Somatic-Based Therapy: A Beginner’s Guide

Somatic therapy, which is also called somatic experiencing therapy, is a form of mental health therapy that can help you overcome and release difficult emotions that are stored in your body. These emotions may have become trapped in your body due to traumatic or difficult events in your past and manifest themselves as physical symptoms within your body, affecting your daily life (11). Somatic therapy can be used as a body-based tool to help address and resolve these emotions using a variety of techniques.

What Is Somatic-Based Therapy in a Nutshell?

The term “somatic” comes from the Greek word meaning “of the body” (6). Somatic therapy comes from the idea that the mind and the body are deeply connected, and therefore past traumatic events or experiences can produce unresolved, damaging emotions that can become trapped in your body and present themselves in a physical way (11). Amanda Baker, a clinical psychologist and director of the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders, describes somatic-based therapy as “a treatment focusing on the body and how emotions appear within the body,” further explaining that “our body holds and expresses experiences and emotions, and traumatic events or unresolved emotional issues can become ‘trapped’ inside” (11).

Essentially, somatic therapy is a holistic form of healing that utilizes physical movements and the mind-body connection to release pent-up, difficult emotions.

When you experience something challenging, your automatic reaction may be to bury and repress your emotions instead of dealing with them, but this can lead to these unexpressed emotions affecting your body later on. Somatic therapists use somatic exercises for trauma to help release trapped emotions and improve a patient’s emotional and physical well-being (8).

Physical effects from buried emotions can include (11):

• Sleep disruption
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Chronic pain
• Depression
• Complicated grief
• Stress

How Does Somatic-Based Therapy Differ from Traditional Talk Therapy?

Somatic-based therapy is different from traditional therapy in a couple of ways. The main difference is that traditional talk therapy, or cognitive behavioral therapy (10), focuses solely on the mind. Somatic-based therapy focuses on both the mind and body, using mind-body exercises to help a patient heal (12). So, while traditional talk therapy holds to the idea that a person can overcome past trauma simply by discussing it, somatic-based trauma therapy focuses on healing trauma by also recognizing bodily sensations a person experiences as a result of their thoughts, emotions, and feelings.

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During somatic-based therapy, a therapist may have patients talk through past experiences while having them focus on any physical sensations that they may feel in their body while discussing these events. This helps determine where any repressed emotions may be trapped in the body (12). Once they pinpoint where the trapped emotions are located, somatic therapists can guide patients through a series of mind-body exercises to help release the tension that is stored in the specific location of their bodies (12).

Generally, the key difference between traditional talk therapy and somatic therapy is the focus and belief that trauma stores itself in the body as well as in the mind. Therefore, somatic therapy uses exercises in addition to talk therapy to help the body heal. As the mind and body are so intertwined and connected, somatic healing techniques may work well for individuals who are experiencing physical symptoms caused by pent-up emotions.

Read more: Somatic Meditation Script: Your Path To Inner Peace

 What Is an Example of Somatic-Based Therapy?

Physical awareness is a key component in helping your body heal through somatic-based therapy. While discussing your problems, a somatic therapist will help guide you to focus on physical awareness and sensations that reliving traumatic events or experiences brings out in your body (12), and from there they can perform various somatic exercises for trauma.

There are several popular somatic-based therapy exercises. Each of these somatic healing techniques operates with the belief that healing comes through focusing on both the mind and the body. Somatic exercises for trauma include breathwork, grounding, and dance (12).

• Breathwork

Somatic breathwork is a therapeutic approach that uses conscious breathing as a tool to connect the mind and body. Certain somatic breathing techniques can help promote relaxation, combat anxiety, and help improve an individual’s physical, emotional, and mental health (4).

• Grounding

Grounding is a somatic exercise that “grounds” you to the present moment, helping pull you out of fear, anxiety, or PTSD  (3). It’s easy to spiral when you’re in the throes of a flashback or a painful memory, so this grounding technique encourages you to focus on the things and sensations around you, rather than on the difficult thoughts or memories you may be experiencing. When grounding, you simply make use of the five senses – sound, touch, smell, sight, and taste – to anchor you to the present and break you away from dissociation or flashbacks (3).

• Dance

It may surprise you to learn that something as enjoyable as dance can be used as a somatic exercise to heal trauma. Dance therapy connects the mind and the body and, as a result, increases bodily awareness, which can help the body heal from trauma (1).

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How Long Does It Take to See Results with Somatic Therapy?

The amount of time in which an individual starts to see healing from somatic work varies depending on the person. Every person’s experience of trauma is unique, so for some, it may only take a few sessions to see and feel results, while for others, it may take several sessions or even years  (14). If you’re an individual who doesn’t see immediate results, don’t give up early – keep trying somatic-based trauma therapy!

Research has supported the efficacy of somatic experiencing (a form of somatic therapy) in the treatment of PTSD (5). Other studies have found that somatic therapy reduces pain in individuals who are struggling with chronic pain disorders (2). Furthermore, by releasing stored trauma, somatic therapy can improve an individual’s quality of life and physical and emotional well-being (2).

Read more: How Do Somatic Exercises Work? Everything You Need to Know

What Are the Criticisms of Somatic Therapy?

Despite the evidence supporting the effectiveness of somatic therapy, there are still some criticisms of this practice. For one, compared to more established treatments, somatic therapy lacks a substantial body of evidence-based research. This may be because it’s a relatively new healing modality.

In addition, somatic-based therapy requires participants to talk through past trauma or distressing events in their lives while paying careful attention to any physical symptoms that may arise. Some critics have argued that requiring individuals to discuss and relive difficult memories may be distressing, triggering, or even traumatic (13). However, talking through past trauma can be a key component in healing for many people.

While there are criticisms of somatic therapy, there are also criticisms of other forms of therapy. The important thing to remember is that different methods work for different people, and there are studies that prove the effectiveness of somatic work. If you’re dealing with trauma and physical or emotional symptoms as a result, you may want to consider somatic-based therapy as a tool to heal your body and improve your overall well-being.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I do somatic therapy on myself?

While there are certain somatic exercises you can do by yourself, it’s recommended that you find a trained somatic therapist who can help you with the release of stored emotions by using mind-body techniques and exercises (11). A somatic therapy session can be carried out either in-person or virtually (12). You can use this resource to find a practitioner. 

• Is somatic therapy good for trauma?

Yes, studies have shown that somatic therapy can help improve PTSD symptoms that stem from traumatic experiences (5). 

• What are 3 examples of somatic exercises?

Three examples of somatic exercises include breathwork, grounding, and dance.

• Is Pilates a somatic practice?

Pilates can be a somatic practice, but there’s a difference between traditional Pilates and somatic Pilates. The key difference is somatic Pilates focuses on somatic movement during the exercise (7).

The Bottom Line

Somatic-based therapy, or somatic experiencing, is a therapy that helps release trapped emotions in the body that are caused by past trauma or distressing events in your life. Somatic therapy focuses on the idea that unresolved emotional issues can become trapped or stored in the body and manifest physically, leading to symptoms such as chronic pain, PTSD, and depression. Somatic exercises for trauma focus on the mind-body connection and use breathwork, grounding, and dance to help you process and release these emotions, promoting healing on both physical and emotional levels.

Unlike traditional talk therapy, which focuses solely on the mind, somatic-based trauma therapy emphasizes physical awareness as well as identifying and addressing emotions stored in the body. While there is research that supports somatic healing techniques and their effectiveness for conditions such as PTSD and chronic pain, it remains a newer field with fewer research studies than other therapies.

If you’re dealing with physical symptoms caused by trauma, somatic-based trauma therapy may be effective for helping relieve and release traumatic emotions and feelings stored in your body. For further learning about somatic work and mindfulness activities for adults, visit BetterMe to discover more about somatic-based trauma therapy and therapeutic exercises vs therapeutic activity!