Do you feel stuck inside your head, stressed, or emotionally dysregulated? Or maybe you feel numb, like everything is exhausting, and you can’t experience joy when something good happens in life? Now, some might call this depression, but there is another way to look at it.
When your nervous system enters a state of low energy, characterized by shutdown and a lack of motivation, it’s known as “hypoarousal” or the “dorsal vagal response.” This state is often a deep-seated reaction to traumatic experiences, or in many cases, childhood trauma.
Somatic therapy is a holistic approach that allows you to explore how your nervous system responds and manages fear, trauma, stress, and anxiety.
So, what is at-home somatic therapy?
At-home somatic therapy allows you to practice somatic principles and techniques independently. It can help you process your pent-up emotions and achieve a calmer state of mind.
Although professional guidance is invaluable when processing deep-seated trauma, there are some somatic exercises you can practice safely at home.
In this guide, you can:
Somatic therapy is an alternative therapy that works with the body to help you release and process intense emotions, stress, and trauma.
This holistic treatment can help regulate your nervous system and improve your ability to manage stress more effectively. Remember, stress is not inherently bad; it is how you react to and cope with it that matters (1, 2).
You can do at-home somatic therapy through deep breathing exercises, body awareness techniques, gentle movements, mindfulness, and aromatherapy.
Breathing and grounding exercises create a stable foundation for self-regulation.
Somatic treatments could reduce symptoms of depression and help process difficult emotions (3).
Research has found that stress and trauma can show up in the body in the form of:
Somatic therapy is about understanding these physical sensations and responding more effectively to stress (4, 5).
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At-home somatic therapy uses multiple interventions to achieve a calmer state of mind.
It can re-regulate the nervous system by promoting relaxation with deep breathing, body awareness, gentle movements, mindfulness, and aromatherapy.
Here are a couple of examples that can activate the body’s natural relaxation response.
Deep Breathing Exercises
Deep breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, is a unique exercise that utilizes the diaphragm, a large, dome-shaped muscle located at the bottom of the lungs, just above the stomach (6).
To do these exercises, you inhale slowly through your nose and feel your belly expand.
Then exhale slowly through your lips and empty your lungs. Instead of taking shallow breaths, you inhale deeply to boost the oxygen supply to the lungs.
Studies found that deep breathing sends a signal to your brain that counteracts the “fight or flight” response. It can calm the entire nervous system, reduce stress and anxiety, and lower heart rate. So, when you feel overwhelmed, practice guided belly breathing (7).
Body Awareness Techniques
At-home somatic therapy uses a technique known as body scanning, which can boost awareness, stress management, and relaxation. It helps pinpoint the source of tension and process and release pent-up emotions.
To perform a body scan:
Gentle Movements
Somatic therapy exercises focus on subtle movements to help regulate emotions and promote emotional well-being.
A gentle push or pull can release the “fight or flight” response. Some good examples of somatic therapy include yoga, free-form dancing, or Tai Chi (9, 10).
To practice these exercises, engage in gentle, mindful movement. Focus on all the internal sensations you feel and notice yourself releasing tension. Each practice has its techniques you can master.
Slow, gentle movements help build interoception (awareness of internal bodily sensations, such as heart rate, digestion, and tension) and proprioception (awareness of your body’s position in space) (11).
Many people, especially those who struggle with trauma and dissociation, can use gentle movements to reduce symptoms of anxiety, hypervigilance, tension, and pain (12).
Mindfulness
Somatic therapy techniques at home require mindfulness.
Mindfulness means being aware of the present moment and accepting and acknowledging your feelings. To practice mindfulness, pay attention to the present moment without judgment or criticism. Notice your thoughts, feelings, and sensations to increase awareness.
Research shows that mindfulness can boost emotional regulation and restore your capacity to process complicated feelings that often lead to stress, anxiety, or depression (13).
Aromatherapy
Some scents can calm the mind and support somatic therapy.
Many people use specific scents to boost relaxation and decrease anxiety, such as:
You can use them when meditating or exercising. These scents create a soothing environment that allows one to focus better on meditation and breathing patterns.
Read More: Somatic Meditation: A Mind-Body Practice For Deeper Relief
While you can practice exercises by yourself, managing deep-seated trauma, anxiety, and depression requires help from a trained specialist. You develop tools to calm your central nervous system, attune to your emotions, and navigate daily stressors. Our previous post goes into great detail about the somatic therapy at home.
The BetterMe app can guide you through the process and complement your therapy.
Equipped with deep breathing exercises, gentle movements, and body awareness techniques, the app offers a personalized approach, ensuring you don’t push yourself too hard.
Yes, you can practice somatic therapy online. The rise of telehealth, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, has inspired many therapists to publish their treatment routines online, including somatic training. They offer online sessions, which can help you connect with your emotions.
For example, you can practice at-home somatic therapy with verbal guidance and observation. The therapist carefully explains gentle movements, such as stretching and self-touching techniques, and pinpoints any changes in your breathing patterns.
Somatic exercises guide you to move with intention and listen to your body.
The goal is not to concentrate on how well you do a pose, but how it makes you feel.
It’s about noticing every shift that happens when stretching or breathing.
Exercises for somatic healing at home therapy often use the “bottom-up” approach.
This focus technique involves starting by helping the body feel safe and grounded.
Grounding through movement can help regulate the nervous system before you delve into difficult emotions. If you’re curious about 12 guided somatic experiencing exercises, check out our earlier article
Such at-home therapy techniques can include:
Heel drops:
Wave breathing:
Swaying:
Read More: Somatic Yoga Program For Beginners: Benefits, Poses, And How To Practice At Home
How often you practice somatic therapy depends on your needs and the way you process your emotions. Some people have regular sessions, such as once or twice a week, while others prefer to do it every two to three weeks (15).
Frequent therapies can be beneficial for those with complex trauma or emotional dysregulation. Occasional therapies can provide a calming experience for moderate stress and anxiety. It’s best to create a personalized practice that can make noticeable progress.
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Many practitioners may experience positive changes after a couple of days or weeks of therapy. However, the timeline varies based on the level of trauma, stress, depression, or anxiety. Short-term strategies can address moderate emotional unrest (15).
At the same time, extended therapies can assess deeply rooted trauma.
Somatic exercises to release trauma often take a lot of time and regular sessions.
They also require professional guidance due to the severity and intensity of the emotions (16).
Somatic therapy is a holistic approach that taps into your emotions, allowing you to process them effectively. But, as you begin to bring attention to these sensations, for a brief time, it can feel as if everything seems to be getting worse.
You may start to feel more:
The more closely you look at the wound, the more likely it is to trigger some form of negative emotions. As a result, most experts recommend practicing somatic therapy under the guidance of a professional. Once you get accustomed to these exercises, you can practice an ongoing routine at home.
Yes, somatic treatment is a recognized form of holistic therapy. It focuses on your natural physiological responses to stress and trauma, allowing you to process your emotions effectively. It can reduce the symptoms of mood disorders, stress, anxiety, and depression (17). Pilates itself is not somatic therapy. But when you combine Pilates with mindful movement and body scanning, it becomes a somatic practice. At-home therapy makes you more aware of bodily sensations and more conscious of your breathing patterns (18). For more details about somatic Pilates, take a look at our prior publication. Meditation can be a key component of somatic practice if it includes mindfulness. When you mindfully observe your emotions, you allow them to discharge safely, rather than suppressing or repressing them. This observation process releases pent-up emotions that have left a physical or emotional imprint on your body (19). Somatic diet is a body-centered approach that fosters deep awareness of your emotional and physical sensations related to food. It is not a strict diet, but more about addressing emotional patterns that affect your response to food (20).Frequently Asked Questions
Is somatic therapy real?
Is Pilates a somatic practice?
Is meditation a somatic therapy?
What is the somatic diet?
There’s so much going on in life with the constant stress, anxiety, and distractions pulling you away from feeling your emotions. Most people tend to push these “inconvenient” emotions down, suppress them, and dissociate from them.
Somatic therapy can help process these feelings and create a calmer mind.
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