Somatic or Body-Based Therapies: What Are They and Who Can Benefit

Disclaimer: I’m not a licensed mental health counselor, but I do have over a decade of experience providing integrative rehabilitation services to individuals who suffer from a mental illness, alongside their psychiatrist. This blog discusses responses to everyday stress and is not intended as medical advice for individuals dealing with a mental illness, as many factors need to be considered when managing long-term mental health challenges.

Somatic practices are body-centered approaches that incorporate physical methods such as body awareness, movement, breathing exercises, and touch to help release trauma and tension. These practices emphasize the mind-body connection, highlighting how our mental and emotional well-being can significantly impact our physical state and vice versa.

Somatic therapy is a broad term that encompasses various body-based practices designed to alleviate trauma, stress, and feelings of overwhelm. Some of these practices include yoga nidra, yoga asanas, Ayurvedic procedures like Shirodhara, the Feldenkrais Method, breathwork, the Hakomi Method, Somatic Experiencing, Qigong, movement therapy, EMDR, and more. It's important to note that while many of these therapies are beneficial, some are specifically intended as therapeutic processes targeting particular goals or intentions.

This blog will focus on Focalizing, a style of somatic work in which I am trained.

The Focalizing Institute is a healing, research, and educational nonprofit organization devoted to educating individuals and training facilitators in the healing technologies of Focalizing and Dynamic Linking.

Somatic or body-based therapies aim to target the brainstem, often referred to as the "old brain," where we store the memories of traumatic experiences. This approach is linked to the concept of the triune brain, which consists of three parts: the brainstem (responsible for basic survival functions), the limbic system (involved in emotions and memory), and the neocortex (associated with higher cognitive functions). Instead of trying to think our way through trauma using the neocortex, this method emphasizes a bottom-up approach, which means engaging with the more primitive brainstem directly related to our autonomic nervous system. The goal is to engage with our experiences through felt sense, imagery, movement, resourcing, and shifts of perception and experience. Conversely, CBT and other talk therapies focus on the neocortex or higher thinking to initiate healing and alleviate emotional dysregulation.

A Focalizing Practitioner plays a crucial role in guiding a person through this process, helping them fully experience and process feelings that may have been hidden in their body for a long time. While the process is based on what emerges, the overall goal is to help remove blocks from unresolved trauma, conditioned thinking, and intimacy barriers, which ultimately regulate the limbic system, our emotional brain.

A Focalizing Practitioner keeps in mind that our actions and relationships in the world are deeply rooted in our childhood experiences. From an early age, we develop ways to process trauma, shaping how our bodies respond to it. For example, if you often engage in people-pleasing behaviors or exhibit a fawn response, you may unconsciously suppress feelings of trauma to avoid burdening others. This behavior could stem from parents who neglected or misinterpreted a child's emotional needs.

During a session, the practitioner aims to help their client’s cultivate awareness, compassion, and curiosity toward the survival skills learned in childhood, as well as other patterns. The client begins by setting an intention or identifying an issue they wish to address in their lives—typically something that feels most relevant at the moment. This could involve fears related to being your authentic self, managing unhealthy relationships, or uncovering the root cause of anxiety.

The practitioner guides the client through a process that focuses on their felt sense, bringing awareness to what is happening in their body. Depending on the experiences that arise, the practitioner will employ various somatic modalities to help the client connect to an inner knowing, similar to what is known as inner intelligence in Transcendental Meditation. It’s a way to connect back to your authentic Self.

Additionally, the practitioner ensures that the client reconnects with resources that help balance their energy and helps prevent overwhelm throughout the session. This approach is based on client feedback and the qualities that emerge during the session. Much like Ayurveda and other natural healing modalities, nature and the qualities of the elements play a role in somatic therapies by using concepts of opposites, likes, and the qualities of images, feelings, and sensations to guide the session.

Somatic practices can be particularly beneficial for individuals who prefer not to relive a traumatic event or who may not clearly remember the event enough to process it. By honoring and fully accepting our emotions, we create space for transformation. This approach helps us move away from the shame that often accompanies trauma or negative emotional experiences, ultimately changing how we respond to these feelings. Essentially, we find new ways to express our emotions without revisiting the same narrative. Since our stress responses occur more quickly than our minds can process them, it's clear why somatic therapies can be so effective.

As an Ayurvedic Health and Wellness Counselor, mental health professional, and soon-to-be Focalizing Practitioner, I have come to realize that many physical imbalances persist due to trauma, conditioned thinking, and difficulties in connecting with our authentic selves. This is a struggle many people, including myself, face.

While traditional talk therapy has aided me during challenging times, somatic work has allowed me to fully experience deep emotions in a way that is meaningful to me and my body and honestly, something I’ve never fully experienced until being introduced to somatic practices.

After these sessions, I usually experience a deep soulful integration process. This often helps me gain clarity about the challenges I discussed in the session, making me feel more comfortable with my thoughts and the difficulties in my life. I also find myself feeling more at ease in my body.

 Up next!

Ayurvedic Techniques for Balancing Mind and Body During Stressful Times

Embodiment Practices to Uncover Hidden Emotions that Could Be Keeping You Stuck on Your Physical Health Journey