Somatic Healing
What is Somatic Healing?
Somatic Healing, also known as Somatic Therapy, is a gentle approach to healing, which encourages us to connect to what we are feeling internally. It is well established that the body holds onto stress, tension and trauma, often on a subconscious level. Through using tools like body scanning, gentle movements, embodied imagination and learning to reconnect with our ability to sense our body both in the space it is in (proprioception), and what is happening internally (interoception), we are able to discover where we are stuck - and how we can release that.
By actually listening, instead of forcing ‘fixes’ onto ourselves, with some idea of failing or succeeding at that, we can work out what it is that we really need. That might be deep rest. It might be hip opening and strengthening exercises to let go of trauma-related somatic holding. It might be dancing around with the curtains closed, letting our body move and have fun! We can sense what needs to shift - and actually shift it.
Somatic Healing can incorporate yoga, dance, or just slow, gentle movements that arise, understanding the connection between mind, body and emotions. It can allow us to let go of the past, and be in the present, as we are now.
How do you work with Somatic Healing?
There are many different techniques that can be used with somatic healing. It’s highly individual what may work or not - so it’s down to each person. I have found that embodied imagination has been especially effective for me; what does safe feel like? What does resourced feel like? What does courageous feel like? Body scanning is another practice that I would recommend to everyone - learning to check in with your body and understand what is needed is a skill that the whole world would benefit from. We can then apply this to situations where we feel activated - angry, anxious, exhausted. We can learn what is causing these reactions in our bodies, and move through them by responding with care and attention.
What are the benefits of Somatic Healing?
Through the practice of Somatic Healing, we can learn to listen to ourselves. This is a skill that will last our whole lives - a skill which empowers us to know what is happening to us, and when something isn’t right. It can help us let emotions go, rather than holding onto them. We can set boundaries with people and situations that aren’t good for us. We can trust ourselves, that we can see the right path, as we feel more connected to our own rhythms.
There has not, as yet, been a huge amount of studies conducted on somatic practices, however this study has shown that Somatic Experiencing has positive effects on PTSD-related symptoms, and also on affective and somatic symptoms and measures of well-being in both traumatised and non-traumatised people.
And this study showed that Somatic Healing can offer new ways of supporting and collaborating with those suffering from chronic pain.