What Does “Somatic” Mean in Trauma Therapy?
Coming back to our bodies in a disembodied society is a revolutionary act.
Traditionally in psychotherapy, experts focus on working with your psyche (your thoughts and mind). We see this traditional approach in talk therapy, and while often it can be effective for individuals not experiencing or working through trauma, it usually doesn’t give us the whole picture of what you are experiencing.
The cultural norm (traditional talk therapy) often argues that there is a disconnection between your mind and body, and places a higher value on your thoughts as more trustworthy than what your body communicates. Recently though, there has been a change in the paradigm where the soma, (meaning body in Greek) and the mind are studied alongside one another. This approach of holistic care is an integrative approach for treating the human being as a whole. Thoughts, feelings, sensations, belief systems, temperament, and attitude all have an impact on your physical well-being.
In my experience as a therapist and as a client I have found profound transformation and empowerment through working with somatic tools in psychotherapy. As a therapist who specializes in working with trauma survivors, the body becomes an active source of meaning, since it is in your body and your nervous system where the trace of trauma prevails, not your thoughts or mind.
The truth is, that we can’t work through symptoms of depression, anxiety, irritability, or emotional dysregulation by working through patterns or emotions alone, we need to get to the root of them, which relies on your body and its sensations.
When we experience trauma we disconnect from our bodies to protect ourselves. Our nervous system helps us disconnect to keep us alive, and although that disconnect was helpful for us during our traumatic experiences, it is not helpful as we try to heal and come back to our sense of self.
Healing is reconnecting with our inner wisdom, and that wisdom relies on our bodies. That is why coming back to our bodies in a disembodied society is a revolutionary act.
When we allow ourselves to come back to our bodies and release the traumatic energy we have been carrying through somatic psychotherapy, we are able to heal the stories that the body has been carrying.
In somatic therapy, we use tools like:
Grounding
Movement
Breathing
Visualization
Self-Regulation
Somatic therapy helps you to start living in the present moment and stop reenacting the traumatic experiences that are keeping you stuck. It allows for you to reach your full potential and to navigate life from a place of authenticity and compassion instead of fear and trauma responses.
Understanding how our body holds onto trauma helps us to heal. If somatic therapy sounds like something you may benefit from you can sign up for a free 30-minute consultation with our therapist matchmaker to see which therapist may be the best fit for you. (California residents only). We provide online therapy and have therapists who are trained in EMDR therapy. We also offer many different types of trauma therapy groups. All of our therapists specialize in trauma-informed care, and informed trauma therapy.
