We often think of the mind and body as separate spirit on one side, matter on the other. But this division misses something essential. Our bodies don’t just carry our thoughts and emotions; they express them. Every tremble, every tight chest, every clenched jaw is a message. It’s the unconscious speaking through the body sometimes even more honestly than words ever could.

What is Somatic Therapy?

Somatic therapy is a body-centered approach to psychotherapy that emphasizes the connection between mind and body. Unlike traditional talk therapies that focus primarily on cognitive and emotional processing, somatic therapy incorporates bodily awareness, movement, and physical sensation as central tools for healing. The underlying principle is that traumatic experiences are not only stored in memory and thought but also held in the body, often leading to chronic tension, dysregulation, and physical symptoms (Levine, 1997).

How Can Somatic Therapy Be Beneficial in Trauma Work?

Trauma often overwhelms the nervous system, leaving the body in a state of hyperarousal, freeze, or dissociation (van der Kolk, 2014). Somatic therapy helps individuals reconnect safely with their bodily experiences, fostering regulation and integration. By guiding clients to notice sensations, release tension, and gradually renegotiate traumatic responses, therapists support the body in completing defensive responses that were interrupted during the original trauma. This process can reduce symptoms such as anxiety, hypervigilance, and emotional numbing, while restoring a sense of safety and empowerment (Ogden, Minton, & Pain, 2006).

How is Somatic Therapy Used?

In practice, somatic therapy often begins with grounding and mindfulness exercises that help clients become aware of their present bodily state. Therapists may use breathwork, gentle movement, or guided awareness of posture and sensation to anchor clients in the here-and-now. Over time, clients are invited to notice where trauma-related tension or discomfort resides in the body. Through titration (working with small amounts of activation) and pendulation (moving between states of safety and activation), the therapist helps clients process trauma without overwhelming them (Levine, 1997).

Examples of Somatic Therapy Approaches

Several models of somatic therapy have been developed for trauma treatment. Somatic Experiencing (SE), created by Peter Levine, focuses on releasing stored survival energy from the nervous system. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, developed by Pat Ogden, integrates somatic awareness with cognitive and emotional processing. Additionally, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) incorporates elements of somatic awareness by focusing on bilateral stimulation and body sensations associated with traumatic memories (Shapiro, 2018). Somatic therapy practices you can do at home include body scanning, breathwork, grounding, intuitive movement, somatic journaling, vagus nerve stimulation, and gentle self-touch or tapping.

Reflections on Somatic Therapy

In recent years, somatic therapies have reminded us of this truth: when the soul can’t speak, the body steps in. Physical symptoms chronic tension, sudden pain, anxiety aren’t just random or mechanical. They’re symbolic, much like dreams. They reveal what we’ve buried or ignored. The body remembers everything, especially what the mind tries to forget. For example, a racing heartbeat might not just be anxiety, it could be a buried fear or unspoken grief trying to surface. Rather than silencing these symptoms, real healing comes when we learn to listen to them, to ask: What is my body trying to tell me?

The body also channels something much deeper mechanisms. These are ancient, universal patterns we all share. Ever notice how someone in pain curls up like a wounded child, or how another stands tall like a warrior before a challenge? These gestures aren’t random; they’re the body tapping into something timeless. In practices like active imagination and somatic movement, people allow the body to express what the conscious mind can’t yet grasp. In these moments, we meet our shadow, the anger, fear, and desire we’ve pushed away. And through that encounter, we begin to heal. Individuation, or becoming our true selves, isn’t just an intellectual journey. It’s physical, emotional, spiritual all of it. The body carries the raw material for transformation. When we stop seeing it as separate from the soul and start listening to its language, we move closer to wholeness.

Conclusions

Somatic therapy provides a valuable framework for trauma treatment by addressing the body as an integral site of healing. Through careful attention to sensation, movement, and nervous system regulation, it allows survivors to release the grip of trauma and reclaim resilience, wholeness, and safety.

Your body isn’t just reacting it’s speaking. Are you listening?

References

• Levine, P. A. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books.
• Ogden, P., Minton, K., & Pain, C. (2006). Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, Third Edition: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures. Guilford Press.
• van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.