Relational Somatic Psychotherapy or Three-Fold way
The Three Fold Way was founded by Michael Sieck, and is not married to any discipline, technique, or outcome-based strategies, but rather supports the full unfolding of human potential. As such, the work is drawn from many rich traditions, old and new, that are psychological, biological and spiritual thereby combining mind, body and spirit.
As its essence lies in the integration of body, mind, and spirit, The Three Fold Way integrates multiple schools of psychological thought. All are utilized as a means to more fully explore the structure and function of the self, and the relationship between self and other. The variety speaks to the complexity of the human experience and the multitude of paths that can facilitate integration and self-actualization.
What Is “Somatic?”
Somatic refers to the body and bodily processes, such as:
– Breathing
– Muscular tensions and posture
– Patterns of movement
– Facial expressions
– Sweating
– Blushing
– Even changes in pupillary constriction and dilation
These bodily (somatic) features are linked to emotional experience and characteristic of each individual as well as common expressions of all humans. Thus, when we consider not only what an individual is saying, but also how the bodily expression matches (or sometimes mismatches) what we say, we get a more comprehensive window into how an individual organizes their experience of themselves–and their relationship to others and the world in general.
This is an important component to the Three Fold Way since we consider mind and body as unified – an integrated expression of the human experience, rather than viewing mind and body as separate. Body and mind do not exist or operate independently of one another.
The Three Fold Way draws from the following modalities, theories, and disciplines:
– Attachment Theory
– Neuroscience
– Somatic Psychotherapy
– Mindfulness-based practices
– Gestalt
– Depth Psychology
– Object Relations
– Psychodrama
– Bioenergetics
– Character Analysis
All of this is woven into an integrated process of support, exploration, discovery and embodiment of the lived experience with ourselves and others. A background or preference for any particular modality is not necessary for work in The Three Fold Way. Rather, a desire to embrace an integrative model of personal transformation is.
(Description from www.threefoldway.com)
After my training with Threefold Way, I continued to learn about Relational Somatic Psychotherapy with Ken and Marti at Ryzio.