The approach
Trauma is held in the body. Somatic work helps it move.
The word somatic comes from soma — the body. Somatic therapy includes what is happening in the body rather than talking only from the prefrontal cortex.
An abundance of rigorous research tells us that healing trauma requires including the body and the lower regions of the brain — not just talking through an experience from the top down.
In session we may pay attention to the somatic experience — what is happening in the body — while speaking about a situation or recalling a memory. It is remarkable what insight surfaces, and what healing becomes possible, when we listen to what the body is telling us. It is always speaking.
First, though: we never approach any aspect of therapy without your consent. For many trauma survivors, an unconscious survival strategy has been to disconnect from the body, so there may well be a part of you that is highly resistant to the idea. There is an enormous amount to be learned from that resistance, and we’ll treat it as information rather than an obstacle.
Every therapy style I offer carries some level of somatic orientation, approached when, if, and how you are ready.
The body is always speaking.