Healing with Somatic Trauma Therapy..

Somatics in trauma recovery is all about reconnecting with the body, our "soma", which is how we first experience the world through movement and even the tone of voice. From the moment we’re born, we are embodied beings, but trauma can disrupt this natural connection as the mind and body shift into a survival mode.

This often triggers responses like fight, flight, freeze, or even collapse, narrowing our experience of life and limiting our capacity for joy, creativity, and deep connection.  

Somatic trauma therapy is a body-centred approach to healing that goes beyond simply talking about past experiences, instead, it works directly with the physical sensations, movements, and rhythms in your body that carry the imprint of trauma. In other words, while traditional talk therapies help us understand the “why” behind our emotional experiences, somatic therapy focuses on the “where” and “how” trauma is stored in the body.

In his Waking the Tiger book, Peter Levine explains that animals have an amazing, built-in process to heal from stress. When an animal encounters danger, say, a predator, it instinctively goes into fight, flight, or freeze mode. But the fascinating part is what happens next: once the threat has passed, the animal will shake its entire body. This shaking isn’t just random movement; it’s a natural way of releasing all that excess energy and tension built up during the stressful moment.

Levine’s description was how simple and effective this process is. Animals don’t get caught up replaying the event in their minds like we sometimes do. Instead, they simply shake off the stress and move on, allowing their bodies to reset and return to a balanced state. Our bodies have an innate wisdom for handling trauma, and that sometimes, the most healing thing we can do is to let go, literally and figuratively, by allowing our bodies to move and release what’s trapped.  

How It Works..

1. Listening to the Body:   Trauma isn’t just a memory stored in our mind; it’s also physically manifested in the body, often in the form of chronic tension, disrupted breathing, or sensations like constriction. Somatic trauma therapy helps you become aware of these sensations. For example, through guided body scans, you learn to notice places where tension accumulates, such as tight shoulders or a constricted chest.

   
   

2. Releasing Stored Energy:   When you experience a traumatic event, your body’s natural survival responses (like fight, flight, or freeze) can sometimes be interrupted or “thwarted.” This leaves residual energy locked in your physical system. Techniques such as gentle stretching, controlled breathwork, and even intentional shaking (similar to how animals shake off stress) help the body complete its interrupted processes. This enables the release of the pent-up energy, allowing your body to return to a state of balance.

   
   

3. Grounding and Resourcing: Somatic therapy uses techniques like grounding exercises and mindful breathing, movement, stretching, even drawing, to help regulate the nervous system. These practices not only create a sense of safety in the present moment but, with repetition, also promote new neural pathways that support a healthier, more adaptive response to stress, a process known as neural rewiring.

   
   

4. Integration: The ultimate goal is to integrate these changes into everyday life. As you develop more awareness and learn to release stored tension, you begin to experience improved emotional regulation, reduced trauma symptoms, and a restored connection between your mind and body. This makes it easier to express yourself, connect with others, and face life’s challenges without becoming overwhelmed by the past.

   
   

   By addressing both the emotional narratives and the lived sensations in your body, somatic trauma therapy offers a holistic way to heal from trauma, reduce symptoms like anxiety or dissociation, and reclaim a sense of empowerment and connection.

Posted by Kerryhamptoncounselling.