Therapy with a somatic psychology orientation involves engaging your awareness of your own body as part of the therapeutic process. Somatic techniques help us work with the connections between your mind, your brain, your body, and your behavior. Most “talk therapy” focuses on the mind to impact behavior and psychological health. However, incorporating the basic functions of the nervous system within therapy to find deeper and long-lasting healing.
Many approaches to counseling fail to address what remains stored within, leaving you feeling hostage within your own body. With a somatic psychology orientation, we work together to understand what your body is holding onto and the physical dysregulation you may experience.
We explore your internal belief system that was impacted through life experiences. Together we will track your physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts. Most importantly you will learn to access your body’s inherent ability to heal and self-regulate.
Somatic Techniques In Therapy
Grounding – Learning to ground yourself is essential for regulating your emotions. Grounding is the ability to experience ourselves within our own bodies, often a foreign concept to many entering therapy. This involves learning the sensations of your body to develop the ability to calm your nervous system.
Resourcing – Many individuals do not know what calm and safety feel like in their bodies. We will work together to develop resources to increase a sense of power, agency, choice, and safety. We will identify trusted individuals, experiences, and places that increase your sense of calm and connection.
Developing Curiosity – Learning to be curious about your internal experience, such as noticing your body sensations and applying language to the sensations.
Increasing Tolerance – We will track the experiences of somatic tension being released from the body. You will notice and report the dynamic shifts of your emotions and physical sensations. Tightness in your gut may move to your chest area and then you may feel sensations in your throat or tension at the back of your head. It is common for clients to experience shaking in their hands or legs. This is distress released from the body. It usually includes tears, sounds, and then an ability to breathe more deeply, and freely and feelings of lightness.
Titration – Processing traumatic experiences is difficult. To not further overwhelm your nervous system or lose your connection to your body’s inner experience, it is important to integrate titration. This involves shifting between the distress experienced to release it from the body and finding sensations of safety and calm. Pendulating between small amounts of distress and a state of calm allows you to work safely with your own body.
Cultivating Embodiment – First, you will develop awareness of your body, allowing you to improve patterns of tension and breath constrictions. With practice, you can deepen your awareness through movement, breath, and sound. The process may feel slow but it is key to do the deep work at a pace that is not overwhelming, and honors the timing your body needs.
Movement – We all have bodies that desire movement. I invite you to listen to the story your body wishes to tell, not simply the ones you hold in your head. You can gain much insight to your inner experience by working with your postures, small gestures, impulses, and how your body wants to use the space around you. As you learn to honor your body and its desired movements, you will tap into your intuition to protect and other types of movement, bringing new calm and safety to your body.
Develop Your Boundaries – Letting your body lead the pacing in therapy is a key step in developing your needed boundaries. Pacing allows you to stay in the present experience, which is empowering. We struggle when we are stuck in the past or anxious about the future. We can only respond to the dynamic shifting needs within ourselves if we can be in the present moment. Learning to do this will allow you to develop boundaries in all areas of your life so that you can voice your “no” when it honors your body and in doing so, you will have a more genuine and fulfilling “yes” if comes from a protected and strong you.
Recommended Books
Peter A. Levine, Ph.D. – Waking the Tiger
Peter A. Levine, Ph.D. – In an Unspoken Voice
Arielle Schwartz, Ph.D. – The Post-Traumatic Growth Guidebook: Practical Mind-Body Tools to Heal Trauma, Foster Resilience and Awaken Your Potential
Arielle Schwartz, Ph.D. – Therapeutic Yoga for Trauma Recovery: Applying the Principles of Polyvagal Theory for Self-Discovery, Embodied Healing, and Meaningful Change
Janina Fischer, Ph.D. – Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma: A Workbook for Survivors and Therapists
Deb Dana – Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory
Mind and Body Therapy 