Touch.Bodyworker, LINDA McCLURE gives us her perspective on the dancebetween psyche and its physical expression.As a Hellerwork practitioner and a graduate ofthe two Hakomi trainings (Developmental & Trauma) Ihave had a unique chance to see how the principles ofthese two therapies intermingle and support the way I domy work. At their base or foundation there is a commonalitythat abides. The following is an attempt to explain howI use the principles of Hakomi in my Hellerwork practiceand how this mix deepens the work of integrating somawith psyche.What is Hellerwork?In a Hellerwork series we take our clientsthrough 11 sessions of bodywork, movement and dialoguewhere each session has a psychological themethat is loosely linked to childhood developmental issues.Because of my Hakomi training these themes providea wonderful framework for discovery and growth for clients.We introduce topics such as what inspires them,and where do they feel support in their lives. The first3 sessions are working with the superficial tissue andfrom the psychological point of view are based aroundthe early years when survival, nourishment and sense ofself are some of the lessons we hope to learn. The nextfour sessions work deeper with the core tissue, and correspondinglywe open up the topics of control and surrenderwhere ideally we learn about healthy control, andwhen to let go and trust. Dialogue also touches upon ourability to listen to our body and intuition, where we learnto trust what our body is telling us. We also open up thetopic of our emotional expression and creative powerand whether we hold back our self expression. As weprogress through the program we start to look at the 21stcentury disease of being all in ones head, balancing ourpassion with reason, and having a whole body experiencethat invites communication between the head and theheart. The next section is called the integrative sectionwhere more mature topics are introduced, such as masculineand feminine energies and values, integration andcompletion.CommonalityThe principles of Hellerwork and Hakomi havemuch in common. In Hellerwork, like Hakomi, we holdas a premise that all living systems have a kind of innateorganizational capacity given their shape, size condition,(story) which gives rise to the living expressionof what/who they are. If we are able to understand thiswe can begin the healing process. When we pay attentionand listen we are being mindful we get to find outwhat the body is trying to tell us. The Hakomi therapistand the Hellerwork practitioner hold in common a basicpremise that we take time to study the clients experience.In Hellerwork this kind of mindful attention could beexpressed in how the practitioner took time to meet andgreet the tissues of the body both client and Hellerworkpractitioner could study how that is does the tissuefeel receptive, or is it somewhat guarded. In hanging outwith it we discover more. Often the tissue is expressingsomething to us if we take time to listen with our hands.This is where I think Hellerwork mirrors Hakomis principleof non violence. Listening to the tissues and takingtime before moving in to a bodywork stroke creates acollaboration with our client and a permission from thebodys tissue that is felt as a kind of ease. This could beconstrued