Isabella Gross - Somatic Therapy, Authentic Movement and Trauma Therapy

Welcome...

My name is Isabella Gross. In my studio in Linz I offer Somatic Therapy, Trauma Therapy (Somatic Experiencing®) and the Discipline of Authentic Movement.

The foundation of my work is my deep trust in the wisdom of our body, where our emotions, sensations and all of our life’s experiences are alive. Allowing ourselves to be guided by our body leads us onto a path towards healing and wholeness.

I am looking forward to meeting you!

Somatic Therapy

While Psychotherapy very often focuses on speaking and understanding, Somatic Therapy also includes the precious and deep source of knowing we all have in our bodies. In not only talking in therapy, but also listening to our embodied experience we connect to our body's deep wisdom.

In the safe space of therapy we speak about what you bring to our work and pay close attention to what is happening in your body as we speak. Together we witness what is unfolding, together we explore, learn and follow - step by step – the guidance of your body. We might follow sensations or emotions, explore a gesture or movement, and sometimes we invite free movement or include Authentic Movement in our work. Together we shape our work as it is most helpful for you in this moment.

As a Somatic Experiencing® practitioner, being mindful of trauma and the dynamics of the nervous system for me is an integral part of my work.

The heart of my therapeutical work is our presence in this moment, compassionately witnessing and accompanying what is unfolding in the body without judgement, interpretation or analysis. Consciously holding our embodied experience and letting ourselves be guided from within opens new paths towards transformation and healing.

Somatic Experiencing, developed by Dr. Peter A. Levine, is a body-oriented therapeutic model aiming to resolve the symptoms of trauma, stress and shock.

Trauma is caused by an event or events that severely overwhelm our nervous system's capacity to cope with a situation - it may result from a wide range of stressors such as physical/sexual/emotional violence or assault, neglect, war, accidents, natural disasters, ongoing fear and conflict or medical procedures amongst others. Such traumatising events are connected with feelings of extreme helplessness and/or existential fear.

Grounded in body-awareness, SE focuses on how trauma shows up in the nervous system and works with our body's natural capacity to heal, recover and become more resilient.

For more Information on Somatic Experiencing® see traumahealing.org

The Discipline of Authentic Movement offers a safe space for all of our embodied experience.

The essence of this work is our experience of the present moment: whatever we experience, feel and sense right now - and being seen and accompanied by another within a safe and trustful relationship. As movers we close our eyes in the presence of our witness, turn our attention inward and trust our body’s guidance as we let ourselves be moved by what arises. There is no input from outside, no music, no right or wrong way to move or to be.

Committing to being as present as possible in this moment, we pay close attention to whatever arises: At times we experience visible movement, at times stillness, sound, or emotional movement. Sometimes we witness our invisible inner movement, to be experienced just by ourselves.

Speaking our experience after moving is an important part of our practice. Patiently and mindfully we try and find words that bring our embodied experience to life, that 'land' in us as and stay as close to our moving experience as possible so that it can become part of us.

"Because language is the bridge between the body and consciousness, as the mover speaks her experience, she begins to see herself, hold herself, take herself seriously, attending to the detail, every precious detail of each physical movement and the comcomitant inner experience." (Janet Adler).

So many of us are fearful of being seen with judging eyes. In the Discipline of Authentic Movement, an attentive and compassionate witness is here to see and hold the mover’s experience, without judgement or interpretation. In this safe and trustful space we invite the experience of the present moment to arise in the body and become conscious. This also includes our personal psychological history, old wounds and trauma that are still alive in us.

Seeing and holding all of our experience - even these difficult and painful places - safely and consciously together with a compassionate witness can be deeply healing and transforming.

I offer the Discipline of Authentic Movement in my studio in Linz to individuals and groups.

Please get in touch for further details.