Life demands more of our time and energy than ever before. Stress is likely to occur as we juggle our personal responsibilities, social engagements, and increasing work demands. And, if you have ever experienced any type of trauma, day-to-day stress can become more complex to navigate.
This is where somatic therapy can help. Somatic techniques are specific practices that focus on the mind-body connection to achieve healing. Not only does it recognize how deeply these two things can be linked, but it also helps establish the proper tools to process the trauma.
Let’s explore some common somatic techniques and explain why they work.
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic experiencing (SE) will help you process your trauma and emotional pain by guiding you through a revisit to your experience. You will focus on bodily sensations rather than the story you tell yourself. During the traumatic event, your fight or flight response was interrupted. SE will help you complete the stress response cycle.
Why SE Works
Trauma causes dysregulation in the nervous system. SE takes you back through the event, but this time it allows your body to process everything appropriately. You will release any unnecessary energy and return to a calm and safe state.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
Sensorimotor psychotherapy combines traditional talk therapy with body awareness practices. During your session, you will focus on bodily sensations, exploring movement, and observing posture. Here, emotion and sensation are explored together.
Why Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Works
Whether you realize it or not, many unconscious beliefs become stored in the body. By exploring your bodily sensations, you bring awareness to physical expressions of emotion. This gives you a much deeper access to the roots of your trauma than just talking would.
Breathwork
Breathwork is the practice of altering your breathing to accommodate your mental, emotional, or physical state. Under the breathwork umbrella there are a wide range of techniques, from slow to more intense.
Why Breathwork Works
Your breathing is directly connected to your autonomic nervous system. When you consciously change your breath pattern, it can activate your parasympathetic system to reduce anxiety and regulate emotions.
Movement Therapy
Movement is a creative outlet for exploring what feelings and emotions are going on within the body. Dance, or any other type of expressive form of movement therapy, is not about the performance itself, but rather the body’s ability to communicate experiences and emotion.
Why Movement Therapy Works
On a very basic level, your brain is made of two parts: analytical and emotional. Movement taps into the emotional side, allowing for difficult experiences to be expressed physically rather than verbally.
Body Scanning and Mindfulness
These techniques require you to pay attention to what your body feels and to be present in the moment. Body scanning itself allows you to notice even the smallest of sensations, including discomfort, warmth, or tension.
Why Body Scanning Works
Having mindful awareness of what your physical body is experiencing allows you to tap into a deeper internal state. This is particularly helpful for those who are recovering from any type of trauma with suppressed emotions.
Therapeutic Touch
Therapeutic touch and massage therapy are conducted ethically within a safe environment. It alleviates muscle tension and can trigger an emotional release.
Why Therapeutic Touch Works
Touch, performed safely, can calm your nervous system, reducing cortisol levels and increasing the release of oxytocin. Each of these is crucial for trauma healing.
Exploring Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapy is unique in that it takes a holistic approach to healing, incorporating your mind, body, and nervous system. It invites you to be more in tune with your body. Want to try it out for yourself? Reach out to us today to begin your journey.