What is Somatic Therapy? Your Body Knows More Than You Think

Ever notice how your shoulders creep up toward your ears when you’re stressed? Or how your stomach ties itself in knots before a difficult conversation? That’s not just coincidence—that’s your body reacting to emotional experiences. And that’s exactly where somatic therapy comes in.

What is Somatic Therapy?

Somatic therapy is a body-centered approach to healing that recognizes something revolutionary: your body isn’t just along for the ride during emotional distress—it’s actually storing the whole damn experience.

Unlike traditional talk therapy where we process everything from the neck up, somatic therapy brings your entire body into the conversation. Because here’s the thing: you can intellectually understand why you feel anxious, depressed, or traumatized all day long, but if your nervous system is still stuck in fight-or-flight mode, talking alone won’t cut it.

This is also important because unreleased stress affects the body’s immune response and resiliency over time. Chronic illness, inflammation and even pain can all set in when we aren’t routinely releasing the stress our bodies and minds encounter. That’s why somatic therapy is doubly important.

How Somatic Therapy Works

Think of somatic therapy as a translator between your mind and body. We use physical sensations, movements, and body awareness to access and release stored emotional pain and trauma.

During somatic therapy sessions, I might ask you:

• “Where do you feel that in your body?”
• “What does that sensation want to do?”
• “If your chest could speak right now, what would it say?”

Sounds a little woo-woo, I know. But there’s solid neuroscience backing this up. Trauma and stress literally live in your tissues, your muscles, your fascia. Your body remembers what your mind tries to forget.

What Happens in a Somatic Therapy Session

Here’s what you can actually expect (because mystery doesn’t help anyone feel safe):

Body awareness practices: We tune into physical sensations without judgment. That tightness in your throat? We’re curious about it, not trying to make it go away immediately.

Tracking sensations: We notice how feelings move and shift in your body as we work. Sometimes anger starts as heat in your chest and moves to tingling in your hands. Wild, right?

Movement and release: This might include gentle movements, breathwork, or simply noticing what your body wants to do. No interpretive dance required (unless that’s your thing).

Grounding techniques: We practice ways to help you feel safe and present in your body—essential for anyone who’s spent years disconnected from physical sensations.

Who Benefits from Somatic Therapy

Honestly? Almost everyone benefits from somatic therapy. But it’s especially powerful for:

• Trauma survivors who’ve tried talk therapy but still feel stuck
• High functioning people with anxiety whose bodies are constantly on high alert
• People with chronic pain where emotions and physical symptoms intertwine
• Anyone who feels disconnected from their body or emotions
• Those dealing with PTSD who experience intense physical reactions
• Individuals recovering from abuse, neglect, or attachment wounds

Somatic Therapy Techniques You Might Experience

Pendulation: Moving between comfortable and uncomfortable sensations to build your capacity to handle difficult feelings. It’s like emotional weightlifting—small reps build strength.

Titration: Taking trauma work in tiny, manageable doses. We don’t flood your system; we let it process at a pace it can handle.

Resourcing: Identifying internal and external resources that help you feel safe and grounded. Your grandmother’s perfume, your dog’s warmth, a weighted blanket, the feeling of your feet on the ground—all valid resources.

Completion of survival responses: Remember that fight-or-flight response that got interrupted during trauma? Sometimes your body needs to complete that protective action to finally let it go.

The Science Behind Somatic Therapy

Your nervous system has two main modes: sympathetic (gas pedal) and parasympathetic (brake pedal). Trauma can leave you stuck with your foot on the gas, even when there’s no danger present.

Research shows somatic approaches can reduce symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. Somatic therapy works with your autonomic nervous system to restore balance. We’re literally retraining your body’s threat detection system so it can differentiate between “I’m remembering something scary” and “I’m actually in danger right now.”

Your body isn’t the problem—it’s been trying to protect you. Somatic therapy helps it learn it can finally relax.

Is Somatic Therapy Right for You?

If you’ve ever thought “I understand WHY I feel this way, but I still FEEL this way,” somatic therapy might be your missing piece. If your body feels like a stranger or, worse, an enemy, this work can help you come home to yourself.

The beautiful thing about somatic therapy is that it meets you where you are. You don’t need to be “good at” feeling your feelings or have a perfectly mapped trauma history. You just need to be willing to get curious about what your body has been trying to tell you all along.

What to Expect in Your First Somatic Therapy Session

We start slow. I’m not going to ask you to dive into your deepest trauma in session one. We’ll build safety first, establish resources, and help your nervous system understand that this space is different from wherever you got hurt.

You’ll stay fully clothed (always), and you’re never required to do anything that doesn’t feel right. This is collaborative work—you’re the expert on your own body and experience.

Somatic Therapy Is a Whole-Body Healing Process

Somatic therapy recognizes that healing isn’t just a mental process—it’s a whole-body experience. Your body has been carrying these burdens, and it deserves to be part of its own liberation.

If you’re tired of understanding your problems intellectually but still feeling stuck in them physically, somatic therapy offers a different path forward. One where your body isn’t the enemy to be ignored or controlled, but a wise guide that’s been waiting for you to listen.

Ready to start listening? Your body has so much to say.

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Looking for a somatic therapist who gets it? I offer somatic therapy alongside EMDR, breathwork, and other body-based approaches. Let’s work together to help your body finally feel safe.