Co-Regulating Touchwork 
Where words can’t reach, touch remembers

SE Touchwork (or "table work") is a gentle, non-intrusive form of therapeutic touch designed to support nervous system regulation and healing. Before we ever learned to speak, our first language was sensation and touch. Ideally, our earliest experiences of comfort, safety, and connection were communicated through touch — which is why touch remains such a powerful way to engage the body and support regulation.

Touch can reach layers of experience that words alone may not access — particularly in cases of early or pre-verbal trauma. Many of our most formative experiences of shock, neglect, or disconnection occurred before the brain was fully developed enough to process or understand them. SE Touchwork offers a way to gently meet and renegotiate these imprints.​

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This work is done fully clothed and lying face-up on a massage table. Once a sense of comfort and consent is established, I use my hands to offer grounded, supportive contact to specific areas of the body. These may include: the kidney/adrenal area (linked with the threat response), the base of the skull (brainstem), shoulders, diaphragms, joints, belly, and feet.

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We might explore only one or two areas in a session. The process is slow, respectful, and carefully attuned. It’s not about manipulating the body or trying to fix anything from the outside. Instead, the intention is to bring presence to different parts of the system and offer support for whatever emerges.

SE Touchwork can be woven into a session for just 5–10 minutes, or it may form the focus of an entire session — depending on what feels most supportive in the moment.