Somatic therapy is a therapeutic approach that integrates the mind and body to process trauma, stress, and emotional pain. Simply put it based on the idea that our bodies hold onto emotional experiences and healing involves accessing and releasing those experiences physically as well as mentally.
Somatic therapy combines traditional talk therapy with body-centered techniques such as:
- Breath work
- Movement (rocking back and forth, stretching)
- Touch
- Mindfulness & body awareness
- Grounding techniques
- Visualization
Benefits of Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapy can be helpful for individuals dealing with, anxiety, chronic stress, burnout, vicarious trauma, and depression. It helps by increasing ones awareness of their body and emotional patterns. This can lead to improved emotional regulation, greater sense of safety in the body, improved sense of resilience and ability to cope with stress.
How Somatic Therapy Heals
Nervous System Regulation: Helps shift from chronic fight/flight/freeze responses to more regulated states through grounding and movement.
Processing Stuck Trauma: Trauma often gets “stuck” in the body when the survival response was interrupted (e.g., no opportunity to fight or flee). Somatic work allows the body to complete those responses in a safe, supported way.
Body Awareness: Clients learn to track sensations (tightness, heat, numbness) and understand what they mean emotionally, building trust in their body.
Integration: Emotional healing becomes more complete because it’s processed both cognitively and physically.
Combining Somatic Therapy with Deep Core Breathing
A step-by-step guided practice
1. Settle and Ground (2–3 minutes)
- Sit or lie down in a supported, comfortable position.
- Feel your body making contact with the surface beneath you.
- Gently notice the points of contact (back, legs, arms, feet).
- Set an intention such as: “I want to connect to my center.”
- Allow your breath to settle naturally.
2. Orient and Scan the Body (3–5 minutes)
- Slowly look around the room and take in your surroundings.
- Let your eyes land on objects, colors, or shapes that feel neutral or pleasant.
- Allow this gentle orientation to signal safety to your nervous system.
- If it feels comfortable, close your eyes.
- Scan your body with curiosity.
- Ask yourself: “Where do I feel sensation? What feels present in my body?”
3. Begin Deep Core Breathing (5 minutes)Technique
- Inhale through your nose.
- Let your ribs widen sideways.
- Let your belly rise.
- Allow the pelvic floor to gently lengthen downward.
- Exhale slowly.
- Let your ribs soften inward.
- Allow the belly to gather inward.
- Let the pelvic floor gently lift and support.
- Cues to Support You
- On the inhale: “Inhale, soften, expand, open.”
- On the exhale: “Exhale, gather, settle, support.”
- Optional: Place your hands on your belly or lower ribs for feedback.
4. Add Somatic Inquiry (3–5 minutes)
- Continue deep core breathing while gently turning attention inward.
- Ask yourself:
- “What sensation wants my attention?”
- “Where do I feel the most activation or the most calm?”
- Stay with the sensation that feels most present—warmth, heaviness, tingling, tension, openness.
- Let your breath support you while meeting that sensation with curiosity.
5. Support Movement or Expression (3–10 minutes)
- Allow your breath to lead small, natural movements.
- Examples:
- Spinal rocking
- Gentle swaying
- Stretching
- Placing a hand on the body where comfort is needed
- Let the movement be slow and organic, not forced.
6. Integrate and Close (3–5 minutes)
- Return your body to stillness.
- Let your breath return to a natural rhythm.
- Ask yourself: “What do I notice now that I didn’t notice earlier?”
- Take a final moment to acknowledge your nervous system for its work.
- Slowly reorient to the space around you before moving on with your day.
