Somatic Therapy in California
“The body remembers what the mind forgets; it is through somatic experiencing that we can access and release stored traumatic memories.”
Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapy offers a pathway to resolve trauma and PTSD responses. Sometimes, our minds alone cannot untangle the knots of traumatic experiences. A significant challenge we encounter as humans is feeling confined by our physical and emotional conditions. These are the moments when panic and anxiety grip us, making it difficult to find calmness. At other times, we experience bouts of depression and lack the drive to complete even the simplest tasks. What makes somatic interventions remarkable is their capacity to directly address these challenges by forging new neural pathways and behaviors. This enables us to respond differently to our surroundings, breaking free from the patterns of the past.
Somatic therapy with EMDR together is an exciting development in mental health care. Individually, these therapies stand as two of the foremost models for trauma treatment. However, when combined, their synergy amplifies their efficacy, leading to even greater outcomes.
Somatic therapy utilizes bodily awareness as a key component in psychotherapy. Through somatic interventions, it delves into the intricate links between the brain, the mind, and behavioral patterns. While traditional therapists predominantly rely on verbal communication ("talk therapy") to address mental health, somatically oriented therapies harness insights into the fundamental workings of the nervous system to significantly enrich the therapeutic journey. Our bodies and nervous system are always giving us useful information that can help us through our healing.
The goal of somatic therapy is to help people process and release emotions that are stored in the body. As a result, this creates greater emotional balance and well-being. Attuning to our bodily sensations and experiences helps us to find a stronger connection and trust to our inner selves.It also helps us to become more present in the here-and-now and staying curious of what might come up in the body.
Somatic Psychology introduces fundamental concepts:
Embodied Grounding: Central to body-based psychotherapy, grounding involves sensing our physical presence, feeling rooted to the earth, and soothing the nervous system.
Cultivating Somatic Awareness: Somatic therapists encourage clients to become attuned to bodily sensations, addressing unconscious breath constriction and tension patterns through heightened awareness. By bringing more awareness and being mindful of physical sensations can create shifts and changes throughout the process.
Observational Focus: Unlike early somatic approaches that interpreted tension or posture, contemporary therapists prioritize understanding and staying curious with clients' somatic experiences. Practicing self-observation using descriptive language such as hot, cold, or tingly fosters transformation.
Deepening Sensory Awareness: After identifying sensations or tension, therapists guide clients to intensify these experiences gradually, often through focused breathwork, sound, or movement, respecting individual pacing and avoiding overwhelm.
Resource Building: Therapists assist clients in cultivating internal and external resources to enhance feelings of safety and choice, prompting reflection on personal sources of calmness and relaxation.
Titration: Drawing from Somatic Experiencing (Dr. Peter Levine) and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (Pat Ogden), titration involves navigating distress incrementally, oscillating between discomfort and safety to discharge tension gradually.
Sequencing: Clients may experience the sequential release of somatic tension, often transitioning from one bodily area to another, leading to emotional expression and physical relief.
Movement Exploration: Somatic therapies leverage the body's innate wisdom by inviting clients to explore movement patterns and postures, facilitating resolution and calmness through expressive gestures.
Boundary Awareness: Practitioners prioritize present-moment awareness to tailor therapy pacing, fostering clear boundaries that enable clients to assert their needs and maintain a sense of safety.
Self-Regulation: Informed by neuroscience, somatic therapies emphasize mindful connection to bodily sensations amidst emotional intensity, enabling effective regulation and sustained support during trauma healing. When we are more aware of our bodily sensations it will help us to regulate in times where there are intense emotions arising from a particular situation.