In recent years, more people have been drawn to somatic (body-based) therapies that include the body as part of the healing process. While talk therapies can be very helpful for gaining insight and understanding, many people find that even when they understand their problems, their body still reacts as if danger is present.
This growing interest in somatic therapies reflects a shift in how we understand emotional distress. The mind and body are deeply interconnected — and lasting change often requires including both.
The science behind trauma and the body
There is increasing evidence that trauma is stored in the body. The science is finally catching up with what many trauma survivors have long known intuitively: the body can carry the imprint of what has happened.
It’s important to remember that “trauma” doesn’t only refer to major or life-threatening events. It can also include experiences that were too much, too fast, or too ongoing for the nervous system to fully process — such as prolonged stress, emotional neglect, or repeated criticism. Even these less obvious experiences can influence the body’s stress response and shape how we feel and react in daily life.
When we face a threat, the amygdala — the brain’s alarm system — floods the body with stress hormones. The heart races, muscles tense, and the body prepares to fight, flee, or freeze. In this state, the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for reasoning and reflection) temporarily goes offline, which makes it very difficult to use cognitive strategies like reasoning or self-talk to feel calm again.
Usually, when the danger passes, the body settles again. But if an experience is too overwhelming or repeated, the nervous system may not fully reset. This can leave behind patterns of physical tension, numbness, or sudden emotional reactions that seem to arise from nowhere.
Neuroscience also shows that high stress can interfere with the brain’s ability to store memories coherently. Instead of forming a narrative with a clear beginning and end, the experience may be remembered in fragments — sensations, images, smells, and emotions. When something in the present resembles the original event, the body can react as if the trauma is happening again.
What are somatic therapies?
Somatic therapies are approaches that work with the connection between the mind and body. They involve gently paying attention to physical sensations and internal signals, rather than ignoring or suppressing them.
Examples include Focusing, Somatic Experiencing, and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. These approaches can help people notice how stress or emotion shows up in their body and learn to respond in ways that support regulation and integration.
By including the body in therapy, people can begin to process experiences that talking alone might not reach. Research increasingly supports the role of body awareness and interoception — the ability to sense internal bodily states — in emotional regulation and wellbeing.
This integration can help people not only understand their experiences but also experience relief and grounding at a physical level.
Focusing: a gentle way to listen to the body
Focusing is a somatic approach that helps people tune into what Eugene Gendlin called the “bodily felt sense” — the subtle, physical sense of a situation.
Instead of trying to get rid of feelings, Focusing invites us to pause and listen inwardly: What is this tension, this heaviness, this tightness trying to say? As we give space to what we notice, new meanings often emerge. The body can begin to release what it has been holding, and we gain insight into what we truly need.
Focusing is a gentle process. The person stays in charge at all times of how closely to approach difficult memories or sensations. This helps ensure the experience remains safe and manageable while allowing a natural process of healing to unfold.
From disconnection to self-trust
Including the body in therapy can help shift the relationship we have with ourselves — from control and avoidance to curiosity and compassion. Over time, this builds trust in our own capacity to meet life’s challenges.
As Eugene Gendlin wrote:
“Every bad feeling is potential energy toward a more right way of being if you give it space to move toward its rightness.”
By learning to listen to the body rather than fight it, many people find a greater sense of connection, calm, and confidence in their own inner wisdom.
Curious about how somatic therapy works in practice? Feel free to reach out for more information or to book an appointment.
