In this blog, I explore the profound connection between emotions, body energy, and psychological wellbeing through the lens of bioenergetic therapy. Here you’ll find articles guiding you to recognize and feel your body’s signals, transforming physical tensions into emotional understanding and opening pathways to a more authentic and fulfilling life.
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Having You Without Losing MeA Bioenergetic/somatic approach to connection
You’ll explore:
- Your own boundaries
- Your attachment style
- How to stand for yourself when old patterns of relating no longer work
- How to hold onto yourself when you feel like you must please someone, or avoid them, or take care of them despite your own needs
A somatic, experiential workshop for humans
When: Saturday, September 27, 2025, 9:30-4:30
Where: The beautiful rustic setting of Our Celtic Hearth, Grand Pre, NS
Fee: $325, including lunch
CEUs: 6.0 CEUs availableA limited number of overnight spots are available at the Center.
To Register: email leslieanncostello@gmail.com to register.
Contact Our Celtic Hearth for your overnight accommodations.
About the Workshop
The dance of humanity is connection to others, but we have different needs and desires for closeness. These needs often relate to how we were received by our parents when we were very young. We can “map” our own patterns of attachment to people by looking at how our parents connected to us.
When our connection needs don’t match those of other people in our lives, we experience discomfort. This discomfort arises at the places of transaction between people, called boundaries. Boundaries are physical, emotional, social and behavioural. More than just limit-setting, boundaries help us to know where we are and where others are, relative to us.
This workshop will help us to explore both our attachment patterns and our embodied boundaries with other people using somatic and experiential activities.
Your Facilitators
Leslie Ann Costello is a psychologist, bioenergetic therapist, trainer and consultant. She is the author of Helping Mothers, Helping Babies: Somatic Perinatal Psychotherapy. She enjoys working with new counselors to develop their unique style.
Adela Gorodzinsky has been a bioenergetic therapist since 2000. She is a local trainer and supervisor. She is passionate about the body, mind, and spirit connection, enjoys working with people and facilitating their healing, thus making peace one person at a time.
The Setting: Our Celtic Hearth
Our century old farmhouse and purpose-built Wellness Center is nestled in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, the heart of wine country. The area boasts a plethora of tourist attractions, outdoor activities and beautiful scenery. We have shared accommodations for a small retreat group and can host up to 10 or 12 people for overnight stays.
Finding Your Balance in Chaotic Times: Introduction to BioenergeticsWorkshop Details
Dates: September 14, October 26, November 9, 2025
Times: 12:00pm – 3:15pm EST
Platform: Live Online via Zoom
CEs: 9 CE credits per session offered through the Massachusetts NASW. LMHCs can apply to the MaMHCA after completing the course.
Leaders: Each workshop is co-led by advanced CBTs (Certified Bioenergetic Therapists) and faculty members of the International Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis.What You’ll Experience
- Learn somatic techniques to use in your practice, along with bioenergetic theory
- Deepen your connection with yourself and colleagues in a supportive group format
- Experience advanced bioenergetic trainers from California, Canada, and the US
Course Overview
This course provides an introduction to the techniques and theory of contemporary Bioenergetic Analysis – a somatic/psychodynamic approach to psychotherapy. Each session will include didactic and experiential learning. Taught in a small group format, the course offers time for participants to explore their personal responses to the topics and to connect with the group members.
Adela Gorodzinsky, RP, M.Ed, CCC, CBT (Central CA) will lead the group at all sessions. Each meeting will feature a different bioenergetic therapist/trainer focusing on specific topics.
Session Schedule
Session 1: September 14, 2025
The Motion of Emotions: Brief Introduction to Bioenergetic Therapy
Led by Terry Hunt, EdD, CBT, Local trainer from MassachusettsFor many of us emotions are unpleasant and feared so we suppress them. Emotions can get stuck and manifest into states such as anxiety, frustration and depression. In Bioenergetics we see emotion as the energetic signpost directing us to a deeper knowing of ourselves. We understand that resistance to feeling emotion increases suffering. In this workshop we will explore how to move the energy and experience the benevolence of fluid emotions, increase our emotional repertoire, and ground our knowing of what emotions truly are.
Session 2: October 26, 2025
A Body/Mind Journey From Depression to Vitality
Led by Leslie Ann Costello, PhD, CBT, Local trainer from New Brunswick, CABioenergetic therapy offers an integrated body/mind/spirit/emotional/relational approach to mental health issues including depression. The workshop will describe bioenergetic techniques and methods, along with providing an overview of the bioenergetic perspective on underlying factors contributing to chronic depression. In the workshop we will explore vitality as an aim of therapy.
Session 3: November 9, 2025
Character Structure – Reading Developmental Trauma in the Body
Led by Homayoun Shahri, MA, LMFT, CBT, Local trainer from Southern CAOur bodies and behavior reflect our early experiences in a similar manner that a cross section of a tree reflects its age and a lot more. There are overall ways of looking and being that we have from the best and the worst of what we experienced as children. In bioenergetics we call this Character. We will learn about this in an atmosphere of acceptance and compassion.
Registration & Fees
Early Registration: $325 USD (if paid in full before September 1)
Regular Fee: $425 USD (applies after September 1)Payment Methods
- Check: Make payable to MSBA and send to: PO Box 79026, Belmont MA 02479
- Venmo: mass-bioenergetics
- PayPal/Credit Card: msba@massbioenergetics.org
Fee includes 9 CE credits. Some partial scholarships available based on financial need. For inquiries send an email to Susan Kanor at susankanor@gmail.com.
Cancellation Policy
- Before September 1: Full refund minus $25 administrative fee
- After September 1: No refunds available
Having You Without Losing me: Bioenergetic and Attachment Perspective
Workshop given by Susan Kanor, MA, CBT, IIBA International Trainer, in London, Ont.May 10, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Workshop Cost: $350.00 CAD (Lunch included)
London, ON, Canada
Only 12 spots availableIt is clear that our early experiences of connection or disconnection to our primary caretaker, in the first 18 months of our lives, shape our connection to ourselves and to others in a profound way.
In this workshop, we will explore the implications of this dynamic via an experiential and theoretical immersion into both Attachment Theory and Bioenergetics.
This group work includes Bioenergetic exercise classes, work in dyads and group discussion. Participants will learn how their Attachment style affects their life. The emphasis will be on self-compassion throughout the weekend.
Susan Kanor’s work in Bioenergetic Analysis began over 43 years ago in New York City. She trained
in Bioenergetic Analysis in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is an International Trainer for the
International Society for Bioenergetic Analysis. Susan co-ordinates the training program for the
Massachusetts Society for Bioenergetic Analysis. She has a private psychotherapy practice working
with individuals and supervising bioenergetic practitioners.Susan will be available for private sessions on Sunday 11th May ($130.00 per session)
This is a special offer for workshop participants.
To register, please contact Adela at healinginprocess@gmail.com
Solo porque me apetece: ¿Realmente ha consultado con su cuerpo?Here is the translation to formal Spanish (using “usted” instead of “tú”):
¿Ha notado cómo, a pesar de que muchas personas han realizado buenas acciones en los últimos años, están ocurriendo incidentes violentos en todo el mundo, manifestando la falta de control sobre las voluntades de las personas?
¿Cuántas veces ha presenciado usted que personas atacan a otras y se hieren mutuamente? Estos comportamientos pueden causar caos, destrucción, dolor, aflicción y pérdidas enormes. He observado que ocurre en todas las edades, desde niños en la escuela primaria hasta adultos mayores, y en todas las culturas en cualquier momento dado.
¿Qué pensar de esto? Me deja sintiéndome inquieto, descontento e inseguro. En Bioenergética, facilitamos el proceso de las personas para conocerse a sí mismas tanto a nivel mental como corporal.
A través del proceso terapéutico, los clientes pueden identificar sus fortalezas, anhelos y áreas de crecimiento. Pueden notar cómo algunas de sus creencias falsas los han mantenido “atrapados” o estancados en sus propias historias. En muchos casos, estos pensamientos y creencias les impiden alcanzar su máximo potencial y vivir la vida plenamente.
A lo largo de los años como terapeuta, he visto cómo los cuerpos y vidas de las personas se transforman. Cuando las personas toman conciencia de los pensamientos y comportamientos que ya no les sirven, pueden expandir su capacidad para responder con cuidado y empatía, en lugar de reaccionar impulsivamente y por miedo. Pueden abrir su corazón hacia sí mismos y hacia los demás, desarrollando la capacidad de ser responsables de su comportamiento.
Siento que hay una gran diferencia entre actuar según nuestros impulsos desde un estado mental y corporal fundamentado, y simplemente actuar porque “nos apetece” o “es divertido, nos alivia retaliar, atacar, golpear, maldecir, amenazar”.
Ejercer poder sobre otro es muy diferente de empoderarse a uno mismo o a los demás. Le invito a reflexionar sobre las veces que reacciona frente a las veces que responde y considerar preguntas como: ¿Cómo se siente eso en su cuerpo? ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre una y otra? ¿Cómo afecta una u otra a sus relaciones en general?
Retiro de Verano de BioenergéticaOur Celtic Hearth, Grand Pré, Nueva Escocia
18 al 24 de agosto de 2024Únase a nosotros para una semana de crecimiento y juego en el hermoso Valle de Annapolis. La Bioenergética es una psicoterapia holística y bien establecida que ayuda a resolver problemas emocionales a través del trabajo tanto con el cuerpo como con la mente. La Bioenergética parte del supuesto de que la mente y el cuerpo son uno solo, que los sentimientos son una experiencia corporal, y que nuestras experiencias corporales moldean cómo funcionamos en el mundo.
El Retiro es una experiencia de convivencia y crecimiento personal de una semana. Nuestro tiempo juntos incluirá terapia individual y grupal, movimiento, creatividad y Qigong. Es una oportunidad única en un ambiente seguro y de apoyo.
Sus terapeutas durante la semana serán Laurie Ure, Angela Funari y Dan Beaudette. Laurie es Trabajadora Social Clínica y Terapeuta Certificada en Bioenergética con más de 30 años de experiencia. Tiene una consulta privada en Gloucester, MA. Ella aporta alegría y juego a su trabajo y respeta los procesos emocionales y energéticos profundos. Como miembro de la facultad del Instituto Internacional de Análisis Bioenergético, Laurie imparte talleres y forma terapeutas a nivel internacional.
Angela cree en crear un espacio seguro para que los clientes se sientan escuchados, vistos y apoyados mientras exploran y descubren su auténtico yo. Ella cree que incorporar el trabajo somático en el proceso terapéutico ayuda a los clientes a vivir de manera más vibrante. Es Candidata a Terapeuta de Consejería Registrada en Halifax, Nueva Escocia, y completó el Programa de Formación en Análisis Bioenergético.
Dan recientemente completó su Maestría en Psicología de Consejería y está trabajando para establecer su práctica en Fredericton, NB. Completó el Programa de Formación en Análisis Bioenergético y ha recibido formación en Terapia Centrada en las Emociones. Dan ayuda a los clientes a conectar y procesar sus verdades emocionales a través de una combinación de estas modalidades.
Sus anfitriones: Ailsa Keppie creció en la propiedad del retiro y ha regresado a casa después de muchos viajes y aventuras para co-crear Nuestro Celtic Hearth. Declan King creció en la costa oeste en Vancouver pero ha encontrado su lugar en Nueva Escocia cuidando el jardín y ayudando a dirigir el centro de retiro.
Para más información, visite el sitio web de Atlantic Bioenergetics.
Cultivating Vitality: Somatic Techniques from Bioenergetic TherapyOnline via Zoom
Dates: March 17, April 7, May 5
Times: 12 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Eastern / 9:00 a.m.- 12:15 p.m. Pacific / 1:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. AtlanticThis course is a collaboration of bioenergetic societies in the Nanziba region and provides an introduction to the theory and practice of Bioenergetic Analysis. The sessions include both didactic and experiential learning. Taught in a group format, the course offers time for participants to explore their personal responses to the topics. Adela Gorodzinsky, M.ED, CCC, RP, CBT (Central CA) will lead the group at all sessions. The meetings will also feature a other bioenergetic therapist/trainer as follows:
- Grounding: Connecting Body and Mind, with Leslie Ann Costello, Ph.D., CBT (Atlantic Canada)
- Breathing: Tools to Release Tension & Reduce Anxiety, with Carol Melnick, MSW, CBT (Atlantic Canada)
- Boundaries: Skills for Healthy Relationships, with Vincentia Schroeter, Ph.D., CBT (Southern CA)
Please share widely! For more information and to register, please visit the Massachusetts Society for Bioenergetic Analysis website.
Psssst…… TAKE A LOOK!The fact that you can read what is written on this page is a manifestation that your eyes are working pretty well. Are you aware of how our communication with each other has shifted, from a full body/voice experience to mainly using our eyes and fingers?
Having spent a couple of hours on my cell phone greeting people for Christmas and New Year and actually talking to no one, I realize how tremendously important my eyes are, in order to facilitate my interaction with others, and help me have a sense of belonging.
It occurred to me that, I must reflect on how my sense of vision has guided me through many different paths this past year. I have so delighted in seeing beautiful sights, people’s smiles and interesting and inspiring readings, all daily miracles that I have been gifted with.
I have chosen to THANK my eyes for serving me so well. I invite you to do the same this coming year, 2024. Do not take anything for granted. Pause and reflect; practice GRATITUDE for every part of your body that serves you every day at any time.
Following is a short video giving you some ideas on how to care for your eyes.
May you be blessed with a clear vision this coming year!
Psssst…… ¡ECHA UN VISTAZO!
El hecho de que puedas leer lo que está escrito en esta página es una manifestación de que tus ojos funcionan bastante bien. ¿Eres consciente de cómo la comunicación entre nosotros ha cambiado, de una experiencia de cuerpo/voz a usar principalmente nuestros ojos y dedos?
Después de pasar un par de horas en mi teléfono móvil saludando a la gente para Navidad y Año Nuevo y en realidad no hablar con nadie, me doy cuenta de lo tremendamente importantes que son mis ojos para facilitar mi interacción con los demás y ayudarme a tener un sentido de pertenencia.
Se me ocurrió que debo reflexionar sobre cómo mi sentido de la visión me ha guiado por muchos caminos diferentes este último año. Me ha encantado ver lugares hermosos, sonrisas de las personas y lecturas interesantes e inspiradoras, todos milagros diarios con los que he sido bendecido.
He decidido AGRADECER a mis ojos por servirme tan bien. Te invito a hacer lo mismo este próximo año, 2024. No des nada por sentado. Haz una pausa y reflexiona; practica la GRATITUD por cada parte de tu cuerpo que te sirve todos los días en cualquier momento.
A continuación, hay un breve video que te brinda algunas ideas sobre cómo cuidar tus ojos.
¡Que tengas una visión clara este próximo año!
Cultivating Vitality: Exploring Bioenergetic Analysis introductory workshopJoin us for an exciting online event, Cultivating Vitality: Exploring Bioenergetic Analysis introductory workshop. This workshop is designed to introduce you to the fascinating world of Bioenergetic Analysis, a powerful approach to understanding and transforming our emotional and physical well-being.
During this workshop, you will have the opportunity to delve into the principles and techniques of Bioenergetic Analysis, guided by experienced professionals in the field. Through interactive sessions, you will explore the mind-body connection, learn about the impact of emotions on our physical health, and discover practical tools to cultivate vitality in your life.
Whether you are a therapist, coach, or simply curious about enhancing your own well-being, this workshop is for you. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to gain insights into the transformative power of Bioenergetic Analysis.
Mark your calendars for Sun Oct 01 2023 at 13:00:00 GMT-03:00 (Atlantic Daylight Time) and join us online for Cultivating Vitality: Exploring Bioenergetic Analysis introductory workshop. We can’t wait to embark on this journey of self-discovery and vitality with you!
- “Electromagnetic cuddles” have you ‘checked – in’ with your body?
Now that the vaccinations for COVID-19 are rolling out – and activities have begun to open up while we are still ‘social distancing’ – I checked in with my body. We, my body and my ‘Self’, have so longed to talk with, touch, and be touched by others since this Pandemic began. Yet, there was a sense of stagnation and caution. “How do I go about this?”, I asked. I felt the impulse to hug, to let my unbridled joy be expressed when I met my good friends, yet caution held me back: I felt the ‘stuck-ness’…..
We are surrounded by an electromagnetic force and our organs are constantly pulsing; energy is produced, and is stored in our molecules, the effects of which can been noticed in the brightness of our eyes, the tone of our voice, and our demeanour amongst other ways.
When move to be physically close to another, our individual electromagnetic energies interact with each other forming electric currents, and energy is stored from these electromagnetic ‘cuddles’. When we interact with others, our molecules move; we produce e-motions, and together we produce an energy that is bigger than the 2, 3 or more of us.
Having been relatively isolated from most people in the world, my energy, like a car that has not been driven for some time, felt like moving in molasses. What to do?
Bioenergetic therapists use themselves as ‘Therapeutic Tools’ when relating to clients. We have trained to sense the electromagnetic force surrounding, within, and amongst people. We facilitate our clients’ e-motional expressions and development, by listening to their story, while observing their body language. We create movements specifically designed to facilitate the body to get unstuck, to follow its impulse. Consequently, people can feel more alive and effervescent.
Adela Gorodzinsky, R.P., M.Ed. CBT,CCC
- Expectations
By: Adela Gorodzinsky, CBT, R.P.
“Whatever it is you’re seeking, won’t come in the way you expect it” by Haruki Murakami
How many Mothers’ Days have you woken up expecting certain things to happen – either for yourself, or from you towards others?
How many times, while in relationship, have you expected your significant other to fulfill your certain needs, only to be disappointed because what you were expecting did not happen, or did not happen in the way you wanted it to happen?
My experience has been that when I have and think about an expectation, it usually does not work for me. However, when I take the time to notice what my body is feeling and listen to the messages it is giving me, I ‘ground’ in reality and I know that I can trust.
Yes, I can trust that whatever happens, in any way it may happen, I am going to be OK. Once I can ground myself in trust, the miracle occurs; yet not at the time that I wanted it, but at the time that I needed it!
Bioenergetics has taught me to manage anxiety, fear, sadness and even excitement and joy. Doing my daily Bioenergetic exercise routine, including: stretching; grounding; and emotionally connected movement, it has trained me to feel at peace.
