Daniel Bear Davis
Daniel began training in Somatic Experiencing in 2012. He brings an understanding of the body that is informed by 15 years of experience as a body worker and a lifetime of experience as a dancer and movement educator.
Daniel sees clients one-on-one and in groups, on-line and in nature. His one-on-one work is also influenced by cultural somatics - the recognition of the larger web of human and non-human relations in which our somatic experience is situated. Sessions often thread the personal within the larger webs of ancestral lineage, nature, culture, and so much more. He works effectively with and without touch, as desired.
Along with one-on-one work, Daniel has used understandings from SE to guide the creation of performance developed in collaboration with a number of marginalized communities. In this work, he creates contexts where previously unspoken or isolating experiences become resources for creation and collective healing. Somatic Experiencing guided his creative process with EchoTheaterSuitcase project, in which he directed ensembles of military veterans and non-veterans in creative collaboration. He created performances based on personal stories with incarcerated men and women and with college students responding to interviews with Palestinian artists, activists, and refugees.
Daniel has worked as a massage therapist since 2004 and as a teacher of contact improvisation dance and embodied anatomy since 2006. He leads groups internationally - teaching tools for nervous system resilience as well as dance and embodiment classes. He has taught Axis Syllabus, contact improvisation dance, contemplative movement practices, and embodied anatomy in Europe, Asia, North America, and the Middle East, and now on-line. .
(photo credit Anna Maynard)
"I came to Daniel for help with social overwhelm,. In just five sessions I had such a noticeable shift in my everyday experiences. For the first time in my life, I felt relaxed instead of anxious while doing partner dancing. The pace felt safe and gentle while still getting to deeper issues in a shorter time than I've experienced with talk therapy and other processes.”
~Anonymous
