What is somatic therapy?
A queer Texas-based licensed marriage and family therapist explains
Here in Austin, Texas, somatic healing practices are quite popular. There are numerous options for starting somatic therapy and exploring other somatic healing opportunities. So what exactly is somatic therapy anyway?
The word somatic comes from the Greek word “soma”, meaning the body. So, the word somatic means pertaining to the body or relating to the body. And somatic therapy is just that. An alternative to talk therapy, somatic therapy emphasizes the need to work with the mind-body connection to promote sustainable and holistic healing for the client. Somatic therapy encourages the client to safely connect with their body in order to tune into their own intuition and inner strength, as well as to release stuck energy they may not even be aware their body is holding. Somatic therapy is a type of trauma therapy because it helps to release and recover from stored stress energy, trauma symptoms, and chronic stress that the body holds onto.
The phases of somatic therapy are similar to the phases or the goals of other types of trauma therapies. And the phases may vary based on different modalities or practitioners, but generally, somatic therapy encompasses these three phases. The first phase of somatic therapy involves establishing safety and stabilization. This is a crucial step that must be taken before diving into deeper trauma processing. To establish safety and stabilization means that the client must establish a safe enough connection with the therapist, begin to reconnect with their body, to their environment, and with any safe people or pets in their lives. This part of the somatic therapy process includes tools such as grounding exercises, establishing body awareness, resourcing, and mindful breathwork. This process also requires informed consent (not only in the first phase, but in every step of the therapy process). It is necessary for the client to connect with their own sense of agency and autonomy and to go at the pace that works best for them. This means the therapist must hold a container for the client to connect with their own agency and autonomy, and for the therapist to honor and respect the client’s boundaries.
Once the client is resourced, feeling safe enough, and stable enough, the second phase, trauma processing, begins. I am trained in a somatic healing modality called Somatic Experiencing (SE), which teaches practitioners specific methods that really help with this phase of the process. These tools include titration and pendulation (I may break down these concepts in later blog posts). Titration and pendulation are skills that the therapist uses to facilitate trauma processing in small, manageable but effective ways that lead to positive shifts and changes without overwhelming the client’s system (aka mind-body or nervous system). Trauma processing allows clients to make sense of their lived experience and how their body has been holding onto stuck energy and reacting from trauma and survival responses. This phase of somatic therapy allows the client to connect with themselves, their story, to feel, and to grieve. There is also discharge of stress and pent up energy that can occur in this phase of somatic therapy. Discharge happens when the body naturally releases energy through movement, crying, or shaking. The client is then able to integrate these new meanings and understanding of self and expand their options for how to move through the world, be in relationship, and most importantly, connect to self.
The third phase of somatic therapy is integration. The way I see it, integration is a deepening and expansion of the first two phases. The client can more easily connect with a sense of safety within themselves in their daily lives. At this point, the client is more trusting of themself to have the resources they need and to care for themselves and to be able to respond to their own needs. The client is embodied, meaning they’re connected to and aware of their subjective experience (mind, body, spirit). When embodied, a person is able to notice and be present with their own experiences, emotions, thoughts, and body. And in turn, can be present with others and in their environment.
As I said before, somatic therapy requires safety, trust, and informed consent. While these phases provide a scaffolding for the process of somatic therapy, it is a fluid and intuitive process that looks and feels different for each person. Collaboration and connection are key in somatic therapy.
This is a brief overview of somatic therapy, and there is so much more to say and expand on. If you’re interested in learning more about somatic therapy or wondering if we might be a good fit to work together, please reach out for a free 20-minute video intro call!
