JULIE WATERS,Psychomotor Therapy
Dr. Niek Brouw's Approach to Healing the Unique Individual
"Open your circle to become free in yourself and the outer world!"
Services available in Oakland, California and Online.
Psychomotor Therapy addresses physical, emotional and psychological distress acquired throughout life, using developmental exercises and hands-on techniques.
About Me
Immersed in dance and art throughout my youth, I was drawn to the yoga tradition shortly after high school. Finding a philosophy and practice to reconnect mind and body for the purpose of healing and growth, was a click-moment for me. From there I began my own journey of healing and education.
After becoming a registered yoga teacher in 2001, I started exploring other healing modalities including becoming a patient and student of Psychomotor Therapy. At UC Berkeley I created a major in the Interdisciplinary Fields Studies department called 'Integrative Psychology'. I incorporated cultural studies and alternative health practices and traditional psychology. Post graduation and after three years working in the mental health field, I earned a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy at Sonoma State and started a career in psychotherapy. I have been treating clients and training new therapists since 2012.My studies in Psychomotor Therapy began in 2001 through regular workshops given by Tim and Jane Heintzelman, in San Rafael, CA, as well as annual weekend long workshops with the creator of Psychomotor Therapy, Dr. Niek Brouw of The Netherlands.In 2018 I began practicing as a psychomotor therapist and traveling to The Netherlands regularly to work directly with Dr. Brouw, and other psychomotor therapists at the Vitaal clinic. I continue to collaborate with the therapists of Niek's model, and am helping the foundation to preserve Niek's heritage and body of work.Here in the Bay Area I occasionally support workshops given by Veterinarian Rob Erteman, who used Niek's technique in his veterinarian clinic, and who today, continues to treat animals and teach the technique to pet owners. I teach the exercises to the owners, while Rob teaches the theory and treats the animals.I plan to offer my own workshops in the future to teach aspects of the model, and provide opportunities to experience the exercises!
SERVICES
SOMATIC PRACTICE GROUPSClick here for my current offerings
INDIVUDAUL PSYCHOMOTORIC THERAPY
Most sessions are a mix of talking and body work. I share aspects of the model relevant to your goals, and teach you tools and exercises that can be used outside of sessions. Body work may include visualization, physical stretching and hands on techniques.WHAT TO EXPECT:
Assessment- I take a full account of your health and developmental history.
Diagnosis - A physical diagnosis observing the mobility of your muscles, skeleton, and joints.
Goal setting - We discuss where you feel stuck due to past disturbances (social conditioning, injury, illness, trauma, unmet needs) and what changes you wish to make in your life.
Treatment- We practice shifting your automatic reactions towards more conscious responses, through exploring your unconscious past.
Physical techniques are designed to release patterns of overuse or suppression that cause physical and psychological imbalance.
Practicing the exercises regularly at home on your own will integrate the experiences in the treatment room and aide in your progress.
DETAILS
Psychomotor Therapy is for anyone wanting to deepen self-understanding, feel more whole, and find greater physical and psychological freedom.Everyone is welcome!
Individuals, couples, families
All ages and ability levels
Frequency and duration varies based on your goals, resources, and diagnoses.
*Psychomotoric Therapy is a unique healing modality, and is not psychotherapy.
PSYCHOTHERAPY
I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and offer talk therapy for individuals and couples through a separate practice.My psychotherapy practice is informed by this model, but does not include a physical assessment or hands on techniques. I utilize some somatic interventions, such as grounding and self-soothing techniques like breath work and guided visualization.To learn more, click the button below.
SOMATIC PRACTICE GROUPS
These groups offer an ongoing opportunity to experience my somatic approach in a calm, inclusive setting. Through guided movement and reflection, we practice releasing tension, restoring balance, and becoming more present with ourselves and others.Enjoy 90 minutes in a calm, supportive environment to turn inward and reconnect with your body. Each session includes guided somatic movements- targeted stretches designed to relax or awaken different physical and emotional systems, along along with time to reflect or share your experience, if you choose.Stretches are non-rigorous and accessible for most bodies.
In-person and online access available.
CURRENT OFFERINGS
GROUND + RESTORESomatic Practices for the Holiday Season
Take a pause from the rush. Reconnect with your body and find steadiness through gentle, guided movement and self-reflection.
Join me for a 90-minute somatic class designed to ease stress and support emotional balance as you move into the holidays.Fridays in 2025
November 21 & December 19
1:00–2:30 PM · Piedmont Ave, Oakland
What to expect
Gentle somatic stretches to release tension
Practices for grounding and integration
Time for reflection and intention setting
Simple tools to take home
No experience needed - come dressed to stretch.
$75 per 90-minute session
If cost is a barrier, please reach out about reduced rates
For more details or to sign up, contact me by clicking the "get started" link below.This group is based primarily on the Psychomotor theory and techniques of Dr. Niek Brouw, a developmental and movement-based system that supports regulation of the body and nervous system. The practice involves simple, accessible physical exercises that help calm, focus, and integrate body and mind, supporting deeper body awareness, emotional balance, and embodied connection.
It is experiential and educational in nature, and not psychotherapy.
Psychomotor Therapy
According to Dr. Niek Brouw
Dr. Niek Brouw has been practicing medicine in The Hague, NL for over 50 years. He developed a method that works on the principle that a unique individual needs unique exercises for each unique occasion.Based on years of comparative research, his own powers of observation and the integration of many different views and disciplines, Niek has developed a practical preventive and curative treatment for anyone.Through relatively simple exercises you can quickly find out where you are creating too much or too little tension and where you have skipped important steps in your development.Through this exercise method, we can optimize the posture of the body and give the less developed parts -your potentials- the opportunity to continue to grow naturally.The space you are given when you start to feel your own healthy posture and movement from within, creates the same space (i.e., freedom) in your mental and emotional world.The Niek Brouw Method is based on “living life instead of just surviving it.”The Niek Brouw Method is based on the body, and all the possibilities within it. Through a unique system of physical exercises, you shift the search for possibilities outside yourself to discovering the possibilities within yourself, or for some vice versa.Dr. Brouw has created hundreds of exercises based on the ‘GDS muscle chains’ and dimensions of the body. These exercises deal with acute injuries and pain and also address the underlying causes of muscle and joint pain and physical as well as mental restrictions.He has given workshops around the world to doctors, physical therapists, psychotherapists, dentists, audiologists, and veterinarians. He has written three books on his model and findings, and continues to develop his methods and coach psychomotoric therapist today.
BOOKS
For more information, click the image for a link to purchase, or ask me more!
