Somatic Movement Therapy
w/Dr. Rhea Komarek, D.C., RSME/RSMT (she/her)
Welcome! I am happy to introduce you to my unique practice.
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I work with the mediums of somatic movement, creative writing, and drawing to help people connect to their innate creativity & clarity.
These processes help you to orient to what is going on in your life, what resources you need to call in, and where you are drawn to go from here.
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Individuals
I offer two Pathways for beginning work with individuals.
Orienting
A Pathway of Self-Discovery
Orienting is the pathway I most highly recommend for beginning our work together.
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Over six weekly one-hour sessions, you'll explore movement, drawing, and creative writing as tools for self-discovery. We’ll map out what you're currently experiencing in life and what you feel you need.
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We’ll do this through the lens of Polyvagal Theory, identifying how you feel, think and act when in your three primary nervous system states: regulated, fight/flight, and collapse.
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Each state creates its own sensations, emotions, and feelings about your life. I will guide you to develop these into characters that get into dialogue together around your current life circumstances. This becomes a way to work with some challenging life material while gaining the ability to listen to yourself in a very holistic way. New perspectives can open up as all parts of the self are heard.
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For example, let's say you are moving through a career transition and health issues while navigating perimenopause.
Example of Characters You May Meet:
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Serendipity (Regulated)
Miss Fixalot (Fight/Flight)
Cave Woman (Collapse)​
By listening to these parts, you can answer two core questions:
Where am I?
and
What do I need?​
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This creative process leads to the Emerging pathway.
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Emerging
A Pathway Forward
“By staying open and curious, we invite the unknown to reveal itself. Emergence occurs as we let go of preconceived notions and allow new patterns to form. It’s a way of discovering what is possible, not by predicting, but by participating in the unfolding of the future.”-Peggy Holman
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In the Emerging pathway we meet every other week, gradually transitioning to monthly sessions over six meetings, depending on what best supports your rhythm. If you prefer to skip the character work from Orienting, you can begin here with a weekly to bi-monthly flow of seven sessions.
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This series is ideal for those with some exposure to somatic movement. It is informed by another aspect of the Polyvagal Theory ​​- responding to cues of safety and cues of danger happening below our level of awareness.​
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Through this series you become aware of this process as you look to dance with your next steps in life. You move with the rhythms of opening and closing, gestating in safe stillness and then sensing into what you are growing into.
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You listen to yourself and feel what it means to take one step at a time, listening inward to the impulses that say yes or no. This leads towards the creation of a written plan for your next steps.
​Core questions for this series are:
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What am I digesting?
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What am I letting go of?
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What am I opening up to?
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From here you may choose to continue with ongoing sessions that meet your unique needs.
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Ongoing Sessions
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Once we have established a rhythm of working together through the Orienting or Emerging pathways, we can enter into follow up or ongoing sessions designed to meet your individual needs and goals.​
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Session Rates
Sessions are $170/1 hour session. Each series is purchased one session at a time so that clients always retain the agency to continue or pause at their own pace. Sessions are offered in person at the Napa, CA office or online.​
To Begin
Text 707-257-1011 to Set Up Your First Session or
to Set Up a Complimentary 20 Minute Exploratory Conversation.
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If email is more comfortable for you: dr.rhea@blossomlife.com
What Others Are Saying
“As a scholar, a movement artist and practitioner, Rhea's embodiment of the Tamalpa Life/Art process woven with the Polyvagal Theory is truly outstanding."
-Daria Halprin www.tamalpa.org
"I’m so pleased that I had the chance to work with Rhea in the Polyvagal Character Work earlier this year. I often refer back to those sessions – the drawings and the feelings I identified – and find them very resourceful. Being able to recognize and name different states of being has allowed me to be more compassionate with myself while dealing with a lot of uncertainty and change. The fact that I am still working with and evolving the characters we identified months ago means the work had a very deep impact."
-Azriel LaMarca
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"My experience in sessions brought me into incredible connection and relationship with my body. I had for so long ignored the cues and wisdom from my body, and my sessions with Rhea that involved movement, art, and words helped me create better communication on both a somatic and cognitive level. I had for too long always needed to process with my mind and would so easily talk myself into circles with my stories. Now I actually have the skill and capacity to hear the wisdom of my body, and we have a relationship unparalleled. I would not be where I am in my healing journey from severe childhood trauma without these sessions. Thank you Rhea for holding such sacred space!"
-Layla Subhani
Benefits
Clarity
Befriending of Self
Connection to the
Poignancy of One's Life
Alignment with the Support of Nature
Creative
Thinking
Methods
These are the three primary modalities that inform all of my Somatic Movement Therapy work.
Tamalpa Life/Art Process
Tamalpa is a movement based expressive arts system. By weaving between movement, drawing, and creative writing, a participant may find themselves drawing epiphanies, moving metaphors of discovery, and writing poetic reflections.
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For example, during my mom’s terminal disease progression, there was a horrible moment where I had found her fallen on the ground, disoriented, alone, and unable to get up. Shortly thereafter I was at a Tamalpa workshop where I was invited to enact the way in which I was walking in my life, and who I was walking with. I found myself reenacting this moment, me trying to get her up, and ultimately how to walk slow enough so as to be right by her physically and mentally slowing side.
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After her death I was crushed. It was again a Tamalpa workshop that helped me to move out of collapse- moving the postures of opening and contracting, and then making a drawing and a piece of writing that ended up being the vision for where I wanted my career and life to go.
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Tamalpa offers a powerful reprieve from the daze-inducing pace of everyday thinking. It cracks open a space where mindfulness meets creativity, where one’s most important personal themes and intentions can be contacted and nurtured into expression.
Polyvagal Theory
Polyvagal Theory looks at the connection of the nervous system with the state we find ourselves in- physically, emotionally, and mentally. It explains how threats, or, “cues of danger” speak to the nervous system and tell it to go into survival mode. These survival modes are either fight/flight, collapse, or a blend of the two called freeze. ​It also amplifies the power of cues of safety for helping to bring a nervous system back into regulation.
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A profound understanding of my own nervous system states has been pivotal in helping me as a parent of a twice-exceptional child. Both in terms of befriending my own nervous system, as well as in the co-regulation that is so important in my child’s developing nervous system rhythms.
As a practitioner the Polyvagal Theory informs the way that I work with clients. Whether we are directly working with it in my Orienting series, or touching upon it in my Emerging series, I am keenly aware of the tone of the nervous system and where a client is. We never push through things, we listen respectfully to the body, and we work intentionally with the resourced part of the self to support the other parts in moving with challenging life material.
Eco-Somatics
As a chiropractor I loved the philosophical concept of trusting in the Innate Intelligence of the body in relationship with a Universal Intelligence present in all of Life. Mentors would steep us in imagery where we would see patterns of nature organizing itself in ways that mirrored our bodies. Could you tell the difference between a picture of the cosmos, and a picture of neuronal synapses? How about fingerprints and tree rings?
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In this iteration of my work I aim to amplify this relationship between Embodiment and Nature. I bring metaphors into the studio where I invite the sway of kelp to invite lateral sway in the body that invites in the Safe Character. We explore the rhythms of the sea anemone opening and closing in Emerging. We are also inspired by the caterpillar that transforms into a butterfly as we explore the loss and regeneration of transformation in our lives.
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I am also in the midst of designing site-specific explorations in and with nature for deepening a sense of belonging to place. For me, whether it’s inviting Nature’s wisdom into the studio, or connecting with Nature in site-specific explorations, we can deepen our sense of safety and belonging as we live in reciprocal inspiration with this intricately beautiful and wise planet that we call home.
Dr. Rhea's Training & Experience
​Tamalpa Life/Art Process (Somatic Movement Therapy & Expressive Arts):
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Tamalpa Teacher Training Program Graduate: Level 2- September 2023-October 2024, Level 1- April 2022-Spring 2023
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Retreats and ongoing participation with Tamalpa Institute and the work of Anna Halprin (2010-Present) with Anna Halprin, Rosario Summartino, Dohee Lee, and Daria Halprin.
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Somatic Movement:​
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Individual Mentoring with Amber Gray, PHD, MPH, LPCC, BC-DMT, NCC, Summer 2021-Winter 2023, Ongoing as needed.
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B.A. in Dance from University of Washington with focus on Dance Therapy and Improvisation​​
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Vinyasa Yoga Teacher, trained at Om Yoga in NYC in 2001.
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Countless hours in studios in San Francisco, Oakland, New York, Boston, and Burlington with Haitian, Cuban, West African, and Modern Dance instructors and choreographers across numerous dance and dance theater specializations.
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Conference Participant: Engaging Embodiment; Somatic Applications for Health, Education, & Social Justice, Feb-Dec 2021 through ISMETA
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Continuum Student & Personal Daily Practice Fall 2019 to Present (Teachers I have experienced include Beth Riley, Marcella Bottero, Marilyn Montgomery, Amber Grey, and Bonnie Gintis)
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Hannah Somatics Personal Daily Practice learned from senior teacher Phil Shenk also informs my somatic awareness.
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Polyvagal Theory:
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Individual Mentoring with Amber Gray, PHD, MPH, LPCC, BC-DMT, NCC, Summer 2021-Winter 2023, Ongoing as needed.​​
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Polyvagal Institute Summit Oct. 2022
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The Rhythm of Regulation formal Training Level 1 with Deb Dana and Trainers. Offered through the Polyvagal Institute. April -Aug 2021
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Safe and Sound Protocol Certified for In Person and Virtual Delivery (SSP) (Not currently delivering SSP)
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Professional Training with Jeff Rockwell​​, DC, DOMP 2020
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Personal Development courses (Ground in the Swirl) with Amber Gray 2020
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Books: Polyvagal Theory for Safety and Connection, The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy, Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory, Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve, Polyvagal Theory and the Developing Child
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Mind/Body:
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Training in Relaxation Response instruction as researched by Dr. Herbert Benson
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Ad Hart Facilitator, for teaching the Hart Math method of establishing coherence
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Self-Compassion technique as taught by Dr. Kristin Neff
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Conferences with The Greater Good Institute on Gratitude and Awe
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Institute of Noetic Sciences Conference with a full day of study with Rupert Sheldrake
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Former Concept Therapy instructor. Through deep participation with this work I have found ways to help clients both through the use of “mind/body” awareness for one’s benefit, as well as a deep understanding of the potential pit-falls of using “mind/body” techniques and metaphysical approaches that begin to actually dysregulate the nervous system through denial of one’s whole experience. Deep understanding of the pitfalls of focusing only on "the good" while ignoring the body's need to be listened to when signaling "the bad", aka spiritual bypassing.
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Currently an “Insight Timer” meditation instructor with free guided visualizations available.​
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Chiropractic:
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I am no longer accepting new chiropractic clients, however, a decade and a half of working hands on with the spine and focusing on nervous system tone informs my somatic movement work.
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Zone Healing Chiropractic, 13 years of experience.
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Bio Geometric Integration, 12 years of experience with my own approach to this chiropractic philosophy and practice. This creates an in-depth way in which I can feel and help to release patterns of held tensions and traumas throughout the system, in a way that is the most gentle and respectful of the person and tissues at hand.
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Polyvagal Informed light touch of areas of the head and neck associated with cranial nerves and the vagal nerve that make up the "polyvagal" neurological system.
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Activator and Drop Table
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Webster Certified for Prenatal Care with the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association
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Professional Development Through Experience:
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Documentary Filmmaking of the film “Love Bomb” (2015)
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Development of the “My Love Bomb Program” (2015-2018)
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Leading and developing women’s “You Matter” groups throughout the U.S. (2016-2018)
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Professional Cycling Team Chiropractor for Bontrager Livestrong, 2012 & 2013 seasons
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Volunteer Chiropractor for Pathway Home Program, 2011 -2013
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International Chiropractic Service work in El Salvador, India, and Peru
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Being a Parent, Wife, Daughter, Sister, Friend and Human in the ever unfolding process of life.​​
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Other:
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Professional Certification in the Fundamentals of Neurodiversity, FSU, 2024
Contact
Text 707-257-1011 to Set Up Your First Session or
to Set Up a Complimentary 20 Minute Exploratory Conversation.
​
If email is more comfortable for you: dr.rhea@blossomlife.com