Turning Massage and Touch Therapy into Somatic Education
Gabriel Posner
Presentation:
For too long, massage therapy has been viewed through a "biomedical-mechanical" lens—treating the body as a machine to be fixed by an outside force. As somatic educators, we know that true, lasting change only occurs when the client’s internal awareness is engaged.
Gabriel Posner, author of the new book Somatic Techniques for Massage Therapists*, believes that by changing perspective/intention and modifying some techniques, massage therapy can embrace the somatic viewpoint. In this learning community event, Gabriel will discuss how to bring the world of touch therapy and Hanna Somatics together. He’ll explore how this work transitions the touch practitioner from a "fixer" to a "facilitator," and how manual therapists can move beyond temporary relief to address the root of chronic tension.
Gabriel’s presentation will cover
The "Fixer" vs. "Facilitator" Paradigm: Why traditional massage often fails chronic pain clients and how a somatic approach changes the clinical outcome.
Decoding Sensory Motor Amnesia on the Table: Identifying how SMA shows up in a massage and how to use manual contact as a sensory-first tool to reverse it.
Moving from a Massage Therapist to a Somatic Practitioner: How can a massage therapist, bodyworker, or other touch practitioner modify what they are already doing to awaken a sensorimotor change and what Hanna Somatic techniques are appropriate for them to bring into their sessions?
The Self-Care Synergy: Gil Hedley, proponent of a whole-body, whole-person approach to anatomy, coined the term Somanaut. Picking up from Gil’s work, Gabriel presents key components of becoming a successful guide through the inner world of self-discovery and transformation that manifests when we work with our and others’ bodies. He will discuss practices to bring a therapist “through the looking glass” and preserve the therapist’s longevity.
Why Attend?
This isn’t just a book presentation; it’s a strategy session. Whether you are looking to refine your own clinical touch or seeking better ways to teach somatic principles to manual practitioners, this presentation provides the vocabulary and framework to make the "invisible" work of somatics visible and actionable on the massage table.
*Gabriel’s book is now available for purchase through all major book seller, and directly through the author’s website: elevatedsomatics.com/book/somatic-techniques-for-massage-therapists-book
Presentation
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Discussion
HSE Learning Community
Presenters and Attendees Wanted
The Hanna Somatic Education Learning Community is a monthly group that will be hosted by the AHSE Education Committee. This group’s mission is to cultivate our members’ continued learning and deepen our community’s connection. All AHSE members would be most welcome to attend. Together, we’d benefit Hanna Somatics as a discipline, while supporting the common growth of our clients, the general public, and ourselves as Hanna Somatic Educators.
In this online group, AHSE members are invited to volunteer to teach a topic of their choice focused on Hanna Somatic Education. Each presentation would be 15 to 30 minutes in length. You’d have the valuable opportunity to practice your presentation skills and your HSE colleagues could process your chosen topic together. You certainly don’t need to be an expert on the topic. You’d inspire the group to learn from each other through their questions and discussion.
The presenter can get a recording of their own presentation that they can present to their clients, post on social media, upload to YouTube, or use to write an article. If the content is cleared by the AHSE Education Committee, your recording can be archived in the Members section of the AHSE website.
Suggested presentation topics:
o Anatomy
o Kinesiology
o Neuroscience
o Somatic movements / Techniques
o Diagnosis - somatic interpretations and possible solutions
o A case study (With permission to share)- problems and solutions
o Translating and incorporating HSE into other disciplines.
o Other HSE-related topics…
The group meets the fourth Wednesday of each month at 9:30 am PDT/PST, 12:30 pm EDT/EST, 5:30 pm BST/GMT, for 60-90 minutes.
We’ll need monthly presenters, so if you’d be interested in being a future presenter, Please submit a paragraph describing your topic to the AHSE Education Committee. Let us know if you have any questions about being a presenter.