Health Library
Somatic Therapy: What It Is, How It Works & Who It Helps
Question on this topic? Get an instant answer from August.
You have discussed trauma. You comprehend it; you have given it a name. However, there is a part of your body that still has not received the message. Your shoulders remain tense. Your chest gets constricted in some situations. Your nervous system is still preparing for a threat that is no longer present. This is exactly the hiatus that somatic therapy aims to bridge.
What Is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic therapy, also known as body-based therapy, is a category of therapeutic methods using the body as a main means of accessing psychological distress, especially trauma. The term "somatic" is derived from the Greek word "soma", which means "the body". Traditional talk therapies primarily concentrate on thoughts and verbal narrative, but somatic therapy regards the body as a co-healing partner in its own right.
This idea is deeply rooted in the science of the brain and nervous system (neuroscience). In the event of trauma, the body's distress system – known as fight, flight, or freeze – goes on high alert. If the trauma remains unhealed, this high-alert state can become a regular condition.
The body continues to function as if under a mild, ongoing threat long after the actual danger has disappeared. This state can manifest in different forms such as muscular tension, pain, alertness, feelings of being shut down, or tiredness.
If you're uncertain whether somatic therapy is what your body desires, August, an AI health advisor which got 100% in medical licensing examinations, will assist you in recognising your symptoms and even help you formulate proper questions for the doctor visit.
People also ask
Yes, many people use these techniques to manage general chronic tension or stress held in the body. You do not need a clinical diagnosis to benefit from increased physical awareness.
Somatic therapy is generally used as a complementary practice rather than a replacement. It focuses on the body to support the emotional work done in traditional talk therapy.
Somatic Experiencing: The Leading Model
The most widely studied version of somatic therapy is somatic experiencing (SE), a body-orientated trauma therapy that was created by Dr Peter Levine in the 1970s. SE operates on the principle. This states that during threatening situations, animals are activated by stress and after the stressful event, they release the stress through shaking, trembling and other movements – and they return to their normal state very quickly.
On the other hand, humans tend to prevent this release, which, according to Dr. Levine, results in incomplete stress cycles being stored in the nervous system.
SE assists a person to identify physical sensations in a very subtle way, opens up access to traumatic memories in a very cautious manner, and helps the natural healing of those incomplete defensive reactions.
Journal of Traumatic Stress published (Brom et al., 2017) The first of a series of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on somatic experiencing for PTSD found that 63 participants meeting full DSM diagnostic criteria for PTSD showed very positive changes in PTSD symptoms after SE as compared to a waitlist control condition.
In the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, a scoping literature review investigating all available evidence on SE concluded that there is an initial indication that SE has a positive impact on PTSD symptoms as well as affective and somatic symptoms in both trauma-affected and general populations.
People also ask
Every nervous system responds at its own pace, but many people report feeling a subtle release after just a few sessions. Consistency is key for lasting changes in how your body handles stress.
Initial studies show positive outcomes for trauma-related symptoms, with some clinical trials specifically measuring progress through somatic experiencing. While the field is still growing, the research provides a promising foundation.
Somatic Therapy for Trauma: Why the Body Matters
Somatic therapy for trauma primarily works at the level of addressing the symptoms of trauma in the body that cognitive therapies may not reach. Emotional or traumatic memories get lodged not only in the form of stories but also in various physical aspects of the body such as muscle tension, breathing, distinctive ways of holding posture, and the involuntary nervous system.
Dr Bessel van der Kolk's studies, outlined in a well-known paper available on PMC, show that individuals who have experienced trauma exhibit different patterns of brain activity, especially in the regions that manage the person's sense of body and perception of danger.
This kind of writing in the body explains why at times mere verbal communication of trauma may not be enough and that somatic therapy entails contacting the bodily sensation in the process of healing.
Somatic Exercises You Can Try
Somatic exercises are handy, up-to-date, scientifically based resources that you may apply independently between therapy sessions. These are designed to stimulate a body's inherent regulation systems – thus, they are neither a substitute for therapy sessions nor a replacement for a therapist but indeed a complement to it.
Grounding through contact
Put your feet down together on the ground. Think about the force, touch, and feel. This method results in stimulating sensory awareness and informs the nervous system of safety.
Pendulation
Shift your eye work between the areas of your body that feel stiff or uncomfortable and areas that feel normal or enjoyable. By doing so, you are helping your nervous system understand how to switch from one state to another instead of being trapped in one.
Orienting
Take your time looking around the room. Allow your eyes to stop on each item only briefly. This innate predator-detection action, when conducted in a situation of safety, communicates to the brainstem that the environment is safe.
Shaking and movement
Soft, intentional shaking of the arms and legs resembles the instinctive discharge behavior of animals. Some practitioners use this method to assist in the completion of stress response cycles that had gotten stuck or were interrupted.
Slow, extended exhale
Prolonging the breath out through the mouth leads to the stimulation of the vagus nerve - the main route of the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for rest and repair. Merely 5 controlled breaths with an elongated exhale lead to a noticeable change in the nervous system.
People also ask
These exercises are designed as self-regulation tools you can use independently to support your well-being. They provide a safe way to check in with your body throughout the day.
Somatic exercises help regulate the nervous system, which can be an effective way to lower the intensity of an escalating stress response. They act as a bridge back to a calm state during difficult moments.
Somatic Therapy vs. Traditional Talk Therapy
|
Somatic Therapy |
Talk Therapy |
|
|
Primary access point |
Body sensations and nervous system |
Thoughts, narrative, and language |
|
Trauma approach |
Addresses stored body-level activation |
Works with cognitive and emotional memory |
|
Best for |
Trauma where words feel insufficient, chronic physical tension, dissociation |
Anxiety, depression, relationship patterns, cognitive distortions |
|
Techniques |
Breathwork, movement, body scanning, titration |
CBT, psychodynamic exploration, IFS parts work |
Finding a Somatic Therapist Near Me
If you want to find a somatic therapist near me first, make sure they are professionals who have been trained in somatic experiencing, sensorimotor psychotherapy, or somatic EMDR. The Somatic Experiencing International directory is a good resource to check out SE practitioners worldwide, as it lists them according to their locations. The majority of them provide online sessions, thus making it easier for you to get one.
Prior to your initial meeting, August may assist you in getting clear on the purpose of therapy for you, finding out which somatic method would be most effective for your case, and coming in ready instead of being confused.
Key Takeaways
Somatic therapy is a method that fundamentally targets trauma healing where trauma is retained, which is the body's nervous system. Methods such as somatic experiencing, physical exercises, and the controlled release of traumatic activation are forms of energy that talk therapy sometimes does not get to. So, if your mind has been able to do the work but the body has not yet, somatic healing is probably what you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ somatic therapy an evidence-based practice?
Is‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ somatic therapy an evidence-based practice?
Indeed, somatic therapy is an evidence-based practice, although the supporting research is still increasing. The initial randomised controlled trial (RCT) of somatic experiencing appeared in 2017, and a scoping review has found preliminary beneficial effects of this therapy for PTSD and symptoms related to it. More RCTs are happening now.
Is somatic therapy equal to massage or bodywork?
Is somatic therapy equal to massage or bodywork?
No, it isn’t. Somatic therapy is a form of psychotherapy, which a mental health professional with proper training usually carries out. It may include a very light attention to one's physical sensation, but it is not a physical treatment such as a massage.
What kind of health issues can be solved with somatic therapy?
What kind of health issues can be solved with somatic therapy?
It is mainly used for PTSD and complicated trauma but also for anxiety, long-term pain, dissociation, eating disorders, and any illness where the stress response of the body has been turned on permanently.
How long does somatic therapy usually last?
How long does somatic therapy usually last?
It depends very much on the case. Some persons see changes after only a few sessions. Characters' trauma or developmental trauma normally requires a longer period of work – regularly 6–12 months and even more.
Is it possible to do somatic therapy online?
Is it possible to do somatic therapy online?
Absolutely. A good number of well-trained somatic therapists are able to conduct their work effectively through video. Conducting body awareness and regulation practices through the remote formats is quite a natural transition.
How do somatic experiencing and EMDR differ?
How do somatic experiencing and EMDR differ?
Both are trauma therapies that take the body into consideration. EMDR employs bilateral stimulation (eye movements or tapping) to help reprocess traumatic memories. SE is more about noticing the body sensations and finishing the stress responses that were not completed. Sometimes, they are used together.
Health Companion
trusted by 6M people
Get clear medical guidance
on symptoms, medications, and lab reports.
Your health journey starts with a single question
Download August today. No appointments. Just answers you can trust.
