Mindfulness-Based Somatic Emotional Processing: A Guide for Patients and Therapists

A guide for working with emotions and unprocessed traumas

• Explains the simple yet transformative protocols and techniques of Mindfulness-Based Somatic Emotional Processing (MBSEP)

• Describes how to work with specific emotional states, such as anxiety, grief and anger, and how to integrate MBSEP with other healing modalities

• Demonstrates concepts and practices in detail through dozens of case studies from the authors’ decades of therapy practice

Developed by Robert Weisz, PhD, the practice of Mindfulness-Based Somatic Emotional Processing (MBSEP) combines mindfulness and somatic perception to help regulate emotions and process traumas that are stored in the body. The authors demonstrate these concepts and methods through decades of case studies and practical, accessible, step-by-step exercises.

Humans are emotional beings who feel and experience emotions in their bodies. Weisz and Blackwood explore the contrast between somatic, body-based emotions and the mental, cognitively-based stories, explanations, and judgments of the thinking mind.

The authors describe the “struggle factor” and why it is futile to resist having negative emotions. They demonstrate how to be mindfully present with emotional states like anxiety, anger, and grief, and they detail the healing influence of compassionate attention. Their methods foster neuroplasticity to create and expand neuronal linkages in the brain and nervous system.

By encouraging acceptance, compassion, and the experiential truth of our embodied emotions, Weisz and Blackwood have created a practical and flexible protocol for processing and regulating emotions. They also show how MBSEP is easily integrated with other healing modalities, making it a valuable resource for home practitioners and therapists alike.

Robert Weisz, PhD, is the developer of MBSEP and a retired clinical psychologist with more than 50 years of experience as a psychotherapist. His deep interest in the healing process and states of consciousness led to three decades of learning and healing work with shamans in Peru, Ecuador, and Brazil. He lives near Santa Fe, New Mexico, in a beautiful mountain home with his partner Diane, two cats, and many tree and rock friends.

Daniel Blackwood, MA, is the founder and director of the Evolution Group, Inc., a behavioral health organization that began in 1998. A practitioner of MBSEP for more than 10 years, Daniel is as passionate about "the work" as when he began as an intern 40 years ago. He is the author of Integrity Recovery, and he and his wife, Shawn, live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Together they share three children and four dogs.