What Is Somatic Therapy?

Have you ever noticed your shoulders tense up when you're stressed, or your stomach twist before a difficult conversation? Our bodies often speak the language of our emotions long before our minds catch up. Yet in traditional talk therapy, we tend to focus mainly on thoughts and feelings while overlooking the body.

Somatic therapy, also known as somatic experiencing therapy, offers a different path to healing. While approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focus primarily on changing thoughts and behaviors through conversation, somatic therapy brings your body into the process. This body-centered approach has proven particularly effective for trauma, but it can help with a wide range of mental health challenges.

Understanding the Somatic Approach

The core principle of somatic therapy is simple: your body holds onto stress and trauma, not just your mind. When you experience something overwhelming, your nervous system can get stuck in a state of high alert. Somatic therapy works to release this stored tension by combining talk therapy with body awareness and movement.

During sessions, your therapist guides you to notice physical sensations in your body. You might explore how anxiety shows up as tightness in your chest, or how stress creates tension in your shoulders. By becoming more aware of these bodily responses, you can learn to work with them rather than against them.

What Happens in a Somatic Therapy Session

Somatic therapy uses several techniques to help you reconnect with your body and release stored tension. Your therapist might guide you through grounding exercises, which help you focus on physical sensations when you're feeling overwhelmed. Instead of spiraling into panic or flashbacks, you learn to anchor yourself in the present moment by noticing what you're feeling in your body.

You might also practice movements that express or release physical sensations. For example, if you're carrying tension from an unfinished fight-or-flight response, your therapist might guide you through gentle movements that complete that interrupted action. Some approaches include alternating between recalling something stressful and returning to a neutral or positive sensation, which helps your nervous system learn to regulate itself.

Bodywork, such as therapeutic touch or massage, may also be part of the process. This helps release tension held in your muscles and tissues.

Conditions Somatic Therapy Can Help

Research shows that somatic therapy is particularly effective for trauma-related conditions, especially PTSD. The body-focused approach helps process traumatic memories that talk therapy alone might not reach. But somatic therapy can also help with:

• Anxiety disorders

• Depression

• Substance abuse

• Grief

• Chronic pain

The emphasis is on building self-reliance. You develop internal resources to regulate your emotions and respond to triggering situations. This strengthened mind-body connection gives you tools you can use on your own, outside of therapy sessions.

Is Somatic Therapy Right for You?

You might benefit from somatic therapy if traditional talk therapy hasn't fully addressed your concerns, or if you're interested in a more body-centered approach to healing. It can be especially helpful if you want to understand how emotions show up physically in your body and learn practical ways to cope with negative sensations through grounding and movement. Somatic therapy might not be the right fit if you're uncomfortable with body awareness or touch (in modalities that include it), or if you prefer a highly structured, cognitive approach.

Start Your Healing Journey

If you're struggling with trauma, anxiety, or stress that seems to live in your body as much as your mind, somatic therapy might offer the relief you're looking for. Contact us today for a consultation to discuss whether somatic experiencing therapy is right for you. Together, we'll help you develop the awareness and skills to release stored tension and build lasting resilience.

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