Somatic Therapy: The Missing Piece in Trauma Treatment
For many of us, healing has been something we’ve tried to think our way through. We’ve read the books, talked about the past, and analyzed our patterns. And all of this matters. But sometimes, despite all that insight, we still feel stuck. Somatic therapy is an approach that goes deeper than our thinking mind, into the buried layers of our felt experience.
Somatic therapy is based on the understanding that our experiences don’t just live in the mind, they also live in the body. A simple way to illustrate this is to call up the last time you felt an intense emotion. I’d be willing to bet that there was some sort of somatic experience accompanying that feeling — a pit in your stomach, a lump in your throat. So it makes sense that healing needs to happen not just through words and addressing our thinking patterns, but also through addressing our felt experience.
What is somatic therapy?
The word somatic comes from the Greek word soma, meaning body. Somatic therapy is an approach that gently helps you reconnect with your body, your sensations, and your inner experience in the present moment.
Rather than only asking “What happened?” or “Why do I feel this way?”, somatic therapy also asks:
• What does your body know?
• Where do you feel that in your chest, your belly, your shoulders?
• What happens if we stay with that sensation, without trying to change it?
Through this embodiment work, we begin to create space for the body to speak, unwind, and release what it’s been holding.
Why the body matters
When we go through overwhelming experiences, especially ones we couldn’t escape or make sense of, our bodies step in to protect us. They might freeze, shut down, go numb, tense up, or dissociate. These responses are deeply intelligent. They helped us survive.
But when those protective responses get stuck, they can keep us feeling like we’re still in danger, even when we’re safe. When this happens, talk therapy alone isn’t always enough. These survival responses come from deep in the oldest parts of our brain, and shut down the part of our brain involved in thinking and reasoning.
Somatic therapy helps your nervous system complete those protective responses, find regulation again, and build a deeper sense of safety — not just intellectually, but physiologically. This is often the missing piece in trauma treatment.
What does somatic therapy look like in practice?
Somatic therapy can look different depending on the therapist and the needs of the person in the room. It might include:
• Tracking body sensations, tension, or movement
• Using breath, grounding, or gentle movement to support regulation
• Tuning into boundaries and how they show up physically
• Pausing during a story to notice what your body is saying
Who is somatic therapy for?
Somatic therapy can be helpful for anyone, but especially for those who:
• Have tried talk therapy and still feel stuck
• Feel disconnected or numb a lot of the time
• Live with chronic stress, pain, or fatigue
• Have a history of trauma (especially complex, relational, or developmental trauma)
• Are neurodivergent and want to work with the sensory and regulatory needs of their nervous system
Somatic therapy gently invites us back into relationship with ourselves. It helps us feel what was once too much to feel, at a pace that’s manageable. And over time, it helps us reclaim a sense of safety, aliveness, and trust in our own bodies.
Ready to explore somatic therapy?
Looking for somatic therapy in Duncan or online across Canada? I would love to hear from you. You can learn more about my approach here. If you’re ready to connect, reach out via the contact form below or click the button below to book a free 20-minute consultation, where we can discuss what has been going on with you and whether somatic therapy may be a good fit.
