Bethany Ward

Bodywork that Supports Healthy Emotional States/h2>

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Our posture and awareness creates somatic feedback that impacts the way we feel about ourselves and our place in the world. Unconscious internal messages and meanings often go unnoticed, predisposing us to relive feelings and reenact responses that may no longer serve us.

Discoveries in neurobiology, fascial studies, psychology and counseling are revolutionizing our understanding of embodiment and it’s implications for emotional health and wellbeing.

In this presentation, we’ll explore ways we can use our bodies to interrupt unproductive patterns and intentionally reinforce more helpful, pleasurable ones — in ourselves and in our clients. Manual and movement therapists are in an ideal position to help clients create bodies that get them unstuck emotionally, as well as physically.

Presenter Bio:

Bethany Ward is a faculty member at the Rolf Institute® of Structural Integration in both the Rolfing® and Rolf Movement® departments. Drawing upon eighteen years of bodywork and movement therapy experience, a background in psychology and a master’s degree in business, she brings an unusual perspective to the bodywork profession. Bethany is currently writing a book about using bodywork to support emotional health and wellbeing for Handspring Publishing Ltd.

Past-president of the Ida P. Rolf Research Foundation, Bethany assisted in the early development of the International Fascia Research Congress and creation of the Fascia Research Society. She has a keen interest in evidence-based research, personal transformation, and teaching.

Bethany is adept at making complex ideas understandable, relevant, and accessible to a variety of learning styles. Bethany teaches internationally about three months of the year. When home, she maintains a full-time private practice (ActionPotential, Inc.) in Durham, North Carolina, USA.