Foundation for Embodied Medicine

Bringing the healing power of body awareness, conscious movement, and embodied presence to patients, caregivers, and medical providers.

Foundation for Embodied Medicine (FEM) is an independent program of Commonweal. Founded by UCSF Professor, "dancing doctor" Deborah Cohan, FEM offers workshops in body awareness, conscious movement and embodied presence to patients, caregivers and medical providers at Commonweal, in hospital settings and other non-profit healing centers. Workshops incorporate mindfulness, physical activity and creative self-expression in a safe and often playful environment. The goal is to facilitate the exploration and expression of the full range of psycho-emotional, physical, energetic and spiritual challenges among participants. Each workshop encourages primary sensory experiences as a method of shedding unconscious narratives that inhibit connection with one’s self and others. These sensory and somatic experiences set the stage for potent healing and, through an iterative process, nourish an integrated body-mind-heart-spirit. Embodied Medicine involves honoring the body as a source of wisdom and deep healing. Through movement and other exercises in body awareness, Embodied Medicine helps participants explore, express and transform their inner landscape. The Embodied Medicine philosophy is based on a deep recognition of the multidimensional nature of healing that includes not only the physical, which dominates the current biomedical paradigm, but also the psychoemotional and spiritual growth that is possible when one feels safe and adequately resourced to explore opportunities for deep transformation and liberation from suffering.