Working with the Felt Sense: The Power of Somatic Therapy
In my personal grief and trauma journey, as well as through my work with clients, I’ve come to understand how deeply the body holds the key to emotional healing. When facing difficult emotions, traumatic experiences, or ongoing stress, we often forget how vital the body is in processing and resolving these challenges. The body is not just a passive entity; it plays a crucial role in regulating emotions, signaling safety, and providing opportunities for healing.
As a sensory sponge, the body continuously picks up cues from our environment, helping us determine whether we’re safe and can relax, or if we need to spring into action to protect ourselves. Learning to work with these signals, particularly through somatic therapy, can provide the tools needed to process emotions, regulate our nervous system, and achieve deeper mental and emotional well-being.
In this post, we will explore how somatic therapy works, why engaging the body is essential for mental health, and how methods like Polyvagal Theory and nervous system regulation can promote healing and resilience. Let’s dive deeper into why body-based therapy can be a transformative tool for processing grief, trauma, and emotional pain.
Why Work with the Body for Mental Health Concerns?
The connection between the mind and body is profound, and understanding it can be the key to unlocking healing. When we experience emotions, stress, or trauma, these experiences aren’t just stored in our minds—they are also embedded in our bodies. The body doesn’t simply react to mental experiences; it holds and processes them physically. In fact, many mental health concerns—whether they are grief, anxiety, depression, or trauma—manifest physically through tension, pain, and other symptoms.
Working with the body allows us to access this physical information and use it to release stuck emotions or unhelpful patterns. Our bodies are constantly relaying sensory information—through bodily tension, heart rate, and breath—that can indicate where we are in the process of healing. When we start to notice and communicate with our bodies, we can shift these patterns, release old emotional wounds, and create healthier coping mechanisms.
Why does this matter? When we experience trauma or distress, the body develops patterns of reaction. For example, a traumatic event might lead to a fight-or-flight response, or, in cases where we can’t act, a freeze response. Over time, these responses can become habitual, and we may carry them with us long after the event has passed. While some of these responses were once adaptive (they helped us survive), they may no longer serve us in our current life. Somatic therapy helps us break free from these patterns and develop healthier, more adaptive responses to stress and emotional pain.
The “Bottom-Up” Approach: Targeting the Nervous System
Somatic therapy is often referred to as a “bottom-up” approach because it targets the subcortical regions of the brain—the emotional and instinctual centers—rather than the more cognitive, top-down centers that control thinking and decision-making. This method focuses on the autonomic nervous system, which regulates our body’s automatic responses to stress, safety, and connection.
In contrast to traditional therapies that often rely on logic and cognitive strategies, somatic therapy recognizes that our nervous system is hardwired to respond to external cues, even before we consciously recognize them. This explains why, in moments of stress or trauma, our bodies may respond before we even fully understand what’s happening. The goal of somatic therapy is to help you reconnect with your body’s innate wisdom and regulate your nervous system in a way that supports mental and emotional healing.
For example, when we experience a trigger—such as a stressful situation—the body may immediately respond with physical sensations: increased heart rate, tight muscles, shallow breathing—all physical manifestations of the fight-or-flight response. These sensations happen before we consciously assess the situation. Somatic therapy helps you tune into these sensations and use them as signals to regulate your nervous system, allowing you to return to a state of calm and safety.
Understanding Polyvagal Theory and the Nervous System Hierarchy
One of the most useful frameworks for understanding somatic therapy and its impact on mental health is Polyvagal Theory, developed by behavioral neuroscientist Stephen Porges. Polyvagal Theory explains how the autonomic nervous system, which controls our automatic responses to stress, operates in a hierarchy that shapes our emotional and physiological states.
The Three Nervous System States
According to Polyvagal Theory, the nervous system operates in three primary states:
Ventral Vagal State (Safety and Connection): This state is associated with the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for rest, digestion, and feelings of calm and safety. When we are in this state, we experience connection, peace, and joy. We feel open to interacting with others and are able to process emotions more freely.
Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight or Flight): When we encounter a danger cue, the sympathetic nervous system activates, preparing us for fight or flight. This is an instinctive response that increases heart rate, raises blood pressure, and prepares the body to react to a perceived threat. While this response is adaptive in dangerous situations, it can become maladaptive if we stay in this state for extended periods, leading to chronic anxiety, stress, and emotional dysregulation.
Dorsal Vagal State (Freeze or Shutdown): In situations where fight or flight are not options, the dorsal vagal system may activate, leading to a freeze or shutdown response. This is a parasympathetic reaction that helps the body conserve energy in the face of overwhelming stress. This can look like dissociation, numbing, or even symptoms of depression.
Polyvagal Theory teaches us that these three states of the nervous system are all adaptive in certain circumstances. However, when we become stuck in one of these states—particularly the fight-or-flight or freeze states—it can cause emotional and physical symptoms that hinder our well-being. Learning to regulate and shift between these states is a key component of somatic therapy.
The Window of Tolerance and Self-Regulation
The concept of the window of tolerance is another essential idea in somatic therapy. Coined by Dan Siegel, the window of tolerance refers to the range of emotional intensity within which we can function optimally. When we are inside this window, we are able to regulate our emotions, think clearly, and engage with others effectively.
However, when we move outside our window of tolerance, we either become hyper-aroused (stressed, anxious, overwhelmed) or hypo-aroused (numb, dissociated, depressed). The key to emotional regulation is recognizing when we are moving outside our window of tolerance and using self-regulation tools to bring ourselves back into a state of balance.
In somatic therapy, self-regulation practices may include breathwork, grounding techniques, movement, and body awareness. By focusing on the body’s sensations—whether through posture, gentle touch, or physical movement—we can help the nervous system return to a state of safety and connection. These practices allow us to shift from dysregulated states into more balanced, emotionally stable states.
Practical Tools for Somatic Healing
There are several practical tools that can help you regulate your nervous system and stay within your window of tolerance. These techniques can be used both in therapy and in daily life to foster a sense of safety and emotional balance.
1. Body Awareness and Grounding
Start by bringing attention to your body and noticing where you may be holding tension. Gently shift your posture, and notice if this helps you feel more grounded and connected. Grounding techniques such as standing tall, slow deep breathing, or feeling the ground beneath your feet can help you reconnect with the present moment and bring you back into a state of safety.
2. Self-Soothing Touch
Gentle self-soothing, such as placing your hands on your heart, holding your own arms, or lightly rubbing your hands together, can trigger feelings of safety and connection in your nervous system. These simple touches can activate the ventral vagal state, helping you shift away from anxiety or dissociation.
3. Gentle Movement and Therapeutic Tremoring
Therapeutic tremoring is a practice that involves allowing your body to shake or release stored tension in a safe, controlled way. This technique can help release long-held trauma and physical tension. Additionally, gentle movements like swaying, stretching, or dancing can help your body regulate itself and shift from a heightened state of stress to a calmer one.
4. Breathwork and Relaxation Techniques
Breathwork is a powerful tool for regulating the nervous system. Practices like diaphragmatic breathing (breathing deeply into the belly), physiological sigh (two inhales and one long exhale), or box breathing (inhale for four counts, hold for four counts, exhale for four counts, hold for four counts) can help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, calming the body and mind.
When to Seek Support from a Somatic Therapist
If you find it challenging to connect with your body or manage emotional dysregulation, it may be helpful to work with a trained somatic therapist, such as myself. These professionals specialize in helping individuals access the wisdom of their bodies and learn how to regulate their nervous system effectively. Somatic therapy can help you:
Process trauma and emotional pain stored in the body.
Release stuck emotions that are contributing to physical or emotional distress.
Build resilience and self-regulation skills that allow you to stay calm in challenging situations.
Somatic therapy offers a holistic approach to healing, addressing both the mind and body, and is particularly helpful for individuals struggling with trauma, chronic stress, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation.
Embracing the Body's Wisdom for Healing
Working with the body in therapy is a transformative process that can help you process difficult emotions, heal from past trauma, and regulate your nervous system. By using somatic techniques, such as body awareness, self-soothing, and breathwork, you can learn to listen to the wisdom of your body and create a more balanced, regulated emotional state.
If you’re ready to explore somatic therapy and learn how to work with your body to promote healing and emotional well-being, I invite you to reach out for a consultation. Together, we can begin your journey toward emotional balance, resilience, and deep healing.
Want to dive deeper into somatic therapy with me? Click here to ask me any questions or book a session!
References and Further Reading:
Brom, D., Stokar, Y., Lawi, C., Nuriel-Porat, V., Ziv, Y., Lerner, K., & Ross, G. (2017). Somatic experiencing for posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized controlled outcome study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 30(3), 304–312. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22189
Levine, P. A. (1997). Waking the tiger: Healing trauma. North Atlantic Books.
Kuhfuß, M., Maldei, T., Hetmanek, A., & Baumann, N. (2021). Somatic experiencing – Effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy: A scoping literature review. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1), 1929023. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1929023
Ogden, P., Minton, K., & Pain, C. (2006). Trauma and the body: A sensorimotor approach to psychotherapy. W.W. Norton & Company.
Payne, P., Levine, P. A., & Crane-Godreau, M. A. (2015). Somatic experiencing: Using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 93. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093
Porges, S. W. (2022). Polyvagal theory: A science of safety. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 16, 9131189. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2022.9131189
Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W.W. Norton & Company.
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