Meeting Someone Where They’re At
Working with a client navigating Parkinson’s has been an incredible journey and has helped me deepen my ability to meet someone exactly where they are and adapt to each step. When we began our sessions, my client presented with classic signs of PD: their posture was incredibly stiff, hunched forward, with limited head movement and noticeable saccades as they turned. Their hands were cold, flexed, and slightly blue, with clear signs of compromised circulation. Each sentence took time to organize, and their eye movement was limited, as though every motion required immense energy and focus.
From the beginning, I knew our work together would require more than routine support; it would mean fully adapting myself to meet their needs. for example, I consciously bring high energy to each session and offer encouragement through steady eye contact and a warm smile to help activate their social engagement nerves and create a sense of safety and connection. Smiling becomes a way to encourage them to smile back, to feel seen, and to reinforce the quiet yet important bond that comes through non-verbal communication.
Throughout our sessions, I’ve also incorporated hands-on somatic work, gently guiding their body to stimulate remembering and reconnecting, especially in areas that feel distant. I use touch to awaken sensory pathways and remind their nervous system of movements it may have forgotten. We also work outside the traditional somatic framework and tap into the power of mirror neurons. This approach allows them to witness and mimic my movements, opening pathways to new responses and possibilities.
Over time, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing a beautiful transformation unfold. Gradually, their hands have warmed, regained color, and opened, their fingers relaxing more with each session. Their head now turns more smoothly, and their eyes have regained ROM. Their speech flows more easily, with fewer pauses, as they organize their thoughts with increasing ease. But the most precious change of all? I see a sparkle in their eyes…a renewed sense of joy, lightness, and relief.
One of the most heartwarming breakthroughs has been reconnecting them with their love for the piano. We’ve done a lot of hand work together, and recently, after some gentle encouragement, they began to play again. A family member shared that they recently played Amazing Grace without missing a beat! While my client was modest about it, I could see the joy it brought them!
Meeting someone where they’re at is truly about stepping into their world, right alongside them, and letting go of any agendas. In somatic work, we’re not focused on reaching an end goal or fixing something; instead, it’s about tuning into a human’s unique, first-person experience—the sensations, movements, and emotions alive for them in that moment. We’re here to explore together, to follow where they lead, and to honor whatever surfaces. Witnessing these moments of reconnection is a privilege, and I am so very grateful to be part of the process as I learn right along with them.
