Somatic Therapy: Enhancing Well-being through Body Awareness

Introduction

Our body holds onto trauma and its memories. Somatic therapy uses techniques and approaches that involve mind-body exercises and other physical techniques to help release the built-up tension and stress that negatively affect an individual's physical and emotional well-being. These techniques generally involve meditation, dance, and any other form of body movement.  

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The fundamental concept behind somatic therapy is that it focuses on how emotions appear within the body, where these experiences and emotions could be unresolved within our body. Somatic therapy practitioners believe that when an individual’s negative emotions are not released in a timely manner, they turn into physical issues like headaches, neck pain, or back pain. It has been observed that chronic pain is common among individuals who have endured a traumatic event.

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Differences between Talk therapy and Somatic Therapy

Conventional talk therapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), focus solely on the mind and do not give much regard to the body, helping patients identify and modify troubling beliefs and behaviour patterns. Cognitive and behaviour therapies generally focus on thoughts and feelings that are in relation to behaviour; however, somatic therapy is more about relieving the tension and not just helping them desensitise individuals. However, the body is where healing begins in somatic therapy. 

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This type of treatment allows individuals to feel safe in their own skin while exploring ideas, feelings, and memories. It also fosters an awareness of one's own body sensations. Despite their differences, these two methods can aid in the healing process in tandem. For example, somatic therapy can assist individuals in releasing any physical symptoms of their psychological or emotional anguish, while talk therapy can help them identify the cause of their distress. As they understand that combining cognitive and body-based interventions might improve the therapeutic process overall, some therapists even combine the two methods.

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How does Somatic Therapy Work?

Physical symptoms appear when the body is constantly under this much stress. Furthermore, negative events can give rise to deeply ingrained beliefs that are hidden from our conscious awareness. These could include unfavourable or detrimental ideas like "I'm a bad person" or "I'll never succeed." These unfavourable emotions are not alone stored in the body; they also surface frequently. Trauma survivors face reactivation of their symptoms when they encounter stressful situations. They may experience trauma repeatedly as a result of this.

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Somatic therapy is essentially a combination of talk therapy, mindfulness, and what can be thought of as alternate forms of physical therapy. The therapist assists you in refocusing your attention on your body or bringing up memories of traumatic events, and they observe any physical reactions you have after experiencing the emotion or retrieving the memory.

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Deep breathing, relaxation exercises, and meditation are among the treatment methods that are utilised to help reduce symptoms. In addition to somatic therapy, other physical supplementary approaches that may be employed include vocal work, dancing, exercise, yoga, and "bodywork" that resembles physical therapy or massage. Techniques for treatment might be applied in settings for individual or group therapy. In somatic therapy, you may feel intense emotional and physical sensations as a result of processing difficult memories of your past.

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Who might find relief in Somatic Therapy?

Because disturbing feelings can manifest in the body in ways that are incapacitating, somatic therapy works to detach painful emotions from their power. This eases discomfort and other signs of stress, such as trouble focusing or falling asleep. These types of emotions may stem from a variety of circumstances and conditions that somatic therapy may be able to treat. Among them are:

• PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder
• Severe bereavement/Grief
• Anxiety and depression
• Difficulties with intimacy and trust
• Self-worth and self-esteem problems

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Somatic therapy may not be appropriate for everyone, even though it can be a helpful tool in reducing the symptoms of disorders including PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Dr. Fedrick specifically recommends against EMDR for people who are expecting or disassociate often. The best type of therapy for you will be determined after speaking with a mental health professional.

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Techniques seen in Somatic Therapy

A somatic therapist may help in the physical discharge of trauma or bad emotions through a variety of techniques. These are a handful of the more popular ones:

Body awareness - One of the first stages towards learning to relieve physical tension in the body is this. In addition to learning how to calm thoughts and feelings, the client also learns to detect and identify body tense spots.

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Grounding - This is establishing a strong connection with your body and the ground. Sensing your body, feeling your feet on the ground, and lowering your stress level are all part of grounding.

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Pendulation - Using this method, a therapist leads you from a calm condition to one that resembles the traumatic event. You can let go of the stored up energy by repeating this multiple times. As the energy is released, you can experience uneasiness or nervousness. You'll be led back to a calm state each time. You will eventually have the ability to relax on your own.

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Titration - Using this method, the therapist walks you through a painful recollection. As you explain the recollection, you will be asked to note any physical changes that occur. The therapist will assist you in addressing any bodily sensations as they arise.

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Sequencing - This is being very aware of the sequence in which your body releases tension-causing sensations. For example, you may experience a tightening in your throat followed by a tightness in your chest. Then, as the tension departs your body, you can experience trembling.

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Resourcing - This entails thinking back on the things in your life—like your relationships, your strongest traits, or even a special vacation destination—that give you a sense of security. It might consist of anything that soothes you. The positive emotions and experiences connected to your resources then come back to you, providing an emotional anchor.

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Deep breathing, relaxation exercises, and meditation are among the treatment methods that are utilised for helping reduce symptoms. In addition to somatic therapy, other physical supplementary approaches that may be employed include vocal work, dancing, exercise, yoga, and "bodywork" that resembles physical therapy or massage. Techniques for treatment might be applied in settings for individual or group therapy.

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In somatic therapy, you may feel intense emotional and physical sensations as a result of processing difficult memories of your past.

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Approaches to Somatic Therapy

Practitioners of somatic therapy focus on both mind and body, and here are some of the approaches to somatic therapy.

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Breathwork: in this approach, individuals are asked to breathe intentionally while allowing the mind to focus on breath. This way, there is a link between the mind and the body. The aim behind this approach is to help provide awareness and insight into our emotions and nervous system.

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Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR): in this approach, bilateral (left-right) physical stimulation is used to lessen the intensity and feeling associated with a painful memory. In order to change how the memory is stored in the brain, an EMDR session involves the individual recalling a painful event while receiving rhythmic bilateral stimulation, which frequently consists of eye movements, auditory tones, or physical taps.

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Brainspotting: this approach identifies the individual areas of vision that are associated with trauma and are stored deep within the memory. The individual focuses on the area while either reliving or recalling the memory to the therapist. The aim behind this approach is to allow the individual to process their emotions and feelings related to the event by helping them understand that they are in a safe environment.

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Hakomi: This approach gives emphasis to aspects of mindfulness. According to this approach, an individual is given the space to deeply understand their emotions, and the practitioners of Hakomi pay close attention to their posture and gestures, which are believed to reveal unconscious associations and memories. To facilitate this kind of therapy, the practitioners must focus on their consciousness and energy.

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Strengths and Limitations

Somatic therapy may not be appropriate for everyone, even though it can be helpful for those with specific mental health issues. 

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Strengths

• Somatic therapy has been shown in studies to reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including anxiety and dejection.
• Somatic therapy has the potential to improve an individual's resilience on social, bodily, and psychological levels.
• Research suggests that somatic treatment may enhance an individual's general sense of well-being in addition to improving symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. 
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Limitations

• Somatic treatment may not be beneficial for everyone with anxiety-specific symptoms, according to some studies.
• Certain somatic therapy procedures, according to some experts, need further investigation to confirm their efficacy.
• It could be difficult to locate a therapist with training in somatic therapy methods.

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Ready to explore somatic therapy and its benefits for your mental and emotional well-being? Rocket Health offers expert support and resources tailored to your needs. Take the first step towards healing with Rocket Health today.

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References

Brom, D., Stokar, Y., Lawi, C., Nuriel‐Porat, V., Ziv, Y., Lerner, K., & Ross, G. (2017, June). Somatic Experiencing for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomised Controlled Outcome Study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 30(3), 304–312. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22189

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Kuhfuß, M., Maldei, T., Hetmanek, A., & Baumann, N. (2021, January). Somatic experiencing – effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy: a scoping literature review. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1929023

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Pedersen, T. (2021, August 18). All About Somatic Therapy. Psych Central. https://psychcentral.com/blog/how-somatic-therapy-can-help-patients-suffering-from-psychological-trauma#recap