Do you ever feel like you’re just “surviving, not thriving”?
The relentless battle between remaining present in your daily life and reliving your past can feel overwhelming, scary and out of control. Existing in survival mode is exhausting.
What is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic therapy is a body-based approach to mental health that focuses on the connection between the mind and body. Unlike traditional talk therapy, somatic therapy recognizes that we cannot simply “logic” or “reason” our way out of trauma. Traumatic experiences are often stored in the body and nervous system, which can make them difficult to remember clearly or put into words. This is why talking about past experiences alone may not bring lasting relief— and why some people find that traditional therapy approaches haven’t been effective.
Trauma can overwhelm the nervous system, leaving the body stuck in patterns of fight, flight, freeze, or shutdown long after the event has passed. Somatic therapy works by gently helping the nervous system regain a sense of safety and regulation. By increasing awareness of bodily sensations, emotions, and nervous system responses, clients can begin to release stored stress and trauma and feel more grounded in the present moment.
Somatic therapy encompasses a variety of treatment methods that center on the body rather than the mind. Sessions may include body awareness exercises, breathwork, grounding techniques, and gentle movement. Through “getting curious” and safely experimenting with movement and sensation, clients can build greater emotional regulation, resilience, and a stronger sense of connection to themselves.
This approach is especially effective for trauma, PTSD, complex trauma, anxiety, and chronic stress. Rather than focusing on retelling traumatic experiences, somatic therapy emphasizes restoring a sense of control, supporting the body’s natural capacity to heal, and helping clients feel more present and stable in their daily lives.
Strengthen the mind-body connection & heal your nervous system
What to Expect
The Somatic Process
Somatic Therapy focuses on the following in hopes of alleviating symptoms:
Increasing awareness of feelings and sensations in your body (aka somatic or body awareness)
Cultivating a felt sense of safety within your body through identifying coping skills or supports
Stabilizing your nervous system so that you can live in the present moment, not the past
Although there is no set timeline for somatic therapy, here are some things that you can expect while working with your therapist:
Therapy starts off with you getting to know your therapist and vice versa. Your therapist will get to know your history and what you’d like to focus on in therapy. Your therapist will share the “in’s-and-out’s” of what to somatic exercises involve and what they do not, information about trauma and how it impacts you as a whole, and skills to ensure safety throughout the therapeutic process. As you work with your therapist, you will discuss your progress periodically, which will help determine how many sessions are appropriate to meet your needs.
Some common terms you will hear in somatic therapy are…
Getting Curious: Approaching your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations with openness and without judgment. Rather than trying to fix or change what’s happening, we gently notice what is present in the body. Curiosity helps create safety, slow the process down, and build awareness without becoming overwhelmed.
“Can we try something?” A phrase commonly used in somatic therapy to invite experimentation and collaboration. This may involve a gentle movement, breath, grounding exercise, or moment of noticing. You are always in control— nothing is done without your consent, and you can stop or change course at any time. These small experiments help your nervous system learn new ways to experience safety and regulation.
Body (somatic) awareness: Connecting your feelings and bodily sensations in order to strengthen the mind-body connection and recognize patterns of dysregulation.
Pendulation: Learning how to safely move between low states of activation where you are relaxed to high states of activation that are similar to what you experienced during the traumatic event and back down again.
Titration: Noticing how your body responds to sharing a traumatic memory in “real-time” and increasing your ability to tolerate intense emotions and bodily sensations activated by trauma safely.
Resourcing: Identifying “resources” in your life, such as people, places, or things that help increase that felt sense of safety or comfort and help you return to a more relaxed, lower state of activation.
Flooding: A state in which the nervous system becomes overwhelmed by intense emotions, memories, or bodily sensations, often related to trauma. Flooding can feel like panic, shutdown, dissociation, or losing a sense of control. Somatic therapy works intentionally to prevent flooding by moving slowly, using titration and resourcing, and prioritizing safety so the body can process experiences without becoming overwhelmed.
FAQs
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Yes, somatic therapy has been shown to be effective in treating a variety of concerns, including trauma. Traditional cognitive approaches often focus on talking through experiences, but traumatic memories are frequently stored in parts of the brain that are not easily accessed through logic or storytelling alone. This is why simply “telling your story” may not always lead to healing. Somatic therapy works by engaging the body and nervous system, which can be especially effective for PTSD and complex trauma.
That said, therapy is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and somatic therapy may not be the right fit for everyone. In particular, individuals with a history of sexual trauma may find this approach challenging.
If you have questions or concerns about whether somatic therapy is right for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
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Somatic therapy tends to be a longer-term method, but it is hard to say for certain. Some of the factors that influence the number of sessions include: frequency of sessions, length of sessions, your trauma history, whether or not you have done therapy before, current stressors in your life, your goals, and more.
Your therapist will be in ongoing communication with you about your progress and how you are feeling about therapy.
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Some somatic therapists may incorporate physical touch as part of their work, but it is never required. Your safety and comfort are always the priority. You will always be fully informed and asked for your consent before any somatic exercise is introduced. If you are meeting with your therapist virtually, physical touch will not be used.
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Yes! Somatic Therapy can be effective for treating anxiety, depression, self-esteem, emotional dysregulation, and more. Contact us if you have questions regarding whether or not Somatic Therapy can help with your specific concern.