The Healing Power of Somatic-Oriented Therapy
Somatic therapy can be a guiding light for those seeking a deeper understanding of themselves and a powerful way to address the challenges that life presents. It is a transformative approach that goes beyond the conventional to offer a holistic pathway to healing.
In a world where the mind and body are intrinsically linked, the journey to healing takes on a new dimension. Somatic therapy recognises the profound connection between your thoughts, emotions, and the physical sensations that live within you.
As a HCPC Registered Psychologist, Life Coach, and Yoga Teacher, I offer a unique blend of psychology, somatic therapy, and empowerment to support individuals to address their trauma, leading to a more harmonious mind-body connection.
If this is something that you feel you need at this time of your life, then you're in the right place. In this blog, I will share with you about somatic-oriented therapy, and how it supports you to heal from your trauma and transform your well-being.
What is Somatic-Oriented Therapy?
At the heart of somatic-oriented therapy lies a profound belief in the mind-body connection for healing mental health challenges. This approach offers a transformative way to address anxiety, depression, trauma, and other mental ailments throughout the body.
Somatic-Oriented therapy is a holistic approach that understands that sometimes words alone cannot express the depth of our experiences. By engaging with the sensations, movements, and rhythms of our bodies, somatic-oriented therapy offers a pathway to healing, enabling us to release trapped emotions, rewire patterns of distress, and uncover the hidden layers of our well-being.
Unlocking the Key Concepts of Somatic Psychology
Somatic therapies are a rich tapestry of techniques designed to enhance your mind-body harmony. These techniques include:
Grounding: Reconnect with the present moment, anchoring them to the physical sensations of their bodies.
Boundary Development: Navigate changing surroundings and re-establish boundaries so that they can respond in a way that is resilient and that feels safe.
Self-Regulation: Increase mindfulness during emotional intensity and adaptively respond.
Movement and Process: Body-focused therapies incorporate the whole body as an agent for recognising and changing emotional states. Body movement including postures, gestures, and space are used as a means to understanding the individual experience and ability to heal.
Sequencing: Analysing tension throughout the body as a means to emotional release. Tension moves throughout the body as a means of processing and helps emotional healing.
Touch/Massage: The intentional use of touch/massage that directly stimulates the autonomic nervous system and can accelerate healing parts of the self that have been holding onto stress due to adverse experiences.
Somatic Experiencing (SE): this approach directs the client's focus toward their internal bodily sensations and physical experiences, using a method that starts from the ground up. It's a journey that taps into the body's innate wisdom to facilitate healing.
Titration: The process of experiencing minor exposure to stressors with the goal of increasing resilience and decreasing pain.
Empowering Healing Through Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapy supports reducing stress within the body caused by anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship challenges. This holistic framework bridges the gap between mental and physical well-being, building resilience and fostering a deeper mind-body connection.
By engaging in practices such as touch/massage, somatic experiencing, movement, breath work, and awareness dialogue, you're harmonising your mind and body, while also moving the flow of emotions through the body.
Realising the Power of Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapy compliments traditional psychotherapies. Applying somatic therapy extends beyond trauma to disorders such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Whether it's addressing freezing responses, promoting self-regulation through yoga, dance and movement, or harnessing the benefits of somatic experiencing, the potential for healing is boundless.
Somatic trauma therapy lies at the heart of my practice, recognising the intricate relationship between our minds and bodies. This approach delves into the somatic experiences of trauma, facilitating deep healing through guided somatic exercises.
By tapping into the body's innate wisdom, individuals can release trapped trauma and embark on a journey toward resilience
Ready to support your healing in your own time? You can access all of my online courses here .
My Virtual Well-being Studio is a monthly membership of both dynamic and yin/restorative styles, meditation and guided relaxation with live classes included and a catalogue of over 100 classes organised into collections that you can access at any time, helping you to release, reclaim your power and connect with yourself in a whole new way, on your own terms. You can access here
with love,
Sally x