Trauma can be a complex and painful experience, impacting every aspect of our lives. Traditional talk therapy has helped many individuals cope with and overcome trauma, but for some, it may not provide the depth of healing desired. Somatic therapy has been shown to be capable of bridging the gap for many. Let’s explore what exactly Somatic therapy is and what it has to offer.
What is Somatic therapy?
Somatic therapy is an approach to trauma that focuses on the connection between the mind and body. By incorporating techniques such as breathing exercises, body awareness, mindfulness, or movement, somatic therapy aims to release and work through stored traumas, fostering a sense of safety, empowerment, and well-being. It has been evidenced to be an effective form of treatment for trauma and was built upon a foundational idea that trauma exists within the body. This finding has shifted our understanding of what trauma is and expanded possibilities for treatment approaches for healing trauma.
What makes somatic therapy different from talk therapy?
What makes somatic therapy unique is its focus on the connection between the mind and body, and how unresolved trauma can manifest itself in physical symptoms such as chronic pain, digestive issues, headaches, and various other physiological sensations. Talk therapies, such as CBT, focus on the mind as the targeted area of treatment looking at patterns of behavior and thought. Somatic therapy focuses on the body as the starting place for treatment in building awareness and teaching people to maintain their own sense of safety while engaging with memories, emotions, and thoughts. The goal of somatic therapy is to focus on building a person’s embodied experience in order to allow them to feel more present within themselves with reduced tension and increased comfort. Popular types of Somatic therapy include Mindfulness-based therapies, EMDR, Somatic experiencing, Sensorimotor psychotherapy, and Neurosomatic therapy.
What can someone expect from somatic therapy?
Techniques common in the practice of somatic therapy include:
Bodily Awareness: recognizing and labeling a person’s awareness of tension/stress response held within the body
Trauma processing: guiding through a person’s memory of trauma, noticing accompanying physical experiences, and then guiding a person back to a calm state
Self Regulation: guiding a person from a calm state to a distressed state and back again or practicing helping a person to regulate their body back to a relaxed state.
Resourcing: Building a person's awareness and access to external sources that promote feelings of calm and safety (people, places, activities, etc.)
Who can benefit from Somatic Therapy?
Folks experiencing Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or Complex-PTSD
Individuals struggling with depression & self-esteem issues
Those with anxiety
People experiencing relational issues
People struggling with grief
Start In-person/Virtual Somatic Therapy for Trauma In North Carolina
The beauty of Somatic experiencing is that there are many different types and many techniques can be used seamlessly with other modalities of therapy like CBT, ACT, and more! If you feel like this is a good option for you, then we are happy to see if we can help! Reach out to us today for a free consultation. Remember that you are not alone in this. Our team of caring therapists would be happy to offer support from our Asheville, NC-based practice. You can start your therapy journey by following these simple steps:
Meet with a caring therapist
Start healing from past trauma from the comfort of your home!
Other Services Offered With Strive On Counseling
Our team understands you may experience a number of mental health concerns. This is why we are happy to offer a variety of services in addition to somatic therapy. Other services offered include EMDR, individual counseling, anxiety treatment, therapy for men’s issues, mindfulness, Buddhist counseling, chronic pain, cognitive behavioral therapy, teletherapy/online therapy. Other resources we offer include guided meditations, supplements, a list of books and other useful resources, and online courses. If you would like more information about any of these services, please reach out today, and start doing therapy in North Carolina!