Since its inception, ISMETA members have participated in the Movement & Cognition Conference hosted at the world’s top universities. This year’s conference, held in September 2024, was hosted at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. ISMETA members Martha Eddy, Madelana Ferrara, Richard Mack and Talia Shafir, all of whom have presented in previous Movement and … Read more
By G Hoffman Soto I am writing this because more and more I am questioning how the word Somatics is being used in Mindful practices when there is no movement involved. Can Therapy, Meditation practice or Bodywork be presented as Somatics when there is no accompanying study of physical movement? That is my question. Movement … Read more
Scroll down for Spanish version! Desplácese hacia abajo para ver la versión en español! Wisdoms of Embodied Leadership Sharing a perspective of serving on the ISMETA Board for 9 years By Maria Luisa Diaz de Leon Zuloaga In preparation for our September virtual Board retreat, we were invited to spend time outdoors, in nature, and … Read more
Rhythmic entrainment is the natural synchronization of body movement with externally perceived rhythmic aspects of music. Clapping, bouncing, dancing, marching, bobbing your head to the beat of music are some examples of rhythmic entrainment. Rhythmic entrainment, however, is more than just enjoying music, it is a part of organic life.
April 27, 2023 Dear Friends and Colleagues, I cannot express what an honor and joy it has been to play a role in guiding ISMETA’s growth over the past 15 years. When I stepped into serving as ISMETA’s first Executive Director in 2013, our annual budget was approximately $35,000 and we had fewer than 300 … Read more
ISMETA executive and board member Richard Sims would like to invite everyone to a special event to help support four brave trans and non-binary survivors of sexual abuse/assault share their stories of resilience and healing. It’s the latest event Rich has been asked to help plan and bring to life, bringing his somatic, empowering, healing and community building approaches to help the participants maintain the connection and bravery needed to share their incredible stories with the world.
Thanks to efforts by ISMETA Massachusetts members, the ISMETA Government Relations Committee, members of the Federation of Therapeutic Massage, Bodywork, and Somatic Practice Organizations, and other stakeholders in Massachusetts; Senate Bill 221 and House Bill 350 to regulate Bodywork and Alternative Therapies, have both gone to a study group.
Ukrainian NGO Development Foundation, in collaboration with Wesleyan University Professor Katja Kolcio Ph.D./RSME, received a grant from the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme and Government of the Netherlands, to introduce somatic methods in psycho-social care and evaluate their impact on the wellbeing of people affected by the armed conflict in Donbas, Ukraine.
ISMETA Board Director Florian Filtzinger, RSME, provides a review of BODYIQ 2021 held in Berlin, Germany , a pandemic-conquering and deep-tissue-touching festival to the field of Somatics. The audience included an international crowd of facilitators, artists, activists and first timers to one common ground and question of intersectionality between somatic inquiry, activism, the arts and critical observation of gender, race and accessibility of spaces.
Maria Luisa, ISMETA Board President
We did it! We ALL did it!
Our ISMETA Conference brought together more than 825 somatic movement practitioners, students, and established professionals over the course of five days at the beginning of March. The conference opened up a new chapter in the life of our organization; a chapter where each one of us are invited to contribute to continue to develop, research, experience and enjoy the somatic movement profession in all of its philosophies, schools, and applications.