It’s not all in your head—your body holds on to memories of trauma, too.
Somatic therapy can help release them.
Somatic psychotherapy is an umbrella term for therapies that center on the mind-body connection. The term “somatic” means “relating to the body.”
Using special techniques, a bodily therapist helps you release any pent-up trauma that has become “trapped” in your body.
Although treating the mind-body connection is a relatively new concept in Western medicine (where the mind and body are often treated separately), this concept has long been recognized in Eastern medicine and philosophies.
What is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic therapy is rooted in somatic psychology, a body-oriented approach to psychology. It works by addressing the feedback loop that continually runs between the mind and the body.
Somatic therapy is different from typical psychotherapy (talk therapy). In regular psychotherapy, the practitioner engages only the mind. In somatic therapy, the body is the foundational point for healing.
Practitioners of somatic therapy believe that a person’s negative emotions—such as those experienced during a traumatic event—can stay locked inside the body.
If not released promptly, these negative emotions can turn into psychological disorders or physical problems, such as neck or back pain. Chronic pain is widespread among people who’ve been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Somatic therapists use mind-body techniques to release the pent-up tension that is affecting one’s emotional and physical well-being. These techniques could involve breathing exercises, meditation, dance, and other forms of body movement.
How Somatic Therapy Works
Practitioners of somatic therapy view the mind and body as intrinsically linked. They believe that trauma and other chronic negative emotions can get trapped inside our bodies and affect our mental health even further.
Somatic therapy is designed to help you heal on a cellular level.
After a traumatic event, the nervous system can get stuck in survival mode. Stress hormones, such as cortisol, are continually released, leading to increased blood sugar and blood pressure, which can weaken the immune system.
Physical symptoms begin to emerge when the body is under this level of constant stress.
In addition, some of our bad experiences can produce deeply rooted beliefs that our conscious minds can’t access. These might include negative or unhelpful thoughts, like “I’m a bad person” or “I’ll never be successful.”
These negative feelings don’t just hide in the body but often emerge. People who’ve experienced trauma have their symptoms reactivated during new stressful experiences. This can cause them to feel traumatized again and again.
Research on somatic therapies is up-and-coming.
In one study, people with PTSD who engaged in a type of somatic therapy called “somatic experiencing” showed significant improvements in PTSD symptoms and depression.
The theory behind somatic experiencing is that PTSD symptoms are an expression of stress activation.
Unlike exposure therapy (a common form of psychotherapy for PTSD), somatic experiencing doesn’t usually require a complete retelling of the traumatic event. Instead, the client thinks about traumatic memories that lead to high levels of stress and then learns to diminish the arousal through body awareness and various techniques.
Several studies show the positive effects of a type of somatic therapy called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).
In EMDR, the client recalls traumatic experiences while moving their eyes from left to right. This therapy can help you rapidly process previously unprocessed memories of trauma and also relieve physical complaints.
A 2014 review found that 24 studies support the effectiveness of EMDR therapy in the treatment of emotional trauma and other types of negative life experiences. Seven in 10 studies show EMDR therapy to produce positive effects more quickly than trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Somatic Therapy Techniques
A somatic therapist can use a few different techniques to help release trauma or negative emotions from the body. Here are some of the more common ones:
- Body Awareness: This is one of the first steps in learning to release tension from the body. The client learns to recognize and identify areas of tension in the body and calming thoughts and feelings.
- Grounding: This is connecting deeply to your body and the earth. Grounding involves sensing the body, feeling your feet on the ground, and calming your nervous system.
- Pendulation: In this technique, a therapist guides you from a relaxed state to one that feels similar to your traumatic experience. This may repeat several times, allowing you to release the pent-up energy. While the energy is released, you may feel uncomfortable or anxious. Each time, you will be guided back to a relaxed state. Over time, you will learn to get into a relaxed state on your own.
- Titration: In this technique, the therapist guides you through a traumatic memory. You will be asked to observe any changes in your body that appear as you describe the memory. If you experience any physical sensations, the therapist will help you address them as they occur.
- Sequencing: This involves paying close attention to the order in which sensations of tension leave your body. For instance, first, you might feel a tightening in your chest and then in your throat. Then, there may be a trembling sensation as the tension leaves your body.
- Resourcing: This involves recalling resources that make you feel safe, such as your relationships, personality strengths, or even a favourite vacation spot. It can include anything that makes you feel calm. You then recall the good feelings and sensations associated with your resources, which act as an emotional anchor.
What Does Somatic Therapy Treat?
Somatic therapy can treat any deeply rooted negative emotion stored in the body. This is typically due to trauma, but the treatment can also help people who have problems with:
- Grief
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Trust
- Intimacy
- Insecurity
Types of Somatic Therapy
Below are some of the most common forms of somatic therapy:
- Somatic Experiencing: Somatic experiencing treats the body’s reactions to trauma. Some somatic therapists may ask you to discuss your traumatic experiences, while others only ask you to describe the physical sensations you felt during the traumatic event. You may be asked to move your body in a way that activates negative feelings. The therapist will teach you to release the built-up energy safely so you can gradually get rid of the trigger.
- EMDR: In EMDR therapy, the client remembers traumatic experiences in short doses while simultaneously focusing on an external stimulus — the most common being sideways eye movements. Other focal points might include hand tapping or listening to a particular sound.
- Hakomi: Hakomi is a type of somatic therapy centred on mindfulness—the ability to notice the present moment without judgment. First, the practitioner establishes an atmosphere of gentle acceptance and helps the client identify body indicators of unconscious beliefs. The client accesses unconscious material quickly and works with the therapist to safely release it.
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Sensorimotor psychotherapy combines principles from psychotherapy, somatic therapy, attachment theory, and neuroscience, as well as techniques from the Hakomi method. This therapy helps the client safely re-experience a traumatic event and then carry out any unfinished actions (such as being unable to fight off an attacker) from the initial event. This is done to achieve a feeling of completion and closure.
- Neurosomatic Therapy: Neurosomatic therapy helps clients whose symptoms are closer to the mind-body continuum’s physical end. NST identifies the hidden sources of tension and physical pain in the nervous, skeletal, and soft tissues. The main techniques used in this approach include massage, posture work, and exercises to correct imbalances.
Let’s Recap
Somatic therapy in London goes beyond just treating the mind—it also treats the body and the nervous system. Chronic tension and painful emotions are healed at a cellular level.
If you feel like somatic therapy might help you, reach out to a licensed mental health professional with specialized training in these techniques.