What is Somatic-Based Experiencing?
Somatic experiencing is a powerful approach designed to facilitate the release of stored emotions and limiting beliefs that are physically held within the body.
This method supports your journey towards healing by focusing on body awareness, helping to resolve the physical manifestations of your experiences without delving into mental health therapy.
The Basics
The term ‘somatic’ comes from ‘soma,’ a Greek word that means the physical body, separate from the mind or soul. Unlike traditional talk therapy, which focuses on the mind, somatic experiencing involves movement and body-focused techniques such as breathwork and meditation to help with emotional healing.
SOMA
Why do I need it?
Stressful events can disrupt the natural alignment between the body and mind, causing memories and negative emotions to become entrenched within the body. In response to these events, the nervous system might remain in a prolonged fight or flight state, continuously releasing stress hormones like cortisol. This often results in hypervigilance—a constant state of heightened awareness, accompanied by physical effects such as increased blood pressure, blood sugar, and inflammation. These changes can lead to a weakened immune system, weight gain, heart problems, and chronic pain, highlighting the importance of addressing the physical components of stress.
Our bodies do not only store the memories of distressing experiences; they also harbor deeply ingrained limiting beliefs that often reside beyond the awareness of our conscious minds.
These negative emotions can eventually manifest as chronic psychological distress and physical symptoms, such as stomach, neck or back pain. The issue with unresolved stress is that these ingrained thoughts and beliefs can be reactivated during stressful situations, leading to repeated distress.
Somatic experiencing aims to restore a healthy connection between mind and body, helping you to begin healing the unresolved stress stored within your body.
Somatic experiencing
How does somatic experiencing work?
Much of our distress is trapped in our bodies, making somatic experiencing a powerful tool for healing both chronic pain and complex emotional issues. The first step involves recognizing emotions as physical sensations in the body. By learning to identify and relieve tension, you can uncover and address where tough emotions and memories are stored.
In my practice, I use several techniques to help release these negative emotions from the body, including:
Body Awareness
Grounding
Somatic Experiencing
Mindful Feeling
Mirroring
Resourcing
What does somatic experiencing treat?
Using grounding and mindfulness to put you in touch with your body and experiences, somatic experiencing can be used to heal a wide variety of complex and physical and mental issues.
For example, somatic experiencing has been successfully used to help reduce:
Complex PTSD
Anxiety
Addiction
Grief
Depression
Stress
Chronic Pain
Digestive Disorders
Sexual Dysfunction
Somatic experiencing helps release negative emotions and beliefs at a cellular level.
Ready to give it a try?
How are you feeling?
Take one (or both) of our assessments for a quick mental health check in. We'll follow up with tips and next steps depending on your answers.
Depression Assessment
Depression is more than being sad or blue. It can affect you in ways that limit your potential and cause physical, emotional, and mental suffering.
Answer the following questions to check in on your mental state.
This survey is intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The results should not be used to diagnose or treat any mental health condition. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your mental health. If you are experiencing a crisis or need immediate assistance, please contact a healthcare professional or emergency services.
Anxiety Assessment
Everyone experiences stress at some point in life, but if you or someone you know is feeling more nervous than usual, it may be time to seek help.
Answer the following questions to help identify when you need to take action.
This survey is intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The results should not be used to diagnose or treat any mental health condition. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your mental health. If you are experiencing a crisis or need immediate assistance, please contact a healthcare professional or emergency services.
