What is Somatic Therapy?

What is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic Therapy is an umbrella term used to describe a wide variety of different ways of helping people, ranging from somatic psychotherapies, somatic bodywork, Somatic Experiencing, and more.  The key commonality between these different approaches, of course, is the word ‘Somatic’.

‘Somatic’, from the greek ‘soma’ (body), basically means ‘relating to the body’.  But in recent decades the word has been used more and more to indicate the blurry overlap between mind and body.  

For example, you’ve heard of the fight/flight/freeze responses.  Have you ever noticed that when you feel scared you might feel a clench in your belly, or a racing feeling in your chest?  Or when you feel angry, you might feel hot or experience tunnel vision?  Or when you feel happy and loving, you might feel a gentle warmth in your chest, and an uplift in your spine?  These are all ‘somatic sensations’: physical sensations which also seem to be connected somehow with our emotional and/or mental state.

One of the benefits of somatic therapy is that you get to step out of endlessly ruminating on questions like “why do I feel this way?  Why am I like this?  When did this start?” and instead pay attention to what is happening right now. And the amazing thing is that when you start paying attention to the somatic experiences that are occurring right now, they often change and resolve much faster than when we try to figure out how to understand the larger pattern.

To say that in another way:  What could take days or months to change by thinking and analyzing can sometimes change in minutes or seconds by feeling and observing.  

So, somatic therapy, also known as ‘body-based therapy’, is any approach that aims to help you work with your somatic experiences to help your body move toward comfort and safety that much faster.

That explains somatic therapy, the umbrella term.  But what about Somatic Experiencing, which is the approach I’ve chosen to study and specialize in?

What is Somatic Experiencing?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a somatic therapy developed by Dr. Peter Levine in the early 1970s.  SE specializes in helping people navigate their fight/flight/freeze responses more effectively.  If you find yourself nervous or anxious, easily losing your temper, or feeling numb/disinterested in the world around you, these can all be indications that your fight/flight/freeze system is dysregulated in some way.

One of the benefits of Somatic Experiencing, then, is that a trained practitioner can help you notice the moment where your nervous system starts to get dysregulated, and can guide you in following the nervous system activation step by step until it starts to land into something more regulated.

One of my earliest experiences with SE, as a client, was when my practitioner noticed that every time I started to get angry, I would distract myself with humor.  He would catch the exact moment I distracted myself, and encourage me to pay attention to my internal body sensations instead.  I found that if I sat with those feelings, I felt quite nauseous.  He was able to guide me in feeling the nausea- taking just enough breaks that it wouldn’t get overwhelming- until the nausea faded.  

After several very strange sessions of exploring these sensations, the nausea started to change:  instead of feeling like a sickness, it started to feel like strength.  I felt more vital.  And I noticed that in my day-to-day life I became more able to pursue my goals, to feel passion and drive, to set boundaries.  I felt like a stronger person, because my body wasn’t afraid of that type of activation anymore.

Once again, this takes us back to that fundamental principle of somatic work:  Things change far faster when you’re willing to observe them, rather than think about them.  

For years I’d tried to figure out why I wasn’t more productive, why I had a hard time setting certain types of boundaries…but after a few hours of sitting with this weird sensation (and taking lots of breaks along the way), things changed pretty dramatically.

One fun side-affect:  One of the other benefits of Somatic Experiencing is that you can start getting more tuned in to what you want.  I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to see my clients start to ask for things in and out of sessions that they rarely would have asked for before.  

Maybe you’ve learned that you should sit in a certain way to appear professional, or maybe you’re very careful to set aside your own wishes because you don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.  In fact, when people learn to sit with their somatic sensations, with proper encouragement they can start to get more in-tune with what their body actually wants.  A glass of water, a pillow behind their back, a short break from conversation…I’ve seen many people become more comfortable with asking for these things (or just getting it themselves).  And the really cool thing is that as they get better at asking this often not only improves their own comfort and well-being but also their relationships with those around them.  Because they are more comfortable, more rested, and more authentically themselves.

Long story short: it can really pay-off to get to know your body.

Is there any reason not to do Somatic work?
For many people, paying attention to body sensations can be uncomfortable, scary or even downright overwhelming.  There’s a reason why so many people won’t touch meditation with a ten-foot pole despite all the research discussing its many benefits.  For some, the body can be a scary place.

I say this because I’m not trying to tell you that you should start sitting and paying attention to your body all the time.  That could be overwhelming, and might not actually help you, especially if you’re one of these folks who have a lot of painful feelings associated with their body.

However, if you can find a practitioner who knows how to approach things very gradually, it can be very helpful.  Taking lots of breaks is key.  Only dipping your toes in for a few moments (if it’s intense) is important.  Avoid practitioners who promise to give you a really intense experience.  Less is more.

Everyone is different: some people benefit greatly from the intense experiences.  But our culture tends to tell us that Big is Always Better.  I’m here to remind you that for a big chunk of the population, taking things in extremely subtle, gentle doses will actually be a far faster and more effective way to grow.

In conclusion
So there we have it.  Somatic Therapy is an umbrella term to describe any therapeutic approach that helps you connect to your body sensations.  Somatic Experiencing as a powerful somatic therapy that helps your fight/flight/freeze system get more regulated, helping you feel safer, happier, and more effective in life.  And sometimes taking things in small steps can actually be the best way to take a leap.  

If you have any questions, please schedule a free fifteen minute consult here!  https://oncehub.com/thoughtfulintro

FAQ

Is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner a psychotherapist?
Not necessarily.  A psychotherapist may choose to take the 3-year SE program as a form of continuing education, to add that modality into their psychotherapy repertoire, but there are also massage therapists, yoga teachers, and coaches who study Somatic Experiencing.  When finding an SE practitioner or any somatic specialist, make sure to learn enough about their training and experience to feel confident they could be a good fit for you and your specific goals.

How many sessions do I need?
I think of SE as analogous to personal training, only we are working with your nervous system instead of your muscles.  How many personal training sessions do you need?  It depends on your fitness goals, what your exercise routine looks like aside from your training sessions, and what your starting point is.  If this is the first time you’ve exercised in your life, it may take some months just to get your tendons strong enough that they won’t be injured by lifting heavier weights!

That said, you are not committed to seeing your practitioner a certain number of times.  I recommend that you set clear goals, and then after 5-10 sessions, check in with your practitioner.  Are you on the right track?  Are there any tweaks the two of you should make to feel more aligned with your goals?  If it’s not feeling right, it’s perfectly alright to find a new practitioner who may be a better fit.  In fact, that could be the wisest move.

What if I don’t know my body well enough to do somatic work?
What if you’re not strong enough to go to the gym?   I get it- it is really uncomfortable to do something you’re not instantly good at.  But the people who don’t know their bodies very well are often the people who can get the most rapid benefits from somatic work.  Because here’s the thing, your body is constantly trying to give you feedback about when to eat, when to rest, when to get some blood circulating, and if you’re missing those signals, then you’re enduring unnecessary discomfort!  And when we endure unnecessary discomfort we don’t think as clearly, we don’t empathize as well, we are less present and often just less happy.

So, if you come for a handful of SE sessions and all you learn is how to tell when you’re feeling slightly uncomfortable in your chair, that is a huge win because now you won’t be enduring uncomfortable chairs for the rest of your life!  
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Sorry to wave my arms so much, I’m a bit passionate about this.

If somatic work is deeply uncomfortable for you, don’t force it.  But if you’re curious about it, and you’re just worried it will be hard?  Give it a shot.