‘Much more of the brain is devoted to movement than to language. Language is only a little thing sitting on top of this huge ocean of movement.’
Oliver Sacks
‘Much more of the brain is devoted to movement than to language. Language is only a little thing sitting on top of this huge ocean of movement.’
Oliver Sacks
About Move with Awareness
My name is Alison Emery and I am an Essential Somatics Movement Teacher.
My passion is about helping you to be free of pain and move more easily. I do this by teaching you Somatic Movements. What better way to get out of pain than being able to find the solution yourself.
My experience
I discovered Somatics initially back in 2014 while I was doing my massage degree. It blew me away how the movements made me feel and I wanted to explore it further but as I was in the middle of doing my degree, the timing wasn’t right. I couldn’t contemplate additional training. I also struggled to get my head around the theory, which contradicted what I’d been taught as a massage therapist. So I decided to put it on the back burner and focus on my massage.
I had undertaken a lot of training in Massage since 2010, and in 2015 obtained a Level 6 BTEC Degree in Sports and Clinical Massage, which is the highest possible qualification in this industry.
Why I chose to learn Somatics
Since gaining my massage qualification I have undertaken further training in order to help treat my clients. However, while clinical massage is very effective, I began to notice that there were situations when I was unable to offer a solution. It was also apparent that people were returning with the same issues — as the benefits of massage were not long lasting.
This was because after the treatment they immediately resumed their life and habits, which were ultimately causing the problems. It became obvious that they needed something more that massage to help them, rather than simply relying on me.
I remembered what I had learnt on the Somatics course I’d attended in 2014 and questioned whether this was the missing link for resolving people’s pain issues. It
In October 2018 I went on the Fundamentals course to explore the idea further. With increased confidence, knowledge and experience than I had when I’d previously encountered Somatics, I was able to look at this training with a different focus. Once again I was amazed how the movements made me feel, both physically and emotionally. But this time everything made complete sense. I knew this was the direction I needed to follow and this time the timing was perfect.
Classes in Somatic Movements
I embarked on the teacher training and qualified as an Essential Somatics Movement Teacher in May 2020. While a student I managed to offer some face-to-face classes initially, but with the COVID 19 pandemic was forced to take my classes online. At first I was very nervous about this. In fact though the Somatics classes work very well online with participants more relaxed in their own home. What’s even better is that I can now offer a service to a wider audience to people all over the country, not just in Portsmouth. I currently have clients in Edinburgh and Southern Ireland and have even had a client from Portugal. I offer both group classes and 1- to-1 sessions, depending on the needs of my clients. The knowledge and experience I have acquired over the years as a Clinical Massage Therapist has been put me in a unique position to understand and deliver Somatic Movements to help a variety of movement issues.
If you would like more information about how somatic movements could help you please take a look around my website, try for yourself a somatic movement from one of my videos or book a FREE online consultation.
Qualifications
Essential Somatic Movement Teacher Level 1 (May 2019) and Level 2 (May 2020)
BTEC Diploma Level 6 in Advanced Clinical and Sports Massage 2016 (Jing)
Advanced Clinical Massage Therapist Certificate which covers Clinical Massage for Lower Back Pain, Neck and Shoulder Pain, Pain in the Shoulder Girdle, Hip pain, Leg, Knee and Foot pain and Forearm pain. 2014 (Jing)
Anatomy and Physiology, (Jing)
Diploma in Indian Head Massage;
Clinical Hot Stones Massage; (Jing)
TMJ Face and Jaw Pain (Jing)
Working with the Spine (Jing)
Ribs, Abdomen and Thorax (Jing)
Pregnancy Massage; (Jing)
Scar Work (Sharon Wheeler)
Advanced Myofascial Techniques in Pelvis, Hips and Sacrum; Spine and Lower Back; Ribs and Sciatica
Diploma in Swedish Massage,
Diploma in Sports Massage;
Registered General Nurse (RGN)
