What Is Somatic Therapy and How Can It Benefit You?

It is easy to feel trapped by our own physical and emotional stress. This feeling of being trapped might also lead you to feel panicked, anxious, and unable to calm down. Traditional talk therapy can effectively address many mental and emotional health challenges, but those who practice somatic therapy believe talk therapy can benefit from paying attention to a person’s body, which can help a person alleviate the stress and pain preventing them from fully experiencing life.

Somatic experiencing is a specific approach to somatic therapy…the goal…is to help an individual notice physical sensations…and use that awareness to work through feelings and emotions.

Over time, somatic therapy aims to help individuals become more aware of their body and learn techniques to release physical tension. These can include breathing exercises, sensation awareness, physical exercise, massage, and grounding exercises. The key is helping a person develop new thinking patterns and behaviors to better respond to various experiences or emotions as they come up.