Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Somatic Trauma Therapy?How Somatic Trauma Therapy WorksTypesBenefitsHow to Get Started
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Somatic Trauma Therapy?
How Somatic Trauma Therapy Works
Types
Benefits
How to Get Started
Through the use of movement and guided exercises, people are taught to recognize how stress andtraumaare stored in the body, the ways in which the mind and body are connected, and methods to usespecific exercisesto release the emotional pain stored within the body.
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The trauma response is a normal, natural way of reacting to significant stress and life-threatening situations. In split seconds, the brain and body perceive a potential danger and respond to it in a way that is meant to keep you alive.
Blood pressure and heart rateincrease in an effort to get the blood flowing more quickly; vision becomes more focused; and systems that are not needed for survival, like reproduction anddigestion, are diminished.
This response is called theflight, fight, or freezeresponse: Your brain responds with one of the three, leading you to run away (flight) through avoidance or detachment, physically fight back with anger, or freeze as protection from potential danger.The body then automatically returns to its natural stable state, calledhomeostasis.
Sometimes, however, the brain still perceives a threat. Neurotransmitters (likeepinephrine) and other systems (like theamygdalaor the brain’sprefrontal cortex) continue their stress responses.This is how post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related physical and mental symptoms develop.
The central goal ofsomatic trauma therapyis to teach people how to become attuned to these physical changes through focus andmindfulness. They become aware of their body’s responses to emotional experiences, such as those that result from traumatic or highly stressful situations.
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Therapists trained in somatic approaches focus on this mind-body connection to help you identify and release stored traumatic memories “stuck” within the physical body. They help create a sense of safety and comfort, and teach you how to become more deeply acquainted with the physical expression of trauma in order to release stored emotional pain.
Resourcing
With trauma-focused therapies, it’s important to pull from inner feelings of comfort and strength to form a sense of being OK as the hard work happens. Resourcing is the process of developing a sense of safety.
It promotes competence and self-reliance in finding balance and stability during disruptions in healthyself-regulation, and while you experience the discomfort of emotional pain as it’s expressed in the body.
Titration
Titration describes a process of moving cautiously, introducing discomfort slowly and in small amounts in order to build tolerance and resilience.It’s meant to ensure a person is not re-traumatized or re-triggered during the treatment process.
A therapist will also want to teach you how to manage the discomfort at increased levels without becoming distressed. This process takes time and practice.
Pendulation
Pendulationrefers to the process in somatic therapies that encourages moving back and forth between discomfort and regulation. People learn to safely navigate this distance.
The goal in somatic therapy is to help the person become tuned in to their bodies and build increasing tolerance toward the discomfort related to traumatic experiences.Thus, pendulation allows the person to recognize when balance needs to be restored and how to do so.
How Do You Release Trauma Through Somatic Methods?Each somatic method is rooted in the idea that our physical body stores emotional pain connected with highly stressful experiences. To release this pain and the stored physical memories, methods likemassageand mindfulness help build a deeper connection for the patient between emotional pain and physical sensations.
How Do You Release Trauma Through Somatic Methods?
Each somatic method is rooted in the idea that our physical body stores emotional pain connected with highly stressful experiences. To release this pain and the stored physical memories, methods likemassageand mindfulness help build a deeper connection for the patient between emotional pain and physical sensations.
How to Practice Mindfulness the Right Way
Types of Somatic Trauma Therapy
The types of somatic trauma therapy include standard somatic experience, sensorimotor psychotherapy, the Hakomi method, bioenergetic therapy, biodynamic psychotherapy, and brainspotting.
Standard Somatic Experiencing
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
Like other forms of somatic trauma therapy, sensorimotor therapy relies on the body, not on a person’s words, to heal the effects of trauma. With this approach, the therapist helps the person see how dysregulation feels in their body. They then assist them in moving back and forth through states of arousal and regulation for each emotion associated with the experience to build tolerance and a deeper connection to the body.
13 Central Sensitivity Syndromes
The Hakomi Method
Bioenergetic Therapy
Bioenergetic therapies use touch and movement to relieve the emotional pain stored within the physical body. One example is calledtapping. The therapist teaches the person to tap repeatedly on different areas while recalling feelings associated with the traumatic event. The idea is that the person cannot become distressed while using this form of physical distraction.
Bioenergetic approaches are based on the theoretical framework that negative emotions are stored subtly within the body and can be released with specific, controlled movements.
Biodynamic Psychotherapy
Brainspotting
The method involves slowly tracking eye movement to identify spots or “windows,” such as blinking, twitching, or eye wobbling. These “spots” are then used as a map for where a person should hold certain eye positions and note the internal experience throughmindfulness.
Brainspotting is used to access trauma trapped in thesubcortical brain, the area of the brain that is in control of learning, emotions, motion, and consciousness. The therapist helps people to work through any sources of physical or emotional pain as they are discovered.
Is EMDR Somatic Therapy?EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) is considered a somatic therapy, because it is centered on the idea that trauma memories are stored in the body. Through EMDR, specific eye movements are used to help the brain process the trauma memories and release emotional pain.
Is EMDR Somatic Therapy?
EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) is considered a somatic therapy, because it is centered on the idea that trauma memories are stored in the body. Through EMDR, specific eye movements are used to help the brain process the trauma memories and release emotional pain.
How Does EMDR Therapy Work?
Who Can Benefit From Somatic Trauma Therapy?
Somatic trauma therapy can help with both emotional and physical pain.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Somatic treatments are mainly used as a way to treat past trauma experiences. These methods approach trauma as a natural response to a significant stressor. Somatic trauma therapists do not see PTSD as a disorder (a disruption of regular bodily functions), but rather as a syndrome (a collection of co-occurring traits associated with a specific disease).
In providing somatic treatments, therapists aim to help the person appropriately process the trauma in a way that reduces physical symptoms and gets the experience “unstuck” from the physical body.
Chronic Pain
Somatic treatment approaches focus on developing a deep awareness of the body and how the physical experience is connected with the emotional or psychological experience. These treatment methods encourage intentional movements as a person uses mindfulness to better understand where pain is and what the source could be.
Somatic approaches can serve as a source of education aboutchronic painand which movements bring discomfort as well as those that bring pleasure or relief from pain.
Anxiety
Somatic therapy can help release stored emotional discomfort or pain that occurs after stressful or traumatic incidents. This can include a variety of symptoms, includinganxiety.
An Italian study of people diagnosed with breast cancer found benefits when using the Somatic Experiencing® model to reduce stress over hospitalizations, medical procedures, body image, and more. Participants described deep emotional experiences and feeling grounded within the mind-body connection.
Complicated Grief
Grief is a profoundly individual experience, but some types of grief exceed cultural or social norms. Complicated grief can interfere with daily life and attaches to other experiences in addition to death. They can include job loss, the end of relationships, health setbacks, or natural disasters.
Studies in traumatized migrant populations identifiedprolonged griefin those fleeing for safety, and the need for somatic therapies to address chronic pain and other physical symptoms.Similar research has focused on Indian tsunami victims, hurricane survivors in the United States, and other scenarios in which grief is profound and complicated.
Depression
Symptoms of depression often co-occur with physical manifestations in the body, such as back pain. Depression also occurs in people experiencing trauma, with examples that range from intimate partner violence in females to refugees fleeing war.
Some studies have shown that somatic trauma therapy can help people diagnosed with depression.
When looking for a therapist, search for someone who has specialized training in trauma treatment, and ask what approaches the person uses in treatment as well as an explanation of what those treatments involve.
Finding the Right TherapistWhen looking for a therapist, check that the person is licensed, has an advanced degree, and has training and certification in the type of somatic therapy you are interested in. It’s also important to choose someone you feel comfortable working with and with whom you feel a connection.
Finding the Right Therapist
When looking for a therapist, check that the person is licensed, has an advanced degree, and has training and certification in the type of somatic therapy you are interested in. It’s also important to choose someone you feel comfortable working with and with whom you feel a connection.
The Different Types of Psychotherapists
What to Expect at Your First Appointment
Although you probably have a lot to talk about, expect that your first few therapy sessions will likely be mostly information gathering and building a connection.
You will not begin processing any traumatic experiences right away unless you are in crisis. The therapist will want to get to know you and provide a treatment plan before starting any of the difficult work involved in working through trauma.
Summary
Somatic trauma therapies are approaches for treating trauma and severe stress experiences. There are many types of somatic treatment interventions, which approach trauma through the lens of experiencing emotions physically in the body.
These approaches to therapy include Somatic Experiencing® to develop awareness of the mind-body connection in trauma. Sensorimotor psychotherapy uses a similar strategy to slowly build tolerance to the physical discomforts of trauma response and teach ways to move back into a window of comfort and regulation.
Somatic therapists trained in the mindfulness-based Hakomi method and other techniques are licensed mental health clinicians with specialized training in these somatic approaches.
The Difference Between Acute and Chronic Trauma
14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kuhfuß M, Maldei T, Hetmanek A, Baumann N.Somatic experiencing - effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy: a scoping literature review.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2021 Jul 12;12(1):1929023. doi:10.1080/20008198.2021.1929023.The University of Toledo.Fight flight freeze response.Pan X, Kaminga AC, Wen SW, Liu A.Catecholamines in post-traumatic stress disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Front Mol Neurosci. 2018;11:450. doi:10.3389/fnmol.2018.00450Payne P, Levine PA, Crane-Godreau MA.Somatic experiencing: Using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy.Front Psychol. 2015;0. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093.Harvard Health Publishing.What is somatic therapy?Schlote S.Somatic Experiencing and Attachment Principles. Increasing Safety and Welfare in Equine-Assisted Interventions and Horsemanship Approaches.Samuel D. Brom D.Potential Applications of Somatic Experiencing® in Applied Sport Psychology,Journal of Sport Psychology in Action,2023 14:2, 97-109, doi:10.1080/21520704.2022.2119318Lohrasbe RS, Ogden P.Somatic resources: Sensorimotor psychotherapy approach to stabilising arousal in child and family treatment.Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. 2017;38(4):573-581. doi:10.1002/anzf.1270.Gallo FP.Efficient treatments for trauma/PTSD: Harnessing the power of bioenergy to efficiently treat psychological distress.MOJ Public Health. 2018;7(4):229?231. doi:10.15406/mojph.2018.07.00234.Saint Arnault D, O’Holloran S.Biodynamic psychotherapy for trauma recovery: A pilot study.International Body Psychotherapy Journal. 2015;14(1):20-34.Hildebrand A, Grand D, Stemmler M.Brainspotting – The efficacy of a new therapy approach for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in comparison to eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology MJCP. 2017;5(1). doi:10.6092/2282-1619/2017.5.1376.Meehan E, Carter B.Moving with pain: What principles from somatic practices can offer to people living with chronic pain.Front Psychol. 2021;11:620381. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.620381.Vagnini D, Grassi MM, Saita E.Evaluating Somatic Experiencing® to Heal Cancer Trauma: First Evidence with Breast Cancer Survivors.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jul 20;20(14):6412. doi:10.3390/ijerph20146412.Rometsch C, Denkinger JK, Engelhardt M, Windthorst P, Graf J, Nikendei C,et al.Care providers' views on burden of psychosomatic symptoms of IS-traumatized female refugees participating in a Humanitarian Admission Program in Germany: A qualitative analysis.PLoS One. 2020 Oct 5;15(10):e0239969. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0239969.
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kuhfuß M, Maldei T, Hetmanek A, Baumann N.Somatic experiencing - effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy: a scoping literature review.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2021 Jul 12;12(1):1929023. doi:10.1080/20008198.2021.1929023.The University of Toledo.Fight flight freeze response.Pan X, Kaminga AC, Wen SW, Liu A.Catecholamines in post-traumatic stress disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Front Mol Neurosci. 2018;11:450. doi:10.3389/fnmol.2018.00450Payne P, Levine PA, Crane-Godreau MA.Somatic experiencing: Using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy.Front Psychol. 2015;0. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093.Harvard Health Publishing.What is somatic therapy?Schlote S.Somatic Experiencing and Attachment Principles. Increasing Safety and Welfare in Equine-Assisted Interventions and Horsemanship Approaches.Samuel D. Brom D.Potential Applications of Somatic Experiencing® in Applied Sport Psychology,Journal of Sport Psychology in Action,2023 14:2, 97-109, doi:10.1080/21520704.2022.2119318Lohrasbe RS, Ogden P.Somatic resources: Sensorimotor psychotherapy approach to stabilising arousal in child and family treatment.Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. 2017;38(4):573-581. doi:10.1002/anzf.1270.Gallo FP.Efficient treatments for trauma/PTSD: Harnessing the power of bioenergy to efficiently treat psychological distress.MOJ Public Health. 2018;7(4):229?231. doi:10.15406/mojph.2018.07.00234.Saint Arnault D, O’Holloran S.Biodynamic psychotherapy for trauma recovery: A pilot study.International Body Psychotherapy Journal. 2015;14(1):20-34.Hildebrand A, Grand D, Stemmler M.Brainspotting – The efficacy of a new therapy approach for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in comparison to eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology MJCP. 2017;5(1). doi:10.6092/2282-1619/2017.5.1376.Meehan E, Carter B.Moving with pain: What principles from somatic practices can offer to people living with chronic pain.Front Psychol. 2021;11:620381. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.620381.Vagnini D, Grassi MM, Saita E.Evaluating Somatic Experiencing® to Heal Cancer Trauma: First Evidence with Breast Cancer Survivors.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jul 20;20(14):6412. doi:10.3390/ijerph20146412.Rometsch C, Denkinger JK, Engelhardt M, Windthorst P, Graf J, Nikendei C,et al.Care providers' views on burden of psychosomatic symptoms of IS-traumatized female refugees participating in a Humanitarian Admission Program in Germany: A qualitative analysis.PLoS One. 2020 Oct 5;15(10):e0239969. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0239969.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Kuhfuß M, Maldei T, Hetmanek A, Baumann N.Somatic experiencing - effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy: a scoping literature review.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2021 Jul 12;12(1):1929023. doi:10.1080/20008198.2021.1929023.The University of Toledo.Fight flight freeze response.Pan X, Kaminga AC, Wen SW, Liu A.Catecholamines in post-traumatic stress disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Front Mol Neurosci. 2018;11:450. doi:10.3389/fnmol.2018.00450Payne P, Levine PA, Crane-Godreau MA.Somatic experiencing: Using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy.Front Psychol. 2015;0. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093.Harvard Health Publishing.What is somatic therapy?Schlote S.Somatic Experiencing and Attachment Principles. Increasing Safety and Welfare in Equine-Assisted Interventions and Horsemanship Approaches.Samuel D. Brom D.Potential Applications of Somatic Experiencing® in Applied Sport Psychology,Journal of Sport Psychology in Action,2023 14:2, 97-109, doi:10.1080/21520704.2022.2119318Lohrasbe RS, Ogden P.Somatic resources: Sensorimotor psychotherapy approach to stabilising arousal in child and family treatment.Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. 2017;38(4):573-581. doi:10.1002/anzf.1270.Gallo FP.Efficient treatments for trauma/PTSD: Harnessing the power of bioenergy to efficiently treat psychological distress.MOJ Public Health. 2018;7(4):229?231. doi:10.15406/mojph.2018.07.00234.Saint Arnault D, O’Holloran S.Biodynamic psychotherapy for trauma recovery: A pilot study.International Body Psychotherapy Journal. 2015;14(1):20-34.Hildebrand A, Grand D, Stemmler M.Brainspotting – The efficacy of a new therapy approach for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in comparison to eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology MJCP. 2017;5(1). doi:10.6092/2282-1619/2017.5.1376.Meehan E, Carter B.Moving with pain: What principles from somatic practices can offer to people living with chronic pain.Front Psychol. 2021;11:620381. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.620381.Vagnini D, Grassi MM, Saita E.Evaluating Somatic Experiencing® to Heal Cancer Trauma: First Evidence with Breast Cancer Survivors.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jul 20;20(14):6412. doi:10.3390/ijerph20146412.Rometsch C, Denkinger JK, Engelhardt M, Windthorst P, Graf J, Nikendei C,et al.Care providers' views on burden of psychosomatic symptoms of IS-traumatized female refugees participating in a Humanitarian Admission Program in Germany: A qualitative analysis.PLoS One. 2020 Oct 5;15(10):e0239969. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0239969.
Kuhfuß M, Maldei T, Hetmanek A, Baumann N.Somatic experiencing - effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy: a scoping literature review.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2021 Jul 12;12(1):1929023. doi:10.1080/20008198.2021.1929023.
The University of Toledo.Fight flight freeze response.
Pan X, Kaminga AC, Wen SW, Liu A.Catecholamines in post-traumatic stress disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Front Mol Neurosci. 2018;11:450. doi:10.3389/fnmol.2018.00450
Payne P, Levine PA, Crane-Godreau MA.Somatic experiencing: Using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy.Front Psychol. 2015;0. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093.
Harvard Health Publishing.What is somatic therapy?
Schlote S.Somatic Experiencing and Attachment Principles. Increasing Safety and Welfare in Equine-Assisted Interventions and Horsemanship Approaches.
Samuel D. Brom D.Potential Applications of Somatic Experiencing® in Applied Sport Psychology,Journal of Sport Psychology in Action,2023 14:2, 97-109, doi:10.1080/21520704.2022.2119318
Lohrasbe RS, Ogden P.Somatic resources: Sensorimotor psychotherapy approach to stabilising arousal in child and family treatment.Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. 2017;38(4):573-581. doi:10.1002/anzf.1270.
Gallo FP.Efficient treatments for trauma/PTSD: Harnessing the power of bioenergy to efficiently treat psychological distress.MOJ Public Health. 2018;7(4):229?231. doi:10.15406/mojph.2018.07.00234.
Saint Arnault D, O’Holloran S.Biodynamic psychotherapy for trauma recovery: A pilot study.International Body Psychotherapy Journal. 2015;14(1):20-34.
Hildebrand A, Grand D, Stemmler M.Brainspotting – The efficacy of a new therapy approach for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in comparison to eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology MJCP. 2017;5(1). doi:10.6092/2282-1619/2017.5.1376.
Meehan E, Carter B.Moving with pain: What principles from somatic practices can offer to people living with chronic pain.Front Psychol. 2021;11:620381. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.620381.
Vagnini D, Grassi MM, Saita E.Evaluating Somatic Experiencing® to Heal Cancer Trauma: First Evidence with Breast Cancer Survivors.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jul 20;20(14):6412. doi:10.3390/ijerph20146412.
Rometsch C, Denkinger JK, Engelhardt M, Windthorst P, Graf J, Nikendei C,et al.Care providers' views on burden of psychosomatic symptoms of IS-traumatized female refugees participating in a Humanitarian Admission Program in Germany: A qualitative analysis.PLoS One. 2020 Oct 5;15(10):e0239969. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0239969.
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