Somatic Therapy

Somatic therapy is beneficial in reducing stress within the body as a result of anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship issues and other mental health issues. Somatic treatment builds resilience through strengthening the mind-body connection. This is achieved through assessing sensations, gestures, and tension within the body through a variety of modalities including the use of touch/massage, somatic experiencing, movement, breath work and awareness dialogue.

Somatic therapies are most commonly utilized with people suffering from the following:

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Trauma
Anxiety disorders
ADHD
Grief and loss
Addiction
Depressive disorders

Somatic therapy focuses on connecting the mind and body to heal mental health ailments and increase wellness. Somatic therapy includes interventions such as grounding, boundary development, movement and process, titration, and self-regulation as well as complementary and alternative movement modalities such as tai chi, therapeutic touch, massage, and yoga. This body-centered approach trains people to be more in tune with the physical sensations that manifest as a result of mental health struggles.

Somatic therapy combines psychotherapy techniques such as experiential exploration, talk therapy, dream work, interpretation, and reflection, while integrating interoceptive, kinesthetic, and proprioceptive experience as part of the psyche.5,6 Becoming more mindful of physical sensations assists in the healing process by engaging the reticular arousal systems (RAS), the autonomic nervous system (ANS), the limbic system, and the emotional motor system (EMS).

Sensorimotor: Sensorimotor therapy focuses on healing trauma and unhealthy early childhood attachment relationships, exploring painful memories through words, somatic sensations and movements.

Hakomi method: The Hakomi method combines experiential techniques with somatic awareness to promote psychological growth, integrating principles of Eastern philosophy including Buddhism and Taoism.

Bioenergetic analysis: This approach, based on the mind-body connection, involves a trained therapist helping a client through physical exercises to release patterns of tension stored in the body as a result of emotional patterns.

Biodynamic psychotherapy: Developed by Gerda Boyesen, biodynamic psychotherapy focuses on the mind-body-spirit connection, integrating a range of interventions to holistically heal the mind and body as one.