Somatic Therapy: Your Body Remembers What Your Mind Tries to Forget
There's something I want you to know: that tension you carry in your shoulders isn't just from hunching over your computer. That knot in your stomach that appears when you're stressed? It's not just nerves. The exhaustion that sleep doesn't seem to touch? Your body is trying to tell you something.
Trauma doesn't just live in our thoughts and memories - it lives in our bodies. And for too long, we've been trying to heal trauma from the neck up, wondering why talking about it sometimes isn't enough.
This is where somatic therapy comes in. It's not about dismissing the power of our minds or the importance of processing our experiences through words. It's about recognizing that healing happens when we include our bodies in the conversation.
Trauma Symptoms in the Body: What Your Body Has Been Trying to Tell You
Your nervous system is incredibly intelligent. When something threatening happens, it responds instantly - your heart races, your muscles tense, your breathing changes. This is your body's way of trying to keep you safe. But sometimes, especially with trauma, that alarm system gets stuck in the "on" position.
Maybe you recognize some of these signs that your body is holding onto old stress:
Chronic tension that seems to live permanently in your shoulders, jaw, or stomach
Feeling exhausted even when you've gotten enough sleep
A sense of being disconnected from your body, like you're floating above it rather than living in it
Digestive issues that don't seem to have a clear medical cause
Headaches that come and go without explanation
Feeling like you're constantly on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop
Emotional reactions that feel bigger than the situation calls for
These aren't character flaws or signs that you're "too sensitive." They're signs that your nervous system is still trying to protect you from something that's already over.
What is Somatic Therapy? Understanding Body-Based Healing
Somatic therapy is a body-centered approach to healing that recognizes a simple truth: you can't separate your mind from your body. They're not two different systems - they're one integrated whole. And trauma affects that whole system.
Instead of just talking about what happened to you, somatic therapy helps you work with what's happening in your body right now. It's about learning to listen to the wisdom your body holds and helping your nervous system remember what safety feels like.
Think of it this way: if traditional talk therapy works from the top down (mind to body), somatic therapy works from the bottom up (body to mind). Both approaches have value, and they often work beautifully together.
The goal isn't to relive your trauma or force your body to "get over it." It's about gently helping your nervous system update its alarm system so it knows the difference between past danger and present safety.
How Trauma Gets Stuck in Your Body
When something traumatic happens, your nervous system activates to help you survive. This might mean fighting, running away, freezing, or trying to please your way out of danger. These responses aren't conscious choices - they're automatic survival mechanisms.
Under normal circumstances, once the threat is over, your nervous system would naturally discharge that activated energy and return to a state of calm. But trauma can interrupt this natural process. The energy gets trapped, and your body continues to respond as if the threat is still present.
This is why you might feel anxious in situations that are objectively safe, or why your body might react strongly to things that remind you of past experiences. Your nervous system isn't being dramatic - it's doing exactly what it was designed to do based on the information it has.
Research shows us that trauma actually changes how our nervous system functions, affecting everything from our heart rate variability to our immune response. This isn't something you can think your way out of - it requires working with your body's natural healing capacity.
How Somatic Therapy Works: Reclaiming Your Body After Trauma
Somatic therapy offers a gentle way to help your nervous system find its way back to regulation and safety. Here's how it works:
Nervous System Regulation: Finding Your Way Back to Calm
One of the primary goals of somatic therapy is helping your nervous system learn to shift out of that constant state of alert and into a place of genuine calm. This isn't about forcing relaxation or trying to "just breathe" when you're panicking. It's about giving your nervous system new experiences of safety.
Some of the tools that can help include:
Grounding practices that help anchor you in the present moment. This might be feeling your feet on the floor, noticing five things you can see around you, or placing your hand on your heart and feeling it beat.
Breathwork that gently activates your body's natural relaxation response. Not the forced deep breathing that sometimes makes anxiety worse, but gentle, mindful breathing that works with your body's natural rhythm.
Progressive muscle relaxation that helps release the chronic tension your body has been holding. This involves slowly and deliberately releasing tension from different muscle groups.
Try this right now: Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Take a slow breath in through your nose, letting your belly rise more than your chest. As you exhale slowly through your mouth, silently remind yourself, "I am safe in this moment." Notice what happens in your body.
Trauma Release Through Movement: Letting Your Body Tell Its Story
Movement is one of the most powerful tools for processing trauma because it allows the trapped energy to move through and out of your system. This doesn't mean you need to become a dancer or athlete. It means learning to listen to what your body wants to do and giving it permission to move in ways that feel healing.
Trauma Release Exercises (TRE) involve simple movements that help your body naturally release tension and trapped stress. Your body already knows how to do this - think about how animals shake after escaping a predator. We've just learned to stop ourselves from doing it.
Trauma-informed yoga combines gentle movement with breath awareness and nervous system regulation. It's not about achieving perfect poses - it's about reconnecting with your body in a safe, supportive way.
Expressive movement might look like dancing, shaking, stretching, or any movement that feels good to your body. The key is moving from internal awareness rather than external expectations.
Interoception: Learning to Listen to Your Body Again
Interoception is your ability to sense what's happening inside your body - your heartbeat, your breathing, the feeling of hunger or tension. Trauma can disrupt this internal awareness, leaving you feeling disconnected from your own physical experience.
Somatic therapy helps you gently rebuild this connection through practices like:
Body scans where you slowly and non-judgmentally notice sensations throughout your body. The goal isn't to change anything - just to notice and acknowledge what's there.
Mindful touch like placing your hand on your heart or belly, giving yourself a gentle hug, or even just noticing the feeling of your clothes against your skin.
Gentle movement exploration where you let your body move in whatever way feels good, without any agenda or goal other than reconnection.
Here's a simple practice: Close your eyes for just 30 seconds and scan through your body from head to toe. Where do you notice tension? Warmth? Tingling? Numbness? There's no right or wrong answer - just notice what's there without trying to change it.
Who Benefits from Somatic Therapy?
Somatic therapy can be particularly helpful if you're dealing with:
PTSD or complex trauma that seems resistant to traditional talk therapy alone
Chronic anxiety that you feel in your body as much as in your mind
Panic attacks that seem to come out of nowhere
Depression that feels heavy and stuck in your body
Emotional numbness or feeling disconnected from yourself
Chronic pain that doesn't have a clear medical cause
Sleep issues related to an overactive nervous system
Relationship difficulties stemming from trust and safety issues
Research consistently shows that approaches addressing both mind and body are more effective for trauma recovery than either approach alone. Your body holds incredible wisdom about healing - somatic therapy simply helps you access that wisdom.
Getting Started with Somatic Healing
If this resonates with you, here are some gentle ways to begin:
Start small and go slow. Healing happens in layers, not all at once. Begin with simple practices like noticing your breath or feeling your feet on the ground.
Find a qualified somatic therapist who can guide you through this process safely. Look for someone trained in approaches like Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, or trauma-informed yoga therapy.
Incorporate gentle daily practices. This might be a few minutes of mindful breathing, gentle stretching, or simply checking in with your body throughout the day.
Be patient and compassionate with yourself. Your body has been protecting you in the best way it knew how. Healing isn't about forcing change - it's about creating safety for your nervous system to naturally restore its balance.
Trust the process. Your body wants to heal. Sometimes it just needs the right support and conditions to do what it already knows how to do.
Your Body Is Not Your Enemy
I want to leave you with this: your body is not betraying you. Those symptoms, that tension, that reactivity - it's all your nervous system's attempt to keep you safe. You're not broken, and you don't need to be fixed. You need to be witnessed, supported, and given the conditions for your natural healing capacity to emerge.
Trauma may have taught your body that the world isn't safe, but healing can teach it something new. With gentle, consistent support, your nervous system can learn to trust again - trust in safety, trust in connection, and trust in your own body's incredible wisdom.
You were never meant to carry this alone. And you don't have to keep carrying it in your body forever.
š© Curious about how somatic therapy can support your healing journey? Let's work together to help your nervous system find its way back to safety and reconnect with your body's natural wisdom. Book your free consultation here
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I'm Rae Francis, and I understand what it's like when your body feels like it's working against you rather than with you. As a therapist specializing in somatic approaches to healing, I've spent over 16 years helping individuals reconnect with their bodies and find their way back to safety after trauma. I believe your body holds incredible wisdom about healing - sometimes it just needs the right support to access that wisdom. Using trauma-informed care, nervous system regulation, and gentle somatic practices, I help people transform their relationship with their bodies from one of fear or disconnection to one of trust and partnership. Learn more about working together.
