Somatic Therapy

What is somatic therapy?

Somatic therapy is a form of therapy that focuses on the link between our mind and our body, otherwise known as the mind-body connection. Somatic therapy recognizes that emotional issues can manifest physically in the body. It integrates techniques such as movement, touch, and body awareness to address and release tension, trauma, and other psychological issues stored in the body. As the saying goes, “What we don’t express (through talking or movement), we store.” Unlike traditional talk therapy, which mostly focuses on verbal communication, somatic therapy engages the body as well as the mind to promote healing and integration. I like to think of it as talk therapy for the body. Our body speaks through sensations and processes. We have to slow down our mind enough to let the body “talk.”

While there are many different examples of somatic therapies (EMDR, Brainspotting, Somatic Experiencing, Trauma-Releasing Exercises, etc.), the three that Helsel Counseling offers are Brainspotting (BSP), the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), and embodied mindfulness in sessions.

“Why would I want somatic therapy? What if I just want to talk?”

Firstly, rest assured you will still do plenty of talking. Especially in the beginning stages of therapy where you are building rapport with your therapist and your therapist is gathering background information on you and learning your world. Talk therapy is also used in a variety of other ways, including but not limited to, the following examples:

1. Building awareness and insight in regard to the issues brought into the therapy.

2. Skill building such as boundary setting, assertive communication, habit building, and many more examples.

3. Goal setting and treatment planning.

Furthermore, somatic therapy can be beneficial if you find it challenging to express or understand your emotions through verbal communication alone, or if you have experienced trauma that is stored in your body. Some examples of ways we can tell that this is the case is through sleep issues, being constantly on edge, feeling “shut down” more often than not, eating issues (lack of appetite, etc.) and more. Somatic therapy offers a more holistic approach, compared to talk therapy alone, by addressing both psychological and physical aspects of your health, which may lead to a more profound healing experience and a greater sense of presence in your body and in the world around you. Additionally, somatic therapy may be particularly effective for individuals who prefer a more experiential or active approach to therapy rather than solely relying on conversation.

Here are some more specific ways that somatic therapy can enhance your therapy experience…

Somatic therapy can enhance talk therapy by offering more pathways for exploration and healing. Here's how:

1. Deeper Understanding: Somatic therapy can help you access emotions and experiences that may be difficult to communicate verbally. By paying attention to bodily sensations and movements, you can gain insights into subconscious psychological patterns and triggers. When we are relying on verbal communication alone, we are not tuned into our bodies, and actually often by-passing opportunities of true healing and change.

2. Holistic Healing: Inviting awareness into the body in therapy allows for a more comprehensive approach to healing. It acknowledges that emotional issues are often stored in the body and can be released through physical techniques, thus enhancing the insights gained through verbal communication in talk therapy.

3. Regulation of the Nervous System: Somatic techniques such as breathwork, mindfulness, and movement can help regulate the nervous system, further reducing symptoms of stress, anxiety, and trauma. This ability to regulate ourselves creates a foundation for deeper engagement in talk therapy sessions.

4. Integration: By integrating body-oriented practices with talk therapy, you can reinforce insights gained during verbal processing. This integration promotes a deeper understanding of yourself and your experiences, which can lead to lasting transformation.

Overall, somatic therapy enriches talk therapy by providing more tools and avenues for exploration, healing, and integration. It offers a more holistic perspective that addresses the interconnectedness of mind, body, and emotions.

“Wait - I thought just talking about problems was supposed to make things better?”

While talking to a trusted person is a wonderful and crucial means of support, only talking about an issues may not always effectively address the emotions around it for several reasons:

1. Limited Awareness: Sometimes, individuals may not have full awareness or understanding of their emotions. Simply talking about a problem may not uncover deeper layers of emotions or subconscious patterns.

2. Defense Mechanisms: People often have defense mechanisms that protect them from experiencing difficult emotions. These defenses can prevent genuine exploration and expression of feelings during verbal communication. This will be explored more in future blog posts, so be on the lookout!

3. Embodied Experience: Emotions are not only cognitive; they are also felt in the body. Just talking may not fully tap into the somatic experience of emotions, which can be crucial for processing and resolving them.

4. Reinforcement of Patterns: Simply discussing a problem without engaging other modalities may actually reinforce problematic or stuck cognitive patterns without addressing underlying emotional or physiological (bodily) responses.

5. Need for Integration: Research shows that emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations are inextricably combined and affect one another. Only focusing on one of them, such as through talk therapy alone, may not lead to holistic integration and thus a resolution of the issue.

For these reasons, incorporating somatic approaches alongside talk therapy can provide a more comprehensive and effective means of addressing emotions and promoting healing.

Have I convinced you of the power of somatic therapy?

I hope so! I am passionate about bringing the body into sessions, along with our mind as I, myself, have felt stuck in patterns that I couldn’t get out of because I was not allowing myself to actually FEEL and process my emotions, responses, and experiences. It feels comfortable to intellectualize our feelings for many reasons. Maybe our families never taught us the purpose and value in sharing our emotions, maybe we have experienced shame or disconnection because we showed too much of our emotional selves to others, and one thing that’s for certain is that we live in a culture that prioritizes productivity and quick fixes, so sitting in our feels instead of just trying to “get over them” certainly feels counter-culture.

I invite you to give yourself a try at having your full Self witnessed and give your inner world - both mind and body - a chance to be seen and heard.

You’re worth being seen.

- Hunter