For Practitioners

You are supported.

Help your clients deepen their healing of body trauma.





A somatic starting point:

Body Conversations is a one hour virtual, worry free, non-judgmental space to speak from, listen to and converse about our bodies as a stepping stone to deeper Somatic body work.

Yes, Send me Referral Cards

Hello, I’m Matthew.

I grew up in academic culture, uncomfortable in my body and stuck in my head. I discovered the intrinsic wisdom of my body through modern dance and somatic practices, and I have devoted myself to sharing a form of medicine that has until recently been known only to the artistic elite. I’m so grateful to see our culture recognizing the power of somatic work to address individual, generational, and cultural traumas. I have witnessed its effectiveness and joys many times over.

What other practitioners have experienced with Matthew


Matthew taught me several somatic practices during session that I can practice at home which made me feel empowered and self-sufficient. It was comforting to have a non-judgmental space to be and learn more about myself. Thanks again Matthew!

—Ashley - Therapist


 Whether it be in group setting or one on one, Matthew’s approach to wellness is totally unique. What he gives to clients is something that affords them a deep understanding of their own body mechanics and how to move in ways that create lasting change and relief.

—Jean - Bodyworker


Matthew creates a safe place to do deep emotional work offering an opportunity to connect mind, body, and spirit.

—Jane - Therapist

Body Conversations and Somatic Body Work

As a somatic therapist I help my clients to recognize that their bodies are emotional, impulsive, and simultaneously wise.  Our bodies depend on patterns to function.  It is this fundamental principle that makes trauma physiologic, and it’s common for people’s stories and conditions to stay the same so long as the body remains ‘frozen’ in a feedback loop. 

This frozen loop presents as chronic pain, addiction, a tendency to jump back into the same bad relationship, or all of the above.  To shift these patterns, something new must become stronger than the body’s fear of change.  Conditions must be safe enough to develop body-level trust.  

Body Conversations is a simple, guided, virtual conversation where people can begin to connect with their bodies and each other.

Without diagnosing or attempting to treat any conditions, Body Conversations is a structured opportunity for people to tell their stories, listen to other’s stories, and develop greater compassion within their own bodies.
Body Conversations is a stepping stone to in-person one-on-one or group Somatic Therapy. As a somatic therapist I use movement, touch, and awareness practices to help people connect their inner experience of their body to the our shared world. I believe this work will complement what you are already doing in your practice. Somatic therapy is different from and compatible with the tools brought to us through our contemporary standard of care.
Body Conversations is a stepping stone to in-person one-on-one or group Somatic Therapy. As a somatic therapist I use movement, touch, and awareness practices to help people connect their inner experience of their body to the our shared world. I believe this work will complement what you are already doing in your practice. Somatic therapy is different from and compatible with the tools brought to us through our contemporary standard of care.

I hope that Body Conversations serves as a meeting point, both to serve the people we care for, and also to network those of us who recognize the importance of body-centered work for our growth as a community.

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To refer people to body conversations, or for one-on-one somatic therapy, please let me send you some referral cards. You may also refer people to BODY CONVERSATIONS and SOMATIC BODYWORK pages on my website.



Yes, Send me Referral Cards

You may be thinking:

I’m already doing this work and may not need you.
I hope you are! Our culture tends to divide physical, psychological, and spiritual disciplines. Somatics–the field that studies the experience of the body through movement and awareness–is integrative. I believe there are many of us doing work that engages with aspects of this integration. I find that my education and background is unusual in our culture.
What are your qualifications?
I have been studying somatics for 25 years, engaging movement and awareness as medicine for myself and others. I have an MFA in Dance from the University of Utah, certifications in Massage, Pilates, and Laban Movement Analysis, and am completing a 3-year Mystery School with Dr. Ann Marie Chiasson. After teaching full-time at the university level for 4 years I moved into the private sector almost 10 years ago. I have published academically, presented and taught at international conferences, and am deeply grateful for the trust and support of my community in Boise.
Could this hurt my client if they are not ready for this work?
There is always risk when acknowledging any kind of trauma. Typically people will share only what they are ready for. In leading the group I do not push people, and I help everyone find compassion for themselves and each other. In my one-on-one work I am similarly sensitive with bodies. I work as gently as I can while meeting people at the edges they are ready to acknowledge.
Does this compete with the therapy they are doing with me?
We will not be diagnosing or treating any conditions. We will not be fixing anything. This group is offered so that we may acknowledge and learn from our own and each other’s stories with compassion.

My hands-on work, based in myofascial, craniosacral, and movement therapies, is not unlike some manual physical therapy. I tend to focus where someone is not already resourced, so if they’re already receiving manual therapy I will usually focus on movement and vice versa. My unique skill is helping people learn to listen to their bodies, teaching them to improvise based on the feedback they receive through their senses.
Is this only available online?
Body Conversations is only currently offered online, but one-on-one sessions with me and group BraveSpace workshops are offered in person. I am available to lead or support closed groups.
Bonus
As an added bonus when participants sign up for Body Conversations they will be sent a free heart center and somatic flow meditation video. This video is an excellent place to start their somatic journey. They may sign up without joining body conversations at Soma.works.
Yes, Send me Referral Cards
 

Want to print it now?
Download and print the referral card