The Mind-Body Connection: Exploring Somatic Therapy

In the recent wellness push to help find ways to navigate stress in addition to traditional talk-therapy, research about the importance of the mind-body connection has been gaining popularity. Studies have shown that stress and trauma not only have emotional and cognitive symptoms and effects on an individual, but physical symptoms as well. 

Due to the constant demands of our world, endless stimulation, and “doom scrolling” behaviors, oftentimes we have little to no awareness of how emotions impact our bodies physically, leading to continued states of nervous system activation due to our body’s inability to physically process trauma. Though we all physically “live” in our bodies, most of us have a hard time being aware of how our bodies actually feel on a day-to-day basis.

What is Somatic Therapy and Why is it Important?

Somatic psychotherapy is a holistic, bottom-up approach to therapy, meaning that it focuses less on cognition and thought processing and more on the body’s physical experience of emotional states. Oftentimes, traditional talk therapy utilizes a top-down approach, which focuses on conscious thoughts and working on actively challenging or reframing thoughts in order to affect change in the physical body. While a top-down approach is helpful, sometimes people verbalize feeling “stuck” in emotional states and have difficulty being able to fully process through their traumas using talk therapy alone. Some people describe feeling “out of touch” with their bodies or emotions, or become so overwhelmed by emotional states that they physically feel their bodies “shutting down.” 

Emotions such as anxiety, anger, grief, or depression are often experienced in the body and can lead to tension as well as prolonged states of nervous system arousal. Without being able to physically move through or process these emotions, people may experience long-terms effects of stress/tension physically, as well as continued dissociation from their physical bodies, leaving them unaware of how they even experience or express emotions on a physical body level.

What are the Benefits of Somatic Therapy?

Somatic psychotherapy helps people gain an overall sense of body awareness, as well as inform them of how their body physically experiences an emotional state. Oftentimes, somatic movement can help release tension and promote a parasympathetic nervous system state, which allows the body to relax, decreases heart rate and blood pressure, and reduces stress. Additionally, it can be used to help people learn how and where they experience emotions in their body; for example, tuning into where in your body you might physically feel anger and focusing on what this experience is like for you. This helps us not only to better understand ourselves, but to know what our warning signs are for when we may be in a heightened emotional state. As a result of this stronger connection to self, our bodies, and our needs, we can learn to communicate more effectively with others or know when we need to find a quiet space to re-regulate ourselves.

What are Examples of Somatic Therapy and Movement Practices?

Somatic movement outside of the therapy office can look like anything that helps you to focus on how your body physically feels and connecting your breath to physical movement. Yoga, dance, and Pilates are often helpful places for people to start to learn about the mind-body connection in a communal space. Within the therapy setting, a somatic approach might look like grounding techniques, body scanning, mindful breathing, and gentle movements or stretching exercises targeted in areas that tend to hold a lot of tension.

This Sounds Like a Good Fit! Where do I Start?

There are many good resources online, but to start connecting to your body, a body scan might be helpful to tune into overall body awareness and recognition of what your body is feeling and where. Check out this helpful YouTube video here for a guided body scan. 

Remembering to be a “witness” instead of assigning judgement to any body sensations or experiences that might come up during somatic movement helps to release any expectation as well as negative thoughts toward yourself and your body as you continue to navigate the physical body landscape. For many of us, being in tune with our bodies is something that may be challenging at first, so meet yourself with kindness and compassion throughout your experience.

Are you interested in working with me and incorporating somatic practices into your therapy sessions? Reach out here to learn more or schedule an appointment.

-By Emily Weber, LMSW