Charity Martin, Rosen Method Bodywork/ Somatic Experiencing

I just ended working with Charity after about 5 years of bodywork and psychotherapy, and it was an invaluable experience, taking me through a number of stages and ending because the work I came to do actually got done. Charity is a rich and deep practitioner, a real artist in working with the body and mind. I started work with her after a number of important therapies, which helped me tremendously with chronic depression, and which actually took me to the place where I could and needed to work at the level of the body. I came to therapy falling apart in a substantial way, because that «embodied depression» wasn’t getting the right attention from standard talk therapy (as valuable as that’s been).
So in coming to Charity, I was relatively sophisticated in some realms, but clueless about body work. She was deeply holding and gentle in guiding me into my embodied experience, without (and this point I came to understand is crucial) allowing me to go crashing into some overwhelmed state. She masterfully kept me in the «sweet spot» of the work, neither too slack and therefore not growing, nor too challenged, and therefore always overwhelmed (and thus stuck). She was not dogmatic about the work, either, and would move appropriately with me as I needed more body, and at other times more talk or relationship.
Then, the last few years involved a lot of «body in relationship,» as we explored patterns of depression as they played out in relationships, including between she and I. This was about as important as the bodywork proper, all the way through the recent termination where she supported and challenged me to deal with how I do (or try not to do) endings. Even in times when I was angry or upset with her (which is what’s supposed to happen in therapy, at some point!), Charity would stick with me and stay in relationship, and both reflect where I was as well as work to really be present with me, as difficult as I could get.
And to boot, she’s got a deep and grounded spiritual side that balances the technical mastery she has in the bodywork, and which was very important to me in understanding the basal parts of my depression. I.e., Charity has a lot to offer.
So I’d recommend Charity without reservation.

Charity seriously impressed me with her exquisitely attuned perception and warm, friendly way of connecting. If you’re reading this review because you know about this work and are looking for a good practitioner, go ahead and call! If you’re curious about Rosen or body/​psychology, I think Charity would be a great introduction to this profound way of getting to know oneself. She is very caring and doesn’t hide behind what she does.
A friend recommended I see Charity after I was injured in a serious car accident. I went to her to do the healing process that’s usually overlooked in the medical world — healing from the trauma. She supported me in bringing my nervous system back to healthy functioning and thus my mind back to a calm place where I not only felt safe in a vehicle, but generally safer in the world. The work naturally illuminated other personality issues that were kept in place through certain holding patterns in my body, and, awareness led to change. Amazing and unique… well-​intentioned touch is the missing ingredient from our conventional healing/​growth techniques.

I first heard about Charity Martin at a Pema Chodron weekend retreat. I gave her a call as soon as I got back into town for my first Somatic/​Rosen Method Bodywork experience. Charity is personable, easy to talk to, and one of the most grounded people I’ve ever met. She can explain Somatic & Rosen work in a clear and accessible way.
The bodywork/​somatic work is very gentle and subtle in nature and it has translated into profound changes in my life. Through our sessions, we were able to bring awareness and eventually release some of the patterns that were generating a stagnant feeling in my life. Working with Charity supported and guided my process towards making some major transitions in my life. She works through a skilled and kind touch that brought forth radical change in my life.

Charity is a sensitive and nurturing person to work with. I started seeing Charity in early 2008 to gain new tools to more fully integrate my mind, body, and emotional health. I’ve been able to gain a better sense of how to work through stressful emotional responses by using the tool that’s always there with me – my body.

Charity Martin’s work is powerful and transformative, while also gentle and supportive. She describes her work as «helping people to connect to a more truthful, gentle, and resonant place within themselves, allowing freedom from limiting patterns.» I have been very pleased to experience this sense of connection and freedom through her work and encourage everyone to try it!