What is Somatic Therapy?

Many forms of therapy tend to focus on cognition. However, negative life events, stress, and trauma don’t just live in the mind. The mind and the body are inextricably linked, so what a person experiences in their brain is also felt throughout their whole being.

A great example of this connection can be found in the fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses. These responses are the body and brain’s way of protecting and defending themselves against any perceived threats. When the body goes into fight-or-flight mode, someone will experience sensations like quickened breathing, increased heart rate, and tunnel vision.

For those who have PTSD or anxiety disorders, their fight-or-flight mode is often triggered. This can lead to chronic pain, muscle tension, and an overactive nervous system.

Somatic therapy is a profound approach that integrates bodily sensations, movements, and experiences into the therapeutic process. Let’s explore somatic therapy in more detail and how it can help those seeking a holistic approach to healing.

What is Somatic Therapy?

Somatic therapy is a therapeutic approach that recognizes that the body holds onto emotional tension, trauma, and stress through physical sensations. It focuses on bodily experiences and sensations as a way to access and process underlying trauma and emotions. This form of therapy uses a body-centric approach to help individuals release the stress or trauma that they’re holding within their bodies.

Forms of Somatic Therapy

Somatic experiencing therapy is one of the most common forms of somatic therapy. During this form of therapy, clients discuss their problems while a therapist helps guide their focus on the physical sensations they’re experiencing through mind-body exercises. These mind-body exercises may include breathwork, dancing, grounding, or visualization exercises.

Other forms of therapy that use this approach or framework include:

• Biodynamic psychotherapy

• Bioenergetic analysis

• Brainspotting

• Sensorimotor psychotherapy

• The Hakomi Method

Differences Between Other Therapies and Somatic Therapy

Somatic therapy is closely related to other types of therapies, like cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT. However, the main difference is that somatic therapy incorporates the body while CBT focuses on the mind. Traditional forms of talk therapy involve clients becoming more aware of their negative thoughts and behaviors and will use sessions to work on changing those into more positive beliefs. Somatic therapy utilizes the physical sensations a person experiences to process and heal trauma or stress. This approach starts with the body and making sure a person feels safe and comfortable exploring their various thoughts and emotions and making them desensitized to any negative thought patterns or emotions.

Techniques of Somatic Therapy

So, how does somatic therapy actually work? A somatic therapist will work with their clients to help them release any negative emotions that their body is holding onto using mind-body techniques. These are some of the most common somatic therapy techniques:

• Acupuncture

• Alternating one’s focus

• Body awareness

• Breathwork

• Calming tools

• Dance

• Detailed descriptions

• Emotional release

• Emotional resourcing

• Grounding

• Hypnosis

• Massage

• Meditation

• Pendulation

• Replaying past situations

• Setting and enforcing boundaries

• Titration

What Somatic Therapy Can Help With

Somatic therapy is used to help treat a variety of different health issues. Anxiety, addiction, depression, grief, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), self-esteem problems, and stress are some of the most common mental health issues that somatic therapy can be used for. Somatic therapy is also a great option for physical health issues like chronic pain, digestive issues, and sexual dysfunction.

Next Steps

Somatic therapy might be right for you if you:

• Experience chronic pain, PTSD, or anxiety

• Seek a holistic approach to healing trauma and emotional wounds

• Feel disconnected from your bodily symptoms or experience physical sensations without a clear underlying issue

• Prefer a body-centered approach rather than traditional talk therapy

If you are intrigued by somatic therapy and how it can help you on your healing journey, reach out today to set up an initial consultation.