Raymond Rodriguez, Rev., MSW, LCSW
Raymond Rodriguez, Rev., MSW, LCSW, is an Afro-Latino clinical social worker with over twenty years of experience in community-based programs and private practice. He earned his degree from the Columbia University School of Social Work and is a family therapist with clinical interests in immigration, diversity, LGBTQAI+ empowerment, spirituality, and supporting marginalized communities. Over the past decade, he has specialized in trauma therapy, working with clients facing complex trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and dissociative disorders.
Raymond is certified in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), with extensive training in Internal Family Systems (IFS), family systems therapy, and psychodynamic psychotherapy. He has held faculty positions at the Columbia School of Social Work, Smith College School of Social Work, Hostos Community College (City University of New York), the Trauma Studies Center of the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy, and the Integrative Trauma Studies Program at the National Institute for Psychotherapy. He currently teaches at the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute. He has served on the boards of the National Association of Puertorrican and Hispanic Social Workers and the No More Fear Foundation. He lives in Westchester, NY, with his partner, son, and dogs.
26 Responses
The resilience exercise is something I’ve been doing instinctively for years. The story you told made me laugh because one of my favorite memories is almost identical, except for me it was a giant sea turtle, not a dolphin. This is one of my emergency exercises when I’m stuck in hyper arousal.
Also the part about restoring boundaries with somatic exercises was really useful to me personally.
Thank you Staci and Raymond!
Incredible interview. Thank you Staci and Raymond.
Thank you Staci! It amazes me how instinctively some somatic practices are. The intelligence is there, always waiting to emerge again. <3
Thank you to both of you.
I loved the advice at the end to make sure to check in with ourselves. So often we forget that we are also on our own healing path. Thank you both for this beautiful session. I will take so much of it into my own space.
I feel like I stopped by a healing pool and had a long drink of wisdom…what really resonated for me was the somatic ways in which we connect and honour our interdependence. The very practical and do-able practices grounded in an understanding of how our bodies work were very much appreciated. Lovely conversation. Thank you Raymond and Staci
The resilience exercise reminded me of this memory from this winter (I live in the northern hemisphere): I was walking in the park and it started snowing. I opened my hand so that I could catch some snowflakes. I could see every single snowflake with its unique pattern landing on my gloves. It was such an incredible couple of moments that I couldn’t bear it and started crying. From now on I’m using the opening I felt in those moments in my body when I need to regulate.
I can’t get enough of your messages. I made so many important notes and also wrote down all the practical tools. Thank you so much.
I can’t get enough of your wisdom and relaxed way of passing it on. I made so many important notes and also wrote down all the practical tools. Thank you so much.
Wonderful interview and great demonstration of what can still be felt and experienced during a zoom consultation with the right tools and techniques.
Listening to Raymond and Staci was a very grounding experience for me. I worked with a wonderful therapist for several years who was working with Soma as described by Staci. He did not ‘label’ it as such, however I experienced the same outcomes of connecting with my body and I learned how to support myself through the healing process to this day. I hold tremendous gratitude and respect for both of you, for your wisdom and gentle ways. The folks that get to work with you are very fortunate.
This interview was incredible bc it was both packed with rich useful information AND listening to the 2 of you was very regulating.
I liked the way you explained how safety can be misinterpreted in trauma patients, even when there is no harm. Thank you, Staci.
Beautiful and helpful. Thank you!
staci and raymond, thank you so much for this beautiful, calming, and at the same time alive interview. hearing and watching both of you talking, plus the way you discovered the content, and the content itself were very moving. thank you so much for your sharings and your work.
That was a lovely interview, thankyou Staci and Raymond. There were many jewels in there, and the one that comes to mind is to notice and attend to what gets left out. Inbone client it was her back and feet, in another it was the emotions held beneath her sadness. I wish I had time to listen again.
Condicive teamwork …Excellent revisiting of intelligence of coping mechanisms- memory, and how to worth with, re-membering more of the Tao …
Esp. grateful for steps in healing personal in relation to collective, and v.v.
Thank you so much! Both of you warmed my heart
Thank you, Staci and Raymond. I truly appreciate your warm and sincere approach; it touched me deeply and brought a sense of softness to my heart.
Beautiful, thank you! I nearly cried doing the hand exercise (prying hand open vs gently protecting hand). What a powerful exercise.
Inspired by dropping in to this conversation between Staci and Raymond. Beautiful, thank you both.
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I found it deeply concerning to hear claims today suggesting that memories are stored in body tissues. This directly contradicts well-established neuroscience, which shows that memory is encoded in brain structures, not in peripheral tissues. While somatic patterns can reflect emotional experiences, equating them with literal memory storage is scientifically unfounded. I am finding it increasingly difficult to engage meaningfully with the summit content given the frequency of such unsubstantiated or misleading claims.
While somatic patterns can certainly be manifestations or triggers of trauma, it is important to recognize that their activation is mediated by subcortical cognitive processes — not by the tissues themselves. The body does not “store” memories or patterns; the mind does. What we see in the body are expressions of neural processes encoded and activated by the brain. Misrepresenting this relationship risks undermining both the scientific foundations and the credibility of somatic work. The body expresses what the mind has encoded.
I was also concerned by the definition of resilience presented today. Resilience, in clinical and psychological terms, is not simply the experience of peace, joy, or connection in a given moment. It refers to adaptive functioning — the confidence and capacity to respond effectively to challenges and to recover from adversity. While activities that promote a sense of safety can certainly support emotional regulation, they are not, in themselves, resilience. Conflating momentary soothing with resilient capacity risks misinforming both practitioners and clients. Training resilience involves building capacities, not just feeling nice for a moment.
Too many wonderful nuggets to identify one. The rapport between the two of you was a model of practice. The exercises were so useful and clear. All together one of the most meaningful, helpful and touching of this summit. Kudos and deep appreciation.
how am i engaging more deeply with my body, how am i cultivating more intimacy in my life and how am i doing on my healing journey, my part away questions