NeuroAffective Touch helps connect and integrate the body and the mind using touch, consent, and conversation.
Dr. Aline LaPierre, LMFT, developed NeuroAffective Touch in the early 2000’s, integrating her studies of polyvagal theory, somatic experiencing, attachment and developmental theory, Jungian and Archetyple psychologies, Craniosacral therapy, Bodynamics Analysis, BodyMind Centering, affective neuroscience, EMDR and more. She studied both mind and body work and created a way of working that integrates the two.
What does a NueroAffective Touch session look like?
Before we begin table work, I will share a consent form, explain what it says, and answer any questions you may have. This work is based on your comfortable level and is highly consent based. This is a big part of what makes this work so powerful-I will be asking you to check in with yourself about what feels ok and what might feel better. If it doesn’t feel ok or could feel better, we try something else. It’s important to note that NeuroAffective Touch was developed to support nonverbal and developmental trauma. All touch is in service of healing early childhood wounds and connecting the body and the mind and is therefore non-sexual.
A typical NeuroAffective Touch session is 60-90 minutes, which creates space for the body and mind to settle, to connect, and for insights to arise. You are fully clothed (shoes usually are removed) and can choose to sink into an extra cushiony massage table that allows your body to feel fully supported. You can choose soft blankets, weighted blankets of various sizes, weighted and/or warmed pillows, as well as support under your head, knees, and feet. I will be offering options for you to choose from and explore.
In NueroAffective Touch, we move as slowly as the body needs (which is much slower than you would think!). This means you may have sessions where there is no touch and your body is supported by the table, blankets, and pillows. A whole session (or series of sessions) can be about what feels comfortable and supportive for your body. I can also bring in Tibetan singing bowls to sing on or around the body, which often creates a pleasant vibration within the body and helps folks notice parts of their bodies they may have not have felt in a long time.
When you feel ready for touch, we will collaborate to see if you’d like support under your head, shoulders, back, or somewhere else. If there’s an area where you’d like support and don’t feel comfortable with physical touch, we can place a warm weighted pillow there instead.
Who is NueroAffective Touch for?
We know that touch for babies is vital for safety, emotional development, and brain maturation. Sometimes this was missed, we didn’t get enough touch, or we didn’t get the kind of supportive touch we needed when we were babies. Our caregivers may have been outright neglectful and abusive, or perhaps they were distracted, not connected to our needs, or feeling depressed or anxious. This can send mixed messages about our safety and negatively impact our growth and development. NueroAffective Touch can help provide reparative experiences which can create connections between the mind and body and bring healing to those early developmental wounds.
I’m Nuerodivergent and I have trouble noticing my body. Would this help me?
In my practice, I’ve noticed that NueroAffective Touch can be helpful for ND folks and folks who have medical trauma or chronic conditions. They may have difficulty noticing parts of their body, feeling sensations within their body, or feeling their body as whole. Touchwork is done, always with your consent, at the pace your body wants and needs. This creates space for you to slow down and safely notice what’s happening for you.
Some things I have witnessed in my touchwork with clients:
A client with insomnia remembered what helped them sleep as a child
A client who was deeply uncomfortable with receiving care learned to check in with their body, ask for what they wanted, and say what they didn’t want
A client who was sleep deprived and burned out was able to deeply rest
A client remembered details from a medical trauma that happened in early childhood
A client who was unaware of a particular area of their body was able to notice it safely
A client with chronic tension was able to notice areas of their body that felt more relaxed and was able to let some tension release
A client who often forgot to eat noticed they were hungry
If you’re curious about how NeuroAffective touch or somatic touchwork might help you, reach out for a complimentary consult. If you’re a therapist and curious about how adjunct NueroAffective Touch may support your clients, contact me for a complimentary consultation or experiential.