Mental health conditions affect millions of people globally, and for the longest time, they were treated almost exclusively with psychotherapy, in other words, talk therapy. It was believed that psychological issues start and end with the mind. Recent research is indicating what ancient teachings have known all along: the body and mind are connected and, more astoundingly, the former can help us heal the latter.
THE BODY KEEPS SCORE
Adverse experiences in your formative years don’t have to be traumatic to leave a lasting mark on the psyche. Being ignored by a parent, left alone in an unfamiliar place or excluded by friends at school can all leave a lasting impact. When we feel powerless in the face of such threats, our nervous system gets stuck in a stress response loop.
If the energy generated by strong emotions is not fully discharged, it subsequently becomes trapped within our body. Over time this can lead to chronic physical pain and disorders, ranging from sleep disturbances to depression and anxiety.
Enter somatic therapy. The word somatic is derived from the Greek Soma, meaning living body. Unlike conventional psychotherapy, where the focus is on thoughts and feelings, somatic therapy looks to bodily sensations as a gateway to healing and wellbeing.
HOW SOMATIC THERAPY WORKS
Sessions are tailored to the individual – and therapists work with different tools including breath, touch and movement. Grounding exercises are used to help you connect with and feel safe in your body. This includes slow, conscious breathing, placing a hand on one’s heart or feeling one’s feet firmly on the ground. Once a feeling of safety is achieved, your guide may direct you to notice sensations in your body and give them space to be fully expressed.
“An example would be when I talked about my mother’s passing and noticed tightness in my throat. My therapist asked if it was ok to support that space by placing my hand on my throat. From there I noticed that the tightness had softened, and tears started coming,” explains Amy (32), who sought somatic therapy for developmental trauma.
LET TRAUMA SURFACE NATURALLY
Somatic therapist Mona Abutaleb explains that today’s obsession with problem-solving, and fixing what’s not working, is counterproductive when it comes to healing. “When we rely purely on the mind, we go into a storyline, whereas the body’s answers are pure and unfiltered,” she says. A body-based approach instead asks us to slow down and allow things to arise – only when they are ready to be processed.
Sometimes flashbacks of traumatic memories may even resurface. “The body has a lot of wisdom and is a reliable guide, ally and resource,” Abutaleb explains. In such instances, clients are encouraged to stay in their bodies and carry out whatever impulse arises – this could be the stomp of a foot, a scream or holding out an arm.
Many of us need support in coping with emotional and psychological strain, yet feel worn out by rehashing old stories. Somatic therapy offers a gentler, more intuitive path – one that asks less of the mind and listens more closely to the body.
