The Hidden Loneliness of Deep Practice

I have found it incredibly isolating working as a bodyworker. I occasionally catch up with friends who work in this field but nothing is really consistent and nothing is too reflection focused.

I kept doing more trainings and finding community within these groups but it always felt fleeting.

A few years ago I tried to seek out a peer group. I approached an elder tantric bodyworker in the north. Unfortunately she said that there was no availability on her peer group at the time. After that setback I just had a quiet hope that something would arise but nothing did.

The loneliness of doing this alone is heavy.

Sometimes client sessions are raw and emotive.
Sometimes it’s deeply heartbreaking to hear the level of abuse someone has survived.
Sometimes there are clients where I have quietly wondered whether I could handle the degree of trauma being presented.

Thankfully, many of these clients have responded beautifully to the sessions and they have been my greatest teachers.

But doing this in isolation is tough.

After particularly heavy sessions my brain can feel like it’s swimming. There is a mental fatigue, decisions feel heavier than they should. Sometimes I just want to switch off. Not because I cannot handle the work, but because there is nowhere for me to process.

When there is no place to process complexity it can stay in the system. Personal practice - energy clearing and grounding is helpful but not complete.

Other reflections are that working in isolation can inflate confidence.
It can deepen self-doubt.
It can create ethical blind spots and blur boundaries.
It can lead to burnout.
It can make projection and feedback harder to metabolise.

Basically, this deep work without peer reflection increases risk.

Risk to the practitioner.
Risk to the client.
Risk to the integrity of the work itself.

In psychotherapy, supervision is obligatory. It is recognised as essential to safe practice.

In bodywork and somatic healing, it is rare. And yet the depth of what we hold is often just as complex. 

Advanced practitioners will often want to do more training to become better but that’s not what is needed.

To level up we need reflection. We need to be open to admitting blind spots without collapsing into self-criticism, allowing other perspectives in. And, being witnessed in both their wins and their struggles.

Mature work requires structure and support.

Imagine what it would feel like to be witnessed after a hard session by people who truly understand the nuances of this field.

To celebrate a breakthrough with those who know what it took.
To speak openly about complexity without fear of judgement.
To have somewhere for the weight to land.

Things would settle faster.
The heaviness would not linger as long.
Decisions would feel clearer.
The work would feel more sustainable!

This is what we need because this work is something we are building our lives around.

I am building a grounded, mature space where the complexities of this work can be spoken about openly. A space that supports growth, encourages depth and reflection, and allows both success and struggle to be witnessed.

If this reflection has stirred something in you, pause and assess where you are in your own development. I’ve created a short reflective quiz:

What Kind Of Practitioner Are You Becoming?

It explores your current capacity, your blind spots, and your next stage of growth.

Take your time with it. It may offer clarity on what support would serve you next.