhD, psychotherapist in private practice in Hermosa Beach, CA; and certified somatic experiencing practitioner (SEP)

Kelly Mothner

In this helpful guide, Michele Bloom shows that by understanding the origins of your anxiety, you can better mitigate its effects. She knowledgeably walks you through exercises to help you better understand when and how anxiety takes hold of you, offering well-crafted solutions for how to help yourself through the pain of your unique experiences. Blume gently points out that anxiety happens, and that it can often be linked to long-held beliefs from years ago; she then details what you can do about it now. I recommend this book for those suffering from anxiety, and for those looking to help others who are in the throes of their struggle.”
—Rebekkah LaDyne, MS, SEP, author of The Mind-Body Stress Reset

Rebekkah LaDyne

In this book, Michele Blume combines her rich clinical experience in implementing mindful somatic awareness with the latest research on the brain, nervous system, and trauma treatment to offer both therapists and clients practical tools and applications for the treatment of anxiety. For psychotherapists who are introducing more and more somatic techniques into their private practice, this book is a must-read. The author shortcuts needless technical jargon, and gets down to what really works to eradicate high-anxiety states.”
—Robert Coffman, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist with over forty-five years of clinical experience, international trainer in bioenergetic analysis; and SEP-, EMDR-, and Bodynamic-certified

Robert Coffman