About Lydia
At the heart of Lydia Becker’s work is a deep respect for the body’s innate wisdom and the human capacity to heal, feel, and reconnect. With over three decades of experience in Skan–Reichian Bodywork and midwifery, Lydia offers a grounded, compassionate presence that supports people in softening long-held patterns, breathing more fully, and rediscovering their natural aliveness. Her approach weaves professional skill with warmth, sensitivity, and a profound trust in the unfolding process of each individual.
Early Path & Midwifery
Lydia grew up in a small town in southern Germany in a middle-class family with two older brothers and a younger sister. The home birth of her son in Germany, supported by a midwife, profoundly inspired her life direction. In 1988 she became a licensed midwife.
After several years working in hospital settings, Lydia devoted herself to home birth and childbirth education. She attended more than 300 home births and taught over 1,000 couples in her birth education classes. She continues to teach childbirth preparation to couples in the Bay Area.
Lydia has a special passion for empowering women to trust and connect with their bodies and for nurturing the bonding process between parents and their newborns.
Path into Skan–Reichian Work
Through her midwifery work, Lydia experienced the power of breath and the importance of softening the social persona during birth. This led her to deepen her study of breath and body-oriented therapy.
In 1993 she began her three-year Skan training with Loil Neidhoefer and Petra Mathes in Germany. She later served as an Assistant Skan Trainer for three years while building her private practice, and in 1999 she received her certification to teach Skan.
Clinical Experience
Lydia has extensive experience supporting people working with:
Birth and early childhood trauma
Sexual trauma
Survivors of child abuse
PTSD
Grief, loss, and separation
Depression and anxiety
Personal growth and self-development
She also works with individuals who simply wish to understand themselves more deeply and expand their capacity for aliveness and connection.
Work in the Bay Area
Lydia moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2001 and has been offering individual sessions and teaching Skan workshops throughout the region ever since. She currently maintains a private practice in Fairfax, California.
Creative Collaboration
In 2008 Lydia began collaborating with filmmaker, poet, artist, and founder of Direct Acting, Rob Nilsson. She worked with the cast of the film Collapse as a Reichian therapist and actor, and has since appeared in seven of Nilsson’s films.
