Embodying Research: A Field Guide for Practitioners

Although research is a crucial element in advancing knowledge in the field of Somatics, somatic practitioners sometimes struggle to find a meaningful connection to the research literature, or to see themselves as potential researchers. One challenge to these efforts is identifying a research methodology that fits the values and the lived experiences of practitioners and clients doing somatic work.  The presenter, a seasoned practitioner and researcher, will introduce an approach to research that honors the nuances and complexities of somatic data while also being attentive to the diverse sociocultural contexts of somatic practice.

Rae Johnson, PhD, RSMT is a scholar, researcher, and registered somatic movement therapist who currently chairs the Somatic Studies specialization in the Depth Psychology doctoral program at Pacifica Graduate Institute. The author of numerous articles and book chapters on somatic approaches to research, Rae has been teaching embodied research methodologies to somatic practitioners since 2004.