Somatic Body Mapping® is a form of movement inquiry that holds the body sacred and offers a unique opportunity to take stock with oneself. Have you heard of this expression going to the stars and back that is sometimes used to describe giving birth? Going to the stars and back is a beautiful image that in my eyes illustrates the depth and expanse of Somatic Body Mapping®; a creative process of mark making and body mapping informed by Authentic Movement, that facilitates a being born to oneself again, whilst holding soul in mind and body.
Change, whether beautiful or challenging or a mixture of both, involves loss, letting go and letting be. We have to yield to not knowing who we are and be present to what is in order to feel truly alive again. This involves many feelings, including emotions that are not easy to admit and that are uncomfortable to be with.
Whether you join for one day or immerse yourself in the full Somatic Body Mapping® process, together, we will create some breathing, moving and mindful space for you to land more fully into yourself so as to bring clarity to what makes you You, now.
Come as You Are. Somatic Body Mapping for women affected by cancer
Join this small group hosted by Sue Curtis and Céline Butté, Somatic Body Mapping® facilitators with lived experience of and surrounding cancer respectively, for a two-days SBM workshop.
An event is for women who are going through, have been through or will be going through cancer treatment.
This is a space for You. Come as you are to explore whatever you need. Together we will land, be curious and creative and carve out a sacred space for something to unfold, be held, touched, looked at and danced with. No previous experience necessary, just the curiosity and openness to work with your felt experience.
A free event supported by the London Borough of Merton and Studio @39 for a group of 6 women affected by cancer.
Dates: 8 and 9 October 2024
Times: Tuesday 11am to 6pm and Wednesday 10am to 4pm
Location: Studio @39, 39 Chapel View, South Croydon
Sue Curtis, B.Ed 1st class hons, MA DMP, RDMP introduces herself: I trained as a dancer and teacher in the 1970s initially performing and choreographing with various companies. I qualified as a DMP in 1993 and specialised in working with children and young people within education and special needs settings. Alongside this I have also trained and supervised DMPs for over 30 years and guest taught in countries in Europe.
In 2010 I was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer and underwent three years of gruelling treatment. An even rare side effect left me disabled and learning how to walk again. The devastation to my body left me seeking deeper into my body and movement experience. During this time I was blessed to be offered the opportunity by Annette Schwalbe of exploring and expressing my body’s changing story through a somatic body map. It was a lifeline and provided a nurturing, surprising and deeply treasured means of being in contact and loving myself through a life-changing period. Whilst Cancer abruptly ended my Clinical work it enhanced my teaching and supervision practice. I realised again how essential and central the moving and creative experience was in my life and practice and how vital it is to encourage others to develop their own sensory, imagined, symbolic and felt ways of knowing.
In 2019 I was diagnosed with Bilateral breast cancer and a further period of treatment ensued. Most of the treatment was through lockdown and participating in on-line creative groups was familiar and comforting. Playing with materials and crayons and paint etc and letting my lived body experience take different forms, never ceased to amaze me.
My creative passion extends outside as I shape and develop my large garden. It has been unfolding over the past decade and contains many upcycled, recycled and gifted offerings. It is frequented by much wildlife and brings me much joy in finding and making things to hang, plant and place. I sit in it often in silence and wait for magical moments to arrive.
“Somatic Body Mapping is very deep work. It is not simply about producing art or a map of the body. It is a deep dive into the unconscious, and in its process unconscious material seems to be catapulted onto the outside. In order to allow this to happen a safe container is needed. This is exactly what Céline and Sue create in their workshops. The reverberations and ripples of the Somatic Body Mapping process manifest also in dreams and insights following the event. It seems the process continues far beyond the end of the group. I am deeply grateful for having had the opportunity to participate in the group and can highly recommend this kind of work to anyone interested in personal development and health.”
— Addilyn
An impermanent outline
If you have never experienced Somatic Body Mapping® and would like to dip your toes into what this process may have to offer, this is a workshop for you. This one day Somatic Body Mapping® workshop is for anyone who has gone through significant changes, may it be the loss of a loved one, dealing with the impact of illness, a move to a new country or giving birth, for example. In this workshop you can find the firm ground beneath your feet again; a ground that you can recognise and trust going forward.
Online in-depth workshops
Enrol on these four workshops over 4-5 weeks and experience the full Somatic Body Mapping® process. There will be time to feel into the impact of significant changes in your life and expand into what makes you You today. Join a small intimate group of 3 participants maximum.
Date and time tbc
Watch this short film to hear Annette Schwalbe, the founder of Somatic Body Mapping® present this form of embodied inquiry.