Releasing Emotional Pain Through the Wisdom of the Body – That’s where somatic therapy comes in.
Trauma doesn’t just live in the mind—it lives in the body. You might notice it as tight shoulders, shallow breathing, or a racing heart when you feel triggered. Even long after a painful event has passed, your body can carry its memory like a silent echo.
Somatic therapy is a body-centered approach to healing that uses movement, breath, and awareness to release stored trauma. It doesn’t rely only on words—instead, it helps people reconnect with their body’s wisdom and find emotional freedom through felt experience.
In this article, we’ll explore how somatic therapy works, why trauma is stored in the body, and how movement can lead to deep, lasting healing.
What Is Somatic Therapy?
The word somatic comes from the Greek word soma, meaning “living body.” Somatic therapy works on the belief that the body and mind are deeply connected—and that healing one supports the other.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, somatic therapy:
- Focuses on body awareness
- Encourages gentle movement or postural shifts
- Uses tools like breathwork, grounding, touch, and visualization
- Supports emotional release without re-traumatization
This approach helps clients recognize where they hold tension, dissociation, or “frozen” energy—and gently move that energy through the body for resolution.
According to The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, trauma causes physiological changes in the brain and body, including disconnection from bodily sensation. Reconnecting with the body through somatic practices is key to healing.
How Trauma Gets Stored in the Body
When you experience trauma—whether it’s a single event or ongoing stress—your body activates a survival response: fight, flight, or freeze. If this energy isn’t processed, it can become trapped in the nervous system.
You might then experience symptoms like:
- Chronic muscle tension
- Anxiety or panic attacks
- Numbness or emotional detachment
- Difficulty breathing or tight chest
- Digestive issues
- Unexplained aches or fatigue
This is the body’s way of saying, “Something unresolved still lives here.”
A study in Frontiers in Psychology (2015) noted that trauma survivors often show altered body perception and disrupted interoception (the sense of internal bodily signals), underscoring the need for body-based interventions (Price & Hooven, 2018).
How Somatic Therapy Supports Trauma Healing
Somatic therapy offers a gentle, non-verbal path to healing by helping you reconnect with sensations and signals your body gives you. Here’s how it supports trauma recovery:
1. Rebuilds Nervous System Safety
Trauma makes the nervous system hypersensitive. Somatic therapy teaches your body it’s safe to feel again through slow breathing, grounding, and gentle movement.
This activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest-and-digest mode), helping you shift out of a chronic state of fight-or-flight.
2. Releases Stored Tension
Emotions are energy, and if they’re not expressed, they can lodge in muscles and tissues. Somatic therapy allows this energy to move, often through:
- Trembling
- Crying
- Sighing or deep exhale
- Yawning or stretching
These aren’t random—they’re signs that the body is releasing stuck stress and completing unfinished survival responses.
3. Builds Mind-Body Awareness
Many trauma survivors disconnect from their bodies. Somatic therapy slowly rebuilds the ability to notice and trust internal sensations.
This helps you:
- Recognize boundaries
- Respond to stress signals sooner
- Develop emotional resilience
- Regulate moods more effectively
Somatic Tools and Practices
Somatic therapy can be done with a trained therapist, but many practices can also be explored gently at home. Here are some commonly used tools:
Grounding
Grounding helps you feel safe in the present moment by connecting to your body and surroundings.
Try this:
Stand or sit with both feet flat on the floor. Press them down gently. Notice the sensation. Take three deep breaths. Name five things you can see and three things you can feel.
Breathwork
Shallow breathing is a sign of stress. Deep, mindful breathing signals safety to the brain.
Try this:
Inhale for 4 seconds → Hold for 4 → Exhale for 6 seconds.
Repeat for 2–3 minutes, especially when feeling overwhelmed.
Movement or Shake Release
Trauma can create “frozen” energy in the body. Rhythmic, mindful movement can help thaw it.
Try this:
Put on calming or tribal music. Let your body move how it wants. Shake your hands, roll your shoulders, sway your hips. There’s no right way—just let your body lead.
Somatic Touch or Self-Holding
Safe touch helps the nervous system relax. If done mindfully, even self-touch can soothe the body.
Try this:
Place one hand on your heart and the other on your belly. Breathe deeply. Feel the warmth and connection.
Who Can Benefit from Somatic Therapy?
Somatic therapy is especially helpful for people who have experienced:
- Childhood trauma or neglect
- PTSD or complex trauma
- Anxiety or panic attacks
- Sexual or physical abuse
- Dissociation or disconnection from the body
- Chronic stress or burnout
It’s also helpful for those who feel stuck in traditional therapy and are looking for a more embodied, intuitive approach to healing.
What to Expect in a Somatic Therapy Session
A session with a somatic therapist is gentle and client-led. You remain fully clothed and can sit, lie down, or move as you feel comfortable.
Sessions may include:
- Talking briefly about emotions or triggers
- Exploring sensations or body awareness
- Guided breathing or grounding
- Touch (if appropriate and consensual)
- Movement or visualization
The goal is not to “dig up” trauma, but to create safety, presence, and release, one layer at a time.
A study in Traumatology (2017) found that somatic-based trauma interventions improved emotional regulation and reduced PTSD symptoms, especially when combined with mindfulness (Payne, Levine & Crane-Godreau, 2015).
Final Thoughts
Healing from trauma isn’t just about understanding what happened—it’s about reconnecting with your body, feeling safe again, and learning how to move emotions through, not just around.
Somatic therapy gently invites you back into your body, helping you release what was stuck and reclaim what was lost: your power, your presence, your peace.
Through movement, breath, and awareness, you remember that your body is not the enemy. It’s the gateway to healing.
So if talk therapy hasn’t felt complete—or if your body keeps the score—consider trying somatic therapy. Sometimes, the most powerful healing begins not with words, but with a breath, a stretch, or a quiet tremble of truth.
References
- van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books.
- Price, C. J., & Hooven, C. (2018). Interoceptive awareness skills for emotion regulation. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 798.
- Payne, P., Levine, P. A., & Crane-Godreau, M. A. (2015). Somatic experiencing: Using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 93.
