Soma FAQs
Yes! It’s normal to feel nervous about trying something new. Our decades of teaching experience has shown us how to connect with a wide variety of learners. It’s always our goal to meet you where you are, every step of the way you’ll have our full support. We truly care about your whole bodymind and have designed the program to ensure your success.
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
― Paulo Coelho
“Without realizing it, I’d been going through life believing that I was too physically and emotionally ‘damaged’ to work in the healing arts. This self-limiting belief was my biggest barrier to becoming a student at the Soma Institute. Yet a few days into the Somassage workshop, my self-empowerment began to come online as I felt how healing it was in my own body and psyche to practice Soma. I realized that I can still help others on their healing journey while I continue on my own– that these two journeys are intrinsically connected, even.”
― Madison Spencer, Soma Institute Graduating Class of 2024
― Madison Spencer, Soma Institute Graduating Class of 2024
― Paulo Coelho
Burned out? Sadly, we meet many massage therapists that feel tired and uninspired by their job. There are many reasons massage therapists lose interest in their work; work-related injuries and boredom are the top two. If you aren’t taught good body mechanics, and how to meet the person and their tissue with intention and boundaries, giving massages can be repetitive and hard on your body. Massage therapists often report that they feel like they are just going through the motions without making real, lasting change. Many feel disconnected from themselves and are sacrificing their body to help their clients get out of pain. No thank you!
Soma is different: it’s about balance and wholism. We know that for our work to be effective, it needs to feel good to the practitioner giving it. Soma emphasizes good body mechanics that support each practitioner's specific body structure, so every stroke feels good to both the practitioner and client. This way of practicing allows for deeper client connection, therapeutic effect, therapist comfort and practice longevity.
This wholistic paradigm includes the way Soma works with the whole person through the Soma Structural Integration 11-Session Series. In the Series, the practitioner gets to support the client in transforming their relationship with their bodymind through the hands-on work and by offering bodymind practices and journaling. As the practitioner, supporting someone on their bodymind path is a true delight and honor, and never gets repetitive or dull.
Depending on your previous training, some or all of your massage therapy school credits may be transferable to our program, allowing you to skip or test out of portions of the fall Soma Principles module. All students are required to take the entirety of the winter/spring Soma Training module. Learn more about the training modules here. Your first step will still be to come to the Soma Essentials workshop, and then, if you choose, we can review your massage school transcript in the application process.
Soma is different: it’s about balance and wholism. We know that for our work to be effective, it needs to feel good to the practitioner giving it. Soma emphasizes good body mechanics that support each practitioner's specific body structure, so every stroke feels good to both the practitioner and client. This way of practicing allows for deeper client connection, therapeutic effect, therapist comfort and practice longevity.
This wholistic paradigm includes the way Soma works with the whole person through the Soma Structural Integration 11-Session Series. In the Series, the practitioner gets to support the client in transforming their relationship with their bodymind through the hands-on work and by offering bodymind practices and journaling. As the practitioner, supporting someone on their bodymind path is a true delight and honor, and never gets repetitive or dull.
Depending on your previous training, some or all of your massage therapy school credits may be transferable to our program, allowing you to skip or test out of portions of the fall Soma Principles module. All students are required to take the entirety of the winter/spring Soma Training module. Learn more about the training modules here. Your first step will still be to come to the Soma Essentials workshop, and then, if you choose, we can review your massage school transcript in the application process.
Soma and Rolfing are born of the same seeds, but our methods, intentions and lineage differ in some ways.
The Soma Institute was one of the first schools to branch out from Dr. Ida P. Rolf’s Guild of Structural Integration. Soma’s founder, Bill Williams, PhD, was trained by Ida Rolf and taught on her faculty. As a psychologist, Bill wished to infuse the Series with more of an emphasis on the mind-body connection. With Ida’s blessing, Soma was born.
While Soma Structural Integration builds on the foundation of Ida Rolf’s 10-Session Series method of Structural Integration, there are some key differences:
The Soma Institute was one of the first schools to branch out from Dr. Ida P. Rolf’s Guild of Structural Integration. Soma’s founder, Bill Williams, PhD, was trained by Ida Rolf and taught on her faculty. As a psychologist, Bill wished to infuse the Series with more of an emphasis on the mind-body connection. With Ida’s blessing, Soma was born.
While Soma Structural Integration builds on the foundation of Ida Rolf’s 10-Session Series method of Structural Integration, there are some key differences:
- Soma focuses on the mind-body connection using tools such as introspective handouts that go with each session, prompted drawings and interpretation of those drawings, and client journaling. All of these tools are meant to encourage overall physical awareness, as well as emotional awareness. This focus on awareness and perception has a profound impact on the mind-body-spirit transformation that is possible with the Soma Series.
- Soma 11-Series incorporates an extra session centered entirely on the arms and shoulders, which is not present in the Rolfing Ten-Series®. The Soma directors saw a need for a more thorough treatment and movement education in the arms than what was in the original Ten-Series so it was added to the Soma Series in 2006.
- Soma works extensively with the core balancing structures of the body in each and every session. By progressively working certain areas again and again, clients can gain more structural change. For example, the psoas muscles are addressed in every session—slowly adding more depth, movement and client engagement over the course of the Series. This allows for deeper, more lasting change to occur.
- Soma emphasizes joint health and mobility by using a specific technique that helps balance joint space, increase proprioception and improve fascia health.
- Soma’s style of touch is different. By using small amounts of cocoa butter to improve the glide of our strokes, a Soma stroke can go deeper without the pain of pulling skin. Rolfing typically does not use lubricant.
- Soma incorporates a tool for postural analysis called Holographic Body Reading™, making postural and movement assessment easier and more informed. This allows our students and practitioners to look at a client’s body and quickly understand where their structure and system is already working well, and where there is likely to be dysfunction.
- The Soma Program includes a certificate in Somassage® which is a powerful stand-alone treatment for clients that creates balance and lift in their whole structure. By having this unique tool and technique you are able to offer effective single full-body or advanced treatment specific sessions for your clients, in addition to the typical 11-Session Series. This allows you to work with a wider variety of clients since you have more tools to offer.
All of our courses are based on the principles of Soma Structural Integration’s wholistic view of working with the bodymind. Each class is thoroughly planned to ensure that the information you receive is digestible, applicable, and that you can achieve success from day one.
We offer a handful of highly developed CE Courses and Trainings:
We offer a handful of highly developed CE Courses and Trainings:
- Soma Essentials: Somassage®. You can attend this course if you’ve never done bodywork before, or if you’re a licensed massage therapist. As a pre-requisite to our Training program it gives you a taste of what Soma is all about. It is an effective treatment method that established practitioners can offer to their clients or unlicensed folks can share with loved ones. We offer the Somassage® workshop about three times a year.
- Soma Structural Integration Training. Our 768-hour training program provides everything you need to begin your Soma practice. It comprises two modules; the Soma Principles module in the fall, and the hands-on Soma training in the winter/spring. Upon graduation you’ll be qualified to apply to become a Board Certified Structural Integrator (BCSI) and Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) in Washington, Oregon, and other states that accept the MBLEx. More information on our training can be found here.
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Continuing Education. Each year we offer a highly curated list of CE courses that are open to Soma practitioners as well as massage therapists.
- The Uncaging the Ribs workshop focuses on the tensegral relationship of the ribcage.
- Craniofacial Harmony is a 2-day workshop that focuses on balancing the jaw, neck and face. A vital course to anyone working with clients who experience TMJ dysfunction, headaches, breathing disorders, forward head posture, neck and shoulder pain and many other cranial facial issues.
- We also host courses taught by guest instructors. See all of this year’s offerings.
The Soma Training is not just about learning information and techniques. Our program is also about personal growth. We support our students to develop mindsets that allow them to live fuller versions of themselves. Why? Because we know that to be excellent, confident Soma practitioners that do therapeutic and effective structural integration, they also need to be on the path of vitality and health themselves.
Each hour of each day of our program has been specially designed to engage your whole bodymind in learning. A typical day flows between lecture, hands-on practice, group sharing, and movement activities. Each hour of class is an integrated learning experience that adds to the web of whole-body learning that makes up our full program.
Each hour of each day of our program has been specially designed to engage your whole bodymind in learning. A typical day flows between lecture, hands-on practice, group sharing, and movement activities. Each hour of class is an integrated learning experience that adds to the web of whole-body learning that makes up our full program.
- Personal Support: Low student to teacher ratio. Our student-teacher ratio is small, with a maximum of 14 students/cohort. This allows the faculty team to personally know you and support you through all aspects of the program, whether in learning the anatomy or practicing a certain stroke. Our student-cohorts learn and grow together often becoming lifelong friends and colleagues. Our school has been in the family for over 40 years. Jesse, Kelsi and our small but mighty faculty always work as a team. We truly care about your learning and offer individualized support for your personal and professional growth.
- A Condensed class week ~ Tuesday-Thursday. We meet 3 days per week (occasionally there are 2 or 4 day weeks). This condensed class week allows for more time to study and integrate the lessons you learned, and have the option to work part time, if needed.
- Lots of Hands-on practice. We offer the most hands-on clinic time of any Structural Integration program, giving you the opportunity to practice working with many people during the training. You’ll take 5 folks through all 11-Sessions, with additional practice sessions too. By the time you graduate you’ll have given a minimum of 60 structural integration sessions. You’ll have the experience and confidence to begin working right away.
- Focus on Bodymechanics. We want our practitioners to keep practicing Soma for decades to come. Our goal is to help students avoid the shoulder, back, wrist and thumb pain that is common for massage therapists. We do this by teaching really good bodymechanics. When doing Soma, our body positions are like yoga poses. By using our whole bodies in this way, we can work with very little effort and strain, and that sense of ease transmits to the clients as well. When massage therapists attend the Soma Essentials workshop and begin learning our bodymechanics, they are always amazed at how much easier it is to work than what they were taught. Throughout the training we will support you to find the postures and positions that work best for your individual body.
We often have folks who need to move closer to the Soma Institute to attend class. Don’t worry! There are many options for your situation:
- Stay at the Soma House: With advanced notice students can reserve a bed in the “Soma House” full-time, or just during school nights. There are three bedrooms with 2-4 beds in each room. The house is right next door to school, so once you are at the house the commute is easy, just a 2 minute walk.
- Rent on Whidbey:If you prefer to live with less folks, we have many Whidbey Island community connections and can often offer support in finding a rental that fits your needs.
- Shorten the Commute: Some folks choose to stay on the mainland and make the short 15 minute ferry ride to Clinton. There are many housing rental options in Mukilteo, Lynnwood and Everett to choose from.
By choosing to learn Soma you are making a valuable investment in your future. We know that financing that investment may be challenging, so we’ve compiled a list of
grants and financial aid opportunities from organizations that have helped our students supplement their tuition costs in the past. We also have some literature to educate you about other
financing options, though we recommend working directly with your bank or financial advisor before implementing any of them.
At this time, we do not offer financial aid through our school, nor do we accept FAFSA or the GI Bill. While we understand the benefits to participating in governmental financial aid programs like FAFSA, the Veterans program managed by the Workforce Training Board, and the GI Bill, in reality the overhead to maintain those accreditations is prohibitive for a school of our size. We are a small family-owned school with small classes that value supporting each student uniquely and personally, and therefore cannot accommodate the large number of students needed to make the accreditations viable.
“The more you learn, the more you'll earn.”
— Warren Buffett
At this time, we do not offer financial aid through our school, nor do we accept FAFSA or the GI Bill. While we understand the benefits to participating in governmental financial aid programs like FAFSA, the Veterans program managed by the Workforce Training Board, and the GI Bill, in reality the overhead to maintain those accreditations is prohibitive for a school of our size. We are a small family-owned school with small classes that value supporting each student uniquely and personally, and therefore cannot accommodate the large number of students needed to make the accreditations viable.
“The more you learn, the more you'll earn.”
— Warren Buffett
Massage therapy, and by proxy Soma Structural Integration, is considered a form of health care in Washington state. Massage therapy schooling and licensing is jointly regulated by the Washington State Department of Health Board of Massage, and Washington Workforce Training and Education Coordination Board. A minimum of 625 hours is required for any massage program in Washington—the Soma Training is 768 hours. Upon successful completion of a board-approved program (like the Soma Training) the school will notify the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, the body that administers the MBLEx massage licensing exam, granting graduates eligibility to sit for that test. The MBLEx test is a multiple choice computer exam that can be taken at any Pearson View testing center. Once the student passes the MBLEx they can then apply for a massage license with the Washington State Department of Health. Upon receipt of the massage license and purchase of liability insurance the student is then able to legally practice.
The Soma Structural Integration Training program gives you everything (and more) you need to test and become licensed in massage therapy and learn the specialized work of Soma Structural Integration.
In addition, our program prepares students to sit for the Certification Exam of Structural Integrators (CESI) and become Board Certified Structural Integrators.
The Soma Structural Integration Training program gives you everything (and more) you need to test and become licensed in massage therapy and learn the specialized work of Soma Structural Integration.
In addition, our program prepares students to sit for the Certification Exam of Structural Integrators (CESI) and become Board Certified Structural Integrators.
Yes! Once you finish our program, you’ll have completed the requisite hours to sit for the MBLEx and the Certification Examination of Structural Integration (CESI).
The MBLEx massage licensing exam is accepted in 45 US states. Our program fulfills the hourly requirements for all states and territories except New York, Nebraska and Puerto Rico which require over 768 hours. Of the remaining states, they simply do not require licensing at all.
Want to practice Soma outside of Washington State? Please use these links to see what your state or U.S. territory requires:
In addition to Washington, we have Soma folks working in California, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Kentucky, Florida, and Georgia, to name a few.
- State-by-State Massage Regulations
- State-by-State Structural Integration Regulations (scroll to the list at the bottom of the page)
Transferring an active massage license to Washington can be done by completing the steps for application by endorsement. You can start by reviewing the Out-of-State Applicants section on the Department of Health website.
If you are interested in adding structural integration to your skill set our program is a great option. You can learn more about our full Training program here. Because you are a massage therapist with a current license, the transfer process is pretty simple. We’ll evaluate your previous coursework and transcripts and will then apply/transfer appropriate credits toward our program. There is a $180 fee to assess your transcript. Transferred credits are only applied to the Fall Module A (Soma Principles) portion of our program. You’ll still be required to attend the full Spring Module B (Soma Training) portion of the program. Once you complete the Soma Training, you can complete the license by Endorsement application and we will send a School Completion form to the state.
If you only need to transfer into our program for obtaining credits to meet the licensing requirements to practice as an LMT in WA, we would not be the appropriate program for you. We can provide 32 CE credit hours via our Soma Essentials workshop.
If you are interested in adding structural integration to your skill set our program is a great option. You can learn more about our full Training program here. Because you are a massage therapist with a current license, the transfer process is pretty simple. We’ll evaluate your previous coursework and transcripts and will then apply/transfer appropriate credits toward our program. There is a $180 fee to assess your transcript. Transferred credits are only applied to the Fall Module A (Soma Principles) portion of our program. You’ll still be required to attend the full Spring Module B (Soma Training) portion of the program. Once you complete the Soma Training, you can complete the license by Endorsement application and we will send a School Completion form to the state.
If you only need to transfer into our program for obtaining credits to meet the licensing requirements to practice as an LMT in WA, we would not be the appropriate program for you. We can provide 32 CE credit hours via our Soma Essentials workshop.
Sure! Check out our Find a Practitioner page to find someone in your area. You can search by city in the search bar at the top of the page.
