Practice

***Currently I am only working in Bavaria.

You can find more Somatic Experiencing therapists under www.somatic-experiencing.de . For Craniosacral Therapy / Osteopathy I recommend Birgitta Binner-Aichstill: https://osteopathie-binner-aichstill.com ; for Zen-Shiatsu - Johannes Stein www.shiatsulab.de (same location). And finally you can get wonderful Ayurveda massages and craniosacral therapy from Pia Gagigo: https://piavital.weebly.com (same location)***

Hello and welcome to my practice KörperRaum! I am Elena Sofia and work as a therapist and natural health practitioner using touch and talk. In my body work I draw from a wide variety of touch techniques: from the regulation of the energy meridians in the Zen Shiatsu tradition, through the work with muscles, fascia, bones and organs, to the fine dialog with the pulse of the central nervous system that enables the craniosacral osteopathy to reach and heal profound levels of our psycho-somatic system. As well as aiming to alleviate current pains and ailments, I am also drawn to find a resolution to the blockades and disturbances which often lie underneath, as a source of the symptoms.Physical ailments are often linked to unresolved emotions and overwhelming experiences of the past. Somatic Experiencing (SE - body based trauma therapy developed by Peter Levine) offers a holistic approach to a wide variety of symptoms. In the course of our conversations I accompany you on a path leading deep to your inner essence. SE helps to reconnect to your intuition and to the creativity of your instincts, thus establishing a new context in which past experiences can be resolved and integrated.

A therapy session in KörperRaum supports your healing process

  • from injuries to the motor system
  • after accidents and surgical operations
  • from chronic pain (ex. of the head, back, neck)
  • from psychosomatic ailments (pain for which no clinical cause can be found)
  • if you are suffering from inability to concentrate, insomnia or restlessness.
  • from depression
  • while recovering from a traumatic experience.

It also bestows clarity and stability in moments of change in the personal or professional life.

During pregnancy, a therapy session can be helpful not only when there is physical pain, but also to support relaxation, a better alignment of the pelvic bones and to strengthen the connection between mother and child.

Particular complaints aside, the session opens up a meditative space where your soul can rest and be nourished by deep calm. It is a wonderful opportunity to gain more consciousness of your own inner processes, so that you can become more grounded in your body.

Craniosacral Therapy

The craniosacral therapy is a practice within osteopathy that focuses on working with the skull (lat. cranium), the spine and the sacrum (the triangular bone at the base of the spine). Thus, it touches on the therein contained central nervous system with its direct influence on the function of bones, organs and tissue. Closely associated with it are also the inner emotional experiences which endows the session with a deep psychosomatic effect.

A gentle and very precise touch supports a more accurate alignment of the bones of the craniosacral system and enables the nervous system to perform necessary adjustments on various levels. Areas of the body that have been blocked, under tension or injured in an accident, can come back to their healthy position. Pain can be relieved and the life energy can flow more freely through the body.

The deep peace which many experience during the session nourishes the soul, supports the concentration and releases unnecessary tension. It makes it easier to become conscious of fine movements on the deeper levels in both body and mind and thus more aware of one's own self. Often people enter a particularly lucid type of consciousness where insights, answers and even visions, related to their current life situation, become more easily accessible.

The craniosacral therapy is applied on a massage table, over one’s clothes. The fine and often relatively long lasting gentle touch with palms or fingers aims at the optimisation of the flow of the cranial wave.

The cranial wave is the rhythmic pulsation of the cerebrospinal fluid, which is passed on through the central nervous system to all bones, tissues and liquids, thus invigorating the whole body. Disease, injury, trauma and other negative physical or emotional experiences disturb this flow, and along with it the organisation of bones, muscles and tissue, which is eventually manifested in a variety of symptoms.

With its meditative and highly focused essence, the craniosacral therapy makes it possible to detect such disturbances in the body. Specific techniques are used to reach the central nervous system and to contribute to a more free flow of the cranial wave.

Working with the central nervous system has a direct influence on the psyche; it relates to emotions, dreams, memories, touches on our relationship to ourselves and to the surrounding world. It is an invitation to experience space and stillness within oneself.

Coming in contact with your central nervous system represents a precious opportunity to encounter your own self in an unusual way. I invite you to be open and curious as you enter this space!

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Somatic Experiencing - Traumatherapy As Developed By Peter Levine

„Trauma“ means „a wound“ and can refer to an accident, to the side effects of a surgical operation, to a physical ailment, to a pain of the soul, or even to something seemingly ordinary – a situation that has created an irritation inside us but is difficult to let go of.

Dr. Peter Levine's method of trauma release is based on his realisation that trauma is not to be accredited to the biographic event, but rather to its incomplete resolution in the central nervous system. Remaining „stuck“ in the nervous system the traumatic event impedes its healthy functionality and thus becomes the source of a variety of symptoms and - over time - diseases.

Somatic Experiencing aims at regulating the central nervous system and integrating the challenging experiences on our path, so that we make more of the life energy and inner freedom available to us. This body-based psychotherapy focuses less on the „story“, but rather on bringing the awareness to the way our system processes events and on enabling a more effective self-regulation.

Somatic Experiencing helps identify old patterns that prevent us from being fully present in the moment and supports us to let go of them. It expands our capacity to be more present with our emotions, sensations and inner images.

Shiatsu (in combination with craniosacral therapy)

Shiatsu (Jap. for „finger pressure") is based on the classical Japanese healing massage and the traditional Chinese medicine. In a similar way as needles are used in acupuncture, shiatsu uses thumb or palm pressure and gentle stretches of the body along the meridians through which our vital energy flows.

The Chinese meridian system is similar to a network of channels through which the body – its tissues, muscles and organs - are supplied with life energy. Whenever the flow of energy in one of the meridians is disturbed, weakness, tension or pain can be observed in the respective area of the body. The goal of shiatsu is to reactivate the flow of energy and to restore its functional harmony.

Shiatsu has a positive influence on the vegetative nervous system, the inner organs, the bones, the muscles, the lymph, the blood and can be effective in the treatment of acute or chronic pain (neck and back pain, migraine, post traumatic pain etc.), organic dysfunction (digestion problems etc.), concentration or sleep disorders, burnout syndrome and much more. Furthermore, it nourishes our mental and emotional bodies and can give us stability in challenging phases of life or in times of change.

Regular shiatsu sessions promote the general health and restore peace and clarity in the everyday life.

Shiatsu is applied over your clothes, as you are lying on a massage table or on traditional Japanese mat. It is therefore best to wear loose, comfortable clothing and warm socks.

As most clients experience a deep relaxation during the session, I suggest that you plan enough time after it, in order to return at a gentle pace to your everyday life.

PLEASE NOTE: I am currently offering shiatsu sessions only in combination with craniosacral therapy. If you wish to receive only shiatsu, please contact my colleagie Johannes Stein: www.shiatsulab.de

Sound Baths

Sound is vibration. As we consider that our bodies are made up to 70% out of water, we realise that sound actually touches our whole being. We are listening not only with the ears but with every cell, and our spirit is listening too. I play a variety of instruments from many different cultural traditions that for millennia have been used to support meditation and healing: singing bowls, gongs, monochord, wind chimes, drums, chacapa leaves and also voice. The sound field they create tunes the brain into the theta-waves frequency which nourishes relaxation, meditation, creativity and intuition. It is also the perfect condition to activate the self-healing resources of the body and connects us to the deep wisdom of our unconscious.


With the fine vibrations of the sounds and the resonance in the body blockades are unlocked, we can relax and let go. As our mind takes a break from mundane thoughts we begin to connect to our spirit. When we let images, visions and emotions flow through our inner space, the sound bath becomes a transformative, supportive and deeply healing experience.
The magical sound space expands from the Amazon jungle to the mountains of Tibet, from Mother Earth to distant galaxies. Each sound bath is unique, arising from the moment. Intuitively it corresponds to the energetical state and needs of the group or the individual. Bathing in vibration brings balance of body, mind and spirit which can transmit and support us in our daily activities. Sound baths are offered in group or individual settings, as well as for couples.

Monthly sound baths on every first Tuesday of the month, 8–9:30 pm. Door opens at 7:45, latest entry 8pm. (As exact dates may vary, please double check below)
The next dates are: 7. January / 4. February

Listen to one of the sound journeys in collaboration with Manolis Zografakis on Soundcloud. 

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Prices

  • Single sessions: 90mins – 85€ (95€ with insurance). The first session includes an extended conversation and diagnosis. Follow-up sessions in Somatic Experiencing mostly end with ca. 15-20mins gently bodywork to aid the process of integration and the transition back to your daily routine. All given times include a short check-up conversation before and after the treatment.
  • „Leap into the Deep“ is a 150mins long combination-session offered in 2 versions: The wellness version takes you into deep relaxation through the perfect alchemy of Zen-Shiatsu and Craniosacral Therapy. The therapeutic version adds to a Somatic Experiencing Session the grounding and integrating touch of Craniosacral Therapy. Price: 150€ (160€ with insurance).
  • Gift vouchers are available for all sessions.
  • Additional costs: Sessions ending after 7:30pm + 15€. On Sundays or public holidays +40%.
  • Reductions for young people and students are available on request.
  • Cancellations: Free of charge up to 48h before the appointment, 48-12h before the appointment - 50% of the price of the session. Same day cancellations as well as sessions that are not cancelled and not taken are charged at full price.
  • Insurance coverage: Clients with private insurance or an additional insurance for natural health practitioners (Zusatzversicherung für Heilpraktiker) are usually covered up to 80% by their insurance company. More information is available on the German site of this web page.
  • Sound bath on the 1st Tuesday of the month 8-9:30pm - 15€. (During Corona times I only offer private sound baths. Please check the German web site or send an email to receive updates.)

Elena Sofia

 

 

What is my life woven out of?
How does the world touch me and how do I touch it?
What moves me and how do I move?

These are the questions that inspired and guided me on my path through academia, the arts and as a healer. A strong curiosity for the workings of the mind and a fascination of the body are for me inseparable.

I opened the KörperRaum Practice in 2010 and work here in collaboration with my colleague Johannes Stein. My personal focus is on the Craniosacral Therapy and trauma release with Somatic Experiencing.

To acquired my certificate as a natural health practitioner I studied at the Berliner Schule für Heilkunde. Before this I had trained at the Zentrum für Harmonische Bewegung Berlin (ZfHB) studying zen-shiatsu, massage, lymph drainage, moxibustion, qi gong, yoga and za-zen meditation.

The degree as a craniosacral therapist I was granted by Hugh Milne (Visionary Craniosacral Work, Milne Institute, Berkley, CA & Hamburg) and further learned with Giorgia Milne (Biodynamic Craniosacral Work, Weg der Mitte, Berlin) and Michael Kern (Craniosacral Therapy Educational Trust, London/Hamburg).

Upon completing my training I worked as a therapist and/or teacher in ZfHB, in Shiatsu Labor und in der Naturheilpraxis Vogler.

Through the years of working with clients mostly on the physical level, I have become increasingly aware of the deep interwoven connection between physical ailments and discomforts on the mental and/or emotional level. This led me to a more psychosomatic approach to my work and to the training as a Somatic Experiencing therapist (Peter Levine's trauma release method) with the German Association of Academic Psychotherapists (BAPT).

A deep influence on my perception of the world and the paths of healing comes from the time I spent with indigenous healers of the Amazon and their families. I was lucky to get immersed in a very authentic and interwoven form of existence, which - even though as modern people we don't experience on a daily basis - remains the ground in which our nervous system is rooted and where many keys to healing are held.

Before I dedicated myself to the therapeutic work I had the opportunity to explore the phenomenons of presence, consciousness and creativity from a scientific perspective during my studies at the Free University of Berlin (MA in Art History and Comparative Religions.)

Dance, which I experience as joyful form of body work and meditation in movement, has always been a part of my path.

Making music connects me to deeper inner and outer spaces and has taught me a lot about silence and vibration.

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Körperraum

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