Do you intend to give somatic therapy a try?
When stressful things happen, they affect all of you. Body and mind. They strain your brain, tense your shoulders, and tax you emotionally.
And when it feels like you can’t escape the physical and emotional pain, you may do what so many others do: bury it, ignore it, or try to medicate it away. Unfortunately, the resulting muscle aches, brain fog, and stomach cramps may be telling you that those tough times are still with you, unresolved and upsetting your happiness.
But there is a way to soothe the physical and mental upset you haven’t been able to shake on your own. In essence, with the help of a trained and compassionate therapist, you can find relief through somatic therapy treatment. And you can get back to living the best life possible.
What is somatic therapy?
The Greek word “soma” translates “living body.”.
Somatic therapy is a holistic and distinctly body-centered approach to healing. As it pertains to recovery, this therapy explores the link between negativity in your past and its impact on your current physical and mental state. By enhancing your understanding of your mind and body's attachment to the past, you can achieve greater clarity and alleviate ongoing tension. Somatic therapy helps to relax and free you up bodily and mentally, allowing for more in-the-moment living and closer, more engaged relationships through specific techniques, interventions, and practices.
Why is it so effective?
Somatic therapy aims to address the disruption in your nervous system that negative experiences and trauma have caused. Such trauma is evident in the way we move, sit or stand, and communicate non-verbally. For example, symptoms of unresolved trauma can also often reveal themselves as
chronic pain
digestive trouble
hormonal imbalances
There may be sexual discrepancy or dysfunction.
I have immune system problems.
depressive thinking
pervasive grief
persistent anxiety
addictive behavior
In therapy, your mind and body will learn tools to help you release trauma, cope with triggers, and tolerate new stressors well.
Essentially, the goal of somatic therapy is to soothe the nervous system and help you regain your biological and emotional equilibrium. Consider the therapy a way to physically and psychologically learn to “reset.”
How Somatic Therapy Helps
Generally, whatever affects your body resides in your mind, and whatever impacts your mind lives in your body. So, to make positive changes, somatic therapy sessions revolve around transformation through the following means:
1. Somatic therapy pays attention to your body, tracks sensations, and practices awareness.
Somatic techniques such as vocal or deep breathing exercises, dance or movement, and healing touch commonly achieve awareness.
2. It reframes experiences without the trauma's influence.
Experiencing less stress and feeling less affected by triggers improves your concentration and ability to be productive and resilient. Moreover, hope, self-confidence, and renewed interest in your abilities and life possibilities resurface.
3. It releases stress in the nervous system.
Because somatic therapy helps you face difficulty and past memories, you are able to fully “discharge” strain in the body. Thus, the release allows for a return to full equilibrium.
In the end, this leads to a sense of freedom, rejuvenation, stability, and persistent calm. Also, discomfort is no longer a way of life. In addition, concentration and engagement with others improve. You may be wondering:
How Will Somatic Therapy Be Used During a Session? Is this possible to do online?
The good news is that a session will feel like a typical therapy session except that, in the moment, whether online or in person, I will help you to:
Keep track of your sensations.
Explore body symptoms.
Notice postural changes and habitual movements.
Bring awareness to your breath.
Embrace grounding and relaxation techniques.
Can children benefit from somatic therapy?
I use these same techniques with children. Like adults, children want to feel better and have their pain soothed. Children are still very malleable and naturally respond well to somatic therapy. This is because it is easier for them to experience their whole selves without too many ingrained, habitual patterns getting in the way. Play therapy acknowledges that children experience the world through their senses rather than thinking about it. Luckily, play therapy and somatic therapy go hand in hand!
Next steps…
Overall, somatic therapy teaches you to identify, honor, and examine the crucial connections between the mind and body through both online talk therapy and physical techniques. Somatic therapy is a holistic approach that frequently integrates with other counseling therapies. As your therapist, we can compassionately tailor this treatment to you.
Finally, we are available for consultation as experts trained in somatic therapy techniques. Please contact us. Together, we can explore how to resolve the past and embrace the present. Furthermore, with a "living body" solution, you can reconnect with a life you hope to live wholly free and fully well.
Would you like additional details about how psychotherapy helps injured bodies heal? For a free consultation to explore how we might help, please get in touch with us. Your body will be appreciative.
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