Discover how body-based approaches can help release trauma stored in the nervous system and restore a sense of safety and wholeness.
"The body keeps the score" - trauma lives not just in our minds, but in our muscles, nervous system, and breath. Somatic therapy helps release it.
Somatic therapy (from the Greek word "soma" meaning body) is a body-centred approach to healing trauma that recognises the deep connection between mind and body. Unlike traditional talk therapy, which primarily works through verbal processing, somatic approaches focus on the physical sensations and patterns held in the body.
The core principle of somatic therapy is that trauma is not just a psychological experience - it's a physiological one. When we experience overwhelming events, our bodies often hold onto the stress response long after the danger has passed. Somatic therapy helps complete these unfinished survival responses and release trapped energy.
When we face a threat, our autonomic nervous system activates a survival response - fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. In ideal circumstances, once the danger passes, our nervous system returns to a state of calm. However, with trauma, this cycle often doesn't complete.
Fight/Flight Response:
Freeze/Collapse Response:
These survival energies can become "stuck" in the body, manifesting as chronic pain, tension, fatigue, digestive problems, and emotional dysregulation. Somatic therapy helps release this trapped energy and restore the nervous system's natural ability to regulate.
Several approaches fall under the umbrella of somatic trauma therapy, each with its unique methods:
Somatic therapy sessions look different from traditional talk therapy. Here's what you might experience:
The session often begins with grounding exercises to help you arrive in your body and the present moment. This might include noticing your breath, the sensation of sitting, or your connection to the ground.
Your therapist may guide you to notice sensations in your body - areas of tension, warmth, cold, tingling, or numbness. You'll learn to track how sensations shift and change.
When working with traumatic material, you may notice activation in your body. The therapist helps you titrate this experience, working in small doses to avoid overwhelm.
You might be invited to follow impulses for movement - pushing, reaching, running movements, or protective gestures. This helps complete survival responses that were interrupted.
Sessions typically end with time to integrate the experience, returning to a settled state before leaving.
Research and clinical experience show that somatic approaches can be particularly helpful for:
Somatic approaches can be particularly effective for people who find that talk therapy alone isn't fully addressing their symptoms, or who experience trauma responses that seem disconnected from conscious memories.
While working with a trained somatic therapist is recommended for processing trauma, there are gentle practices you can try on your own to build body awareness and support nervous system regulation:
Caution:
If you have a trauma history, approach body-focused practices gently. If any practice increases distress, stop and return to simple grounding. Processing trauma is best done with professional support.
When looking for a somatic therapist, consider these factors:
Our therapist directory includes practitioners trained in somatic approaches. Look for those who list Somatic Experiencing, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, or body-oriented trauma therapy in their specialisations.