The 2% bridge between talk therapy and somatic work

I was recently having a conversation with someone, and she shared something that mirrored my own experience.

She told me she’d spent years doing talk methods. She’d also spent years trying somatic work. And she kept arriving at the same place — something was still missing.

I knew exactly what she meant. Things would move with talk. Things would move with somatic work. But for me, it was always temporary. It never created the lasting change I was looking for.

Here’s why:

Neuroscience tells us that only 2% of neurons cross between our two brain hemispheres. The left brain and the right brain are genuinely semi-independent systems. Talk therapy speaks to one. Somatic work speaks to the other. But without something to bridge them the insights don’t land in the body, and the body sensations don’t become meaningful.

Focusing is that bridge.

It’s also the answer to the question she asked next: how do you take a client who is completely out of her body and bring her back in — slowly, safely, without overwhelming her system?

That’s exactly what B’Etzem Level 1 teaches.

I’m opening a small summer cohort for frum female practitioners who are ready to stop working around the gap.

Thursdays, starting July 9​
8 weeks on Zoom | 9:45am–1:00pm EDT | Skipping Tisha B’Av
Early bird $1,750 through Monday July 6 at 10am | $2,100 after

If this landed, reply to this email and tell me a little about your work. We’ll figure out if this is the right fit.

Warmly,
Rena

P.S. Don’t forget to connect with me on WhatsApp. I share visual reminders to anchor these ideas and link to new content weekly.

This week’s book recommendation: If this email resonated with you, I recommend The Power of Focusing by Ann Weiser Cornell. Cornell writes about the felt sense — that vague, unclear something inside that already knows more than your words do — and how to turn toward it with curiosity instead of pushing past it. A warm, practical guide to learning the practice that Gendlin developed, written by one of the world’s leading Focusing teachers. Order a copy here — this is an affiliate link which doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps support my work.

Join Soul Tilling (registration for Av opens on July 13):