What Is Somatic Therapy, Really?
You’ve heard of somatic therapy - maybe on a podcast, from a friend, or while searching for something that goes deeper than just talking about your problems. But what does it actually mean? And how do you know if it’s the right fit for you?
In this post, I’ll walk you through what somatic therapy really is, how it works, and why it can be such a powerful support when you’re feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or disconnected from yourself.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “the body keeps the score.”
Maybe you’ve felt it - in the tightness in your chest, the lump in your throat, the way your shoulders climb toward your ears even when you're just sitting still.
That’s where somatic therapy comes in.
What Is Somatic Therapy, Really?
Somatic therapy is a type of body-based healing that helps you connect with what your body is holding stress, trauma, tension, emotions, and then begin to release it in safe, gentle ways.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, which focuses primarily on the mind and thoughts, somatic therapy works with the body’s felt experience. It recognizes that your nervous system plays a huge role in how you feel, how you respond, and how you heal.
Why Is This Important?
Because your body has been paying attention even when your mind tried to power through.
When your body experiences something overwhelming, frightening, or too much too fast, your nervous system steps in to protect you — often by shutting down, going numb, or going into fight-or-flight mode. And if that experience doesn’t get processed or resolved, the body can stay stuck in that state long after the danger has passed.
This is why trauma can show up years later as anxiety, chronic tension, emotional reactivity, or feeling disconnected from yourself.
Somatic therapy helps your body safely complete those stuck survival responses — so you can feel calm, grounded, and present again.
What Does Somatic Therapy Look Like?
Somatic therapy sessions are gentle, collaborative, and deeply attuned to what your body is holding — even when words are hard to find.
Together, we might:
Check in with body sensations (“Where do you feel that anxiety?”)
Use grounding and breathwork to support nervous system regulation
Explore gentle movement or posture awareness
Track shifts in energy, emotion, or sensation
Use curiosity and compassion to notice patterns — without judgment
But it’s more than just techniques.
Somatic therapy invites you to listen inward and to get curious, ask questions, and befriend the parts of you that are struggling or in pain. We look at what’s showing up through the body: tightness in your chest, a lump in your throat, a sudden wave of heat or heaviness.
Instead of analyzing from the outside, we begin from within — allowing your body to lead the way, in its own time.
You set the pace.
I bring the support, guidance, and grounded presence.
And your body brings its own deep wisdom. It already knows the way.
Who Is It For?
Somatic therapy is especially helpful if you:
Feel overwhelmed, anxious, or easily triggered
Struggle with chronic stress, pain, or tension
Are healing from trauma (including childhood or relational trauma)
Feel “disconnected” or numb
Have tried talk therapy and felt like something was still missing
Want to feel more grounded, present, and connected to yourself
The Bottom Line
Healing doesn’t just happen through insight, it happens through felt experience.
When your nervous system feels safe, when your body can exhale, that’s when real change begins.
If you’re curious about how somatic therapy might support your healing, I’d love to talk with you.
👉 Book a free consultation — and let’s take the next step, together.