Cara Dinley

Background

About Cara Dinley

For the last twenty years Cara has been exploring the miraculous bodymind. Cara started out as a dancer and performer, and is now a trauma informed practitioner who specialises in embodiment, regulation and trauma release. After graduating from the University of Melbourne with First Class Honors in a Masters of Directing for Performance, Cara has continued her research into somatic practices with Somatic Education Australasia. A wonderful complement to her embodiment studies has been certification from the Psychosensory Academy, UK and continued extensive training with Dr Kate Truitt. The culmination of the deep dives and rich offerings from these generous and wise mentors provides Cara with a multifaceted bedrock from which springs a unique approach. Cutting edge neuroscience, imaginal self-touch methods for regulation, neural network expansion and trauma release using sensory association all inform her approach as much as wholistic, bodymind consciousness."Every person has their patterns that protect and drive.""My own journey to freedom from pain motivates me to help others do the same.""As a professional dancer, at age 18, I suffered from an "incurable" lower back issue according to a range of physical therapists. Needing to take the matter into my own hands was a blessing, Pilates and Yoga were my first steps into mindbody modalities which opened my investigation into a range of other somatic practices.""These days I've moved away from practices which encourage 'holding' and tension patterns and towards freedom of movement through conscious sensing of comfort and ease. This is not only about the body-it is just as much about thinking and the brain also. It's a profound experience to witness how an expanded perspective, grounded in the body, enables our thinking to expand beyond its cognitive patterns.""My initial thesis, undertaken in a Masters of Directing for Performance, took a deep dive into how we learn to coordinate and integrate the body and voice. This began a wonderful path of neuroscience (Le Doux) and to an expanded range of somatic practices from around the world in search of ways to free bodies and voices in performance. The combination of experience based and theoretical research into stories and symbols and their expression through bodies and voices provides a wealth of associations which are always growing my relationship with myself, my clients and the world."