Your body wants to heal itself. A somatic therapist develops the healthy connection lost between your mind and body to aid the natural healing process already available to you. This approach relieves and releases the distorted thoughts and bodily sensations “stuck” in the traumas of the past and anxieties regarding the future. Via tools meant to promote body awareness and nontraditional techniques like deep breathing and meditation, you can experience lasting relief from mental and medical issues.
These include stress, depression, grief, relationship challenges, and more. Chronic pain, digestive disease, and nervous system disorders may also be helped or healed. So, the big question is: who will guide you through this process? Will any therapist do? How will you find them? Who is the person best suited to ease your mental upset and soothe your physical tension?
How to Find a Somatic Therapist
As you begin your search, do realize that somatic therapy often does not stand alone. There are many capable therapists who integrate somatic therapy into various therapy and counseling practices. That’s okay! Just understand which questions to ask and credentials to look for.
As with any therapy, you want to look for training and experience.
Many somatic therapy techniques are non-traditional, this doesn’t mean they are unprofessional or unproven. Simply be sure to seek out a licensed, reputable mental health professional. Generally, specific somatic training and ongoing education are ideal.
Locate someone with adequate and verifiable referrals
In addition to finding a somatic therapist with the appropriate training, experience, and approach, community opinion matters. Follow up on references as the nature of somatic work needs to be conducted with someone who has no safety concerns in their background.
Ask about their own connection to somatic therapy
When exploring work with a specific somatic therapist, Ask how they are inspired by this type of therapy. What, if any, ideas of their own do they have regarding its usefulness in situations like yours?
Also, don’t be afraid to ask him or her to detail their successes. This opens the door for initial insight and rapport. Or provides clarity regarding a therapist who is not a good fit.
Ask questions about their most preferred methods.
Somatic therapists, again, use a host of body-oriented therapies from deep breathing to mindfulness. Or they may practice more advanced somatic therapy techniques training you may not be familiar with at all. Be very clear on the modality, the process, and their willingness to switch gears if you feel uncomfortable with the therapy. He or she should be willing to consider your goals and consider other options if necessary.
Make sure you feel comfortable
Pay very close attention to the “fit” and comfort level experienced with a potential somatic therapist. Listen closely, observe your own response, consider how you feel in the environment. Definitely, use the consult as a time to glean your rapport as well as the therapist's outlook. This relationship aspect will be important considering the physical aspects of the therapy as time goes on. You are looking for someone who respects your feelings while still challenging you to progress cognitively and somatically. Moreover, a good therapist will encourage you to use your voice.
What to Expect from Time with Your Somatic Therapist
As you recall your trauma, your therapist will notice your physical responses. Additionally, your mind and body will be afforded tools to help you release trauma, cope with triggers, and tolerate new stressors well. To know what to expect is important, as the “alternative” therapies employed may be of some concern to you or loved ones who view therapy in more traditional ways. Thus, it is a good idea to have an in-depth conversation with your therapist about what sessions look like and the treatment plan as you move forward.Consider the following thoughts and expectations regarding work with a somatic therapist:
From the start, you and your therapist may deal with trauma deeply embedded in how you think and your body operates. Your therapist’s initial goal is to help provide enough containment for those feelings.
Your practitioner spends as many sessions as necessary providing resources to help you relax and build trust between you. The therapist's goal? To help you feel secure and confident that therapy is forward-moving. Therefore, you should not feel overwhelmed. Your therapist only wants you to take on as much as you can handle.
An effective somatic therapist works with you and your unique autonomic nervous system (ANS). The idea is to show you how to manage and integrate difficult experiences in ways that create peace and empower you. Together, you can work at tuning into your current bodily responses. Difficult memories and emotional triggers dissolve amid new, appropriate mind-body connections.
Through gradual exposure to the sensations in your body, you'll acknowledge your trauma and incomplete responses. Then, the bodywork helps you balance those activated responses. The current security of your present life and the safe encouragement and compassion of your therapist overall provide clarity and hope.
Accept Guidance to a Healthier Mind-body Connection
Finally, accept the help you need to tell your body’s story. Trust it’s ability to heal and live well. Whether your therapist uses deep breathing, relaxation exercises, or meditation to address old traumas or employs vocal work, yoga, or massage to encourage a healthy mind-body relationship, the goal is the same:To become comfortable, even joyful, in your own skin.
After all your mind and body have endured, that aim alone is a goal worth working toward. If you are considering somatic therapy, please contact us for a consultation.
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