Katja Kolcio, Ph.D. Somatics, RSME

Katja Kolcio, PhD Somatics, RSME

Dr. Kolcio is an Associate Professor at Wesleyan University. Working in the U.S. and Ukraine, Dr. Kolcio teaches and researches body-based somatic practices for stabilizing psycho-social wellness and resilience during conflict and social upheaval.  Dr. Kolcio’s current research, Vitality Project Donbas, a collaboration with Ukrainian NGO Development Foundation/Community Self-Help, draws on the expertise of Ukrainian activists, volunteers, members of the armed forces, and veterans to develop and assess the impact of somatic methods for generating resilience and agency during conflict. Vitality Project was implemented in Donbas, Ukraine in 2020-2021. Its feasibility and impact were evaluated in a study comprised of 1600 participants, making it one of the largest scale studies of somatic methods in a conflict zone. The program has been integrated into the Ukrainian National Guard training and published in The Force of Breath, Somatic Methods for Psychosocial Resilience by Volyn National University (2022, Rivne, Ukraine).