Somatic Therapy faqs

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What is Somatic Therapy?

Somatic therapy is a form of body-centered therapy that looks at the connection of mind and body and uses both psychotherapy and physical therapy for holistic healing. In addition to talk therapy, somatic therapy uses mind-body exercises such as bodywork (massage), meditation, and breath work to help release the pent-up tension that negatively affects our physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. 

Who is Somatic Therapy for?

Somatic therapy is recommended for anyone who suffers from a range of ailments, including:

• Trauma and post-trauma
• Stress
• Dissociation
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Grief
• Addiction

Why Somatic Therapy?

Because our body is inextricably linked to our mind, whatever we think and feel, our body experiences as well. For example, when we feel stressed, our shoulders and neck become tight. When we feel grief, our chest feels heavy and becomes constricted. When we feel angry, our body gets hot and our head aches. The list goes on and on... 

Sometimes when we experience problems or traumas that are too overwhelming, we repress them until we’re ready to deal with them later. Depending on our body, and how long we wait, we will most likely begin to develop physical discomfort as a result of the unprocessed emotional experiences. If left untreated for an extended period of time, these bodily discomforts can eventually grow into a variety of different ailments or dis-eases.

What does your Somatic Therapy session entail?

My Somatic Therapy sessions begin with a brief discussion in which we identify the pressing issues you are currently facing, as well as any major issues you've undergone that you feel have not been fully processed. Additionally, we identify areas of your body that are storing tension, and any other physical ailments you're currently experiencing, and together we draw the connections between your physical discomforts and your mental and emotional state. 

After our discussion, you will receive a 60 minute bodywork session in which we will use massage, meditation, and deep breathing to move you out of the fight/flight/freeze/fawn response and into a higher-functioning mode where you can be more present and comfortable in your body. Through developing awareness of the mind-body connection and using specific interventions, somatic therapy will help you to release the tension, anger, grief, and other emotions that remain in your body from past negative experiences. 

After the treatment, we will have a brief integration discussion in which we identify any significant findings or releases that occurred during the session.

Note: You may experience emotional releases and/or mild to intense physical sensations arise within the body during or after our somatic therapy session as a result of the treatment.