Somatic therapy in trauma recovery

It is widely agreed that the body plays an integral role in the resolution of trauma. Symptoms of trauma show up in the body, as well as psychologically. Mindfully tuning into the body and being curious about what it’s experiencing can help bring relief to symptoms and foster an active and supportive relationship between mind and body.

Trauma occurs when there is an experience that overwhelms the nervous system and prevents the individual from protecting or defending themselves in that moment. The impact of the traumatic event (or events) very much depends on the person’s ability to respond to the threat and then recover from the experience.

Each person’s response will be as unique as they are. While many people can be part of a traumatic event, there will be many varied responses to it. Some people may be able to move through the impacts more easily, whereas others may feel the impacts for a long time.

Symptoms of trauma can look like anxiety, overwhelm, panic attacks, physical pain, lack of engagement in life, grief, despair and overwhelm. It can also present as addiction, rage, difficulties in relationships and struggles at work. As you can see there are many varied ways that the symptoms of trauma can impact a person's life.

Healing these symptoms involves building a ‘range of resilience’, meaning becoming more competent and confident to be with varying levels of activation in the nervous system. It’s learning how to respond to this activation in a way that is supportive and helpful.

Developing ways to respond consciously to these symptoms, rather than being overtaken by them, is something that the nervous system needs to learn how to do. Oftentimes, the nervous system is stuck in patterned responses to activation. This can look like shutting down emotionally because it’s overwhelming, responding in anger or rage, or ‘pushing it down’ and becoming depressed. Its response can also be physical and manifest as pain, gut issues, or fatigue.

For the learning to occur we need to listen to what the body is saying, rather than only connecting with the thoughts associated with these symptoms. These thoughts are often quite harsh and judgemental and not very helpful. Ideally, the body needs to be listened to and responded to with curiosity, compassion and love.

Somatic therapy helps to start this conversation between body and mind. It’s an important tool in the healing tool box. Somatic therapy aims to help facilitate this connection in a way that is tolerable for where the nervous system is at, today. Working with the present moment helps release some of the charged energy linked to the symptoms, enhancing the ability to respond to emotional intensity and cultivating self-regulation skills.