Somatic Practices

Somatic therapy addresses problems like chronic and post-traumatic stress by focusing on body awareness rather than thoughts and emotions. 

Somatic therapy follows the theory that trauma is stored inside your body, as well as the mind. After a frightening or overwhelming experience, we can develop a dysregulated stress response. In some cases, the body’s alert system gets “stuck” in an excessively hyper-reactive state (also known as the sympathetic fight or flight response), while others can develop a chronically frozen state (also known as the parasympathetic freeze response). When the body gets stuck in these trauma states, it can develop nervous system dysregulation, a condition that often goes unexplained and untreated by traditional healthcare providers.

There are many symptoms that suggest trauma may be stored in the body. These symptoms are often chronic, associated with anxiety, panic attacks or depression, and do not respond well to medical treatments: 

• Chronic localized pain
• Numbness or tingling 
• Loss of sensation 
• Uncontrollable shaking 
• Unexplained weakness or paralysis 
• Abnormal twisting movements or muscle spasms

A somatic approach to trauma healing includes a variety of techniques that build awareness within the body, create a felt sense of safety, treat nervous system dysregulation, and release stored trauma.