Somatic Therapy
Somatic Therapy is a body-centered approach to your mental health. Think about it—our bodies are constantly talking to us. They tell us when we're hungry, tired, sore, or even when we're angry. Our emotions don’t just live in our minds; they’re stored in our bodies too. Think of how we cry when we are sad. Or how a heated argument can sneak its way into our body—tensing our shoulders, tightening our jaw, and settling in before we even realize it.
And when our minds can’t process trauma, our bodies hold onto that pain instead.
By tuning back into our bodies and actually listening to what they’re trying to tell us, we can start to release stuck emotions, frozen symptoms, and even uncover memories we’ve buried. We lean on somatic therapy a lot when working with emotional detachment, dissociation, and trauma—because when it comes to healing, reconnecting with your body is just as important as working through your thoughts.
Somatic Therapy
What is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic Therapy is deeply tied to the Polyvagal theory, which believes that our body is the main focus of our traumatic memories. Perhaps your shoulders tense before you go into a social event, or your heart begins to race while speaking before a crowd. Your body is communicating something to you and somatic therapy helps you to reconnect to those messages.
What Does the Research Say about Somatic Therapy?
Mindfulness and somatic approaches have especially been supported by research in treating trauma.
Whom Can Somatic Therapy Help?
Somatic Therapy is helpful to those who experienced trauma early in life or big T trauma later in life.
How Can Somatic Therapy Heal Trauma?
Somatic therapy uses the body to calm your nervous system through mindfulness and "body scans." Your body becomes part of the dialogue to understand your feelings, thoughts, and memories.
How Mindfulness Fits into Somatic Therapy
Mindfulness uses breath work to focus your thoughts on your body —how your chest, back, shoulders move while you breathe. Somatic therapy uses mindfulness to activate your Vagus Nerve.
How Do We Use Somatic Therapy in Our Private Practice?
We use somatic practices often within our practice. It is incredibly useful for clients who have difficulty recognising their emotions or their hyperarousal.