SOMATIC THERAPY

Strengthen the mind-body connection & heal your nervous system

TOWSON, MD | ONLINE THROUGHOUT MARYLAND

Do you feel like you’re just “surviving not thriving”?

The relentless battle between remaining present in your daily life and reliving your past can feel overwhelming, scary and out of control.

Existing in “survival mode” is exhausting.

What is Somatic Therapy?

Unfortunately, we cannot “reason” or “logic” our way out of our past trauma. And simply just talking about it doesn’t seem to make us feel better in the long run. This is because trauma is stored in the body and we may have trouble remembering parts of our past or putting words to our experiences. Additionally, this may be why you feel that “traditional talk therapy” methods haven’t been effective.

Somatic Therapy encompasses a variety of treatment methods that center around the body instead of the mind. It aims to help you increase awareness of your feelings and bodily sensations so that you can “release” the traumatic experiences from your body and regulate nervous system. “Getting curious” and “experimenting” with movement can help you feel more connected and present in your daily life. 

WHAT TO EXPECT

The Somatic Process

Somatic Therapy focuses on the following in hopes of alleviating symptoms:

  1. Increasing awareness of feelings and sensations in your body (aka somatic or body awareness)

  2. Cultivating a felt sense of safety within your body through identifying coping skills or supports

  3. Stabilizing your nervous system so that you can live in the present moment, not the past

Although there is no set timeline for somatic therapy, here are some things that you can expect while working with your therapist:

Therapy starts off with you getting to know your therapist and vice versa. Your therapist will get to know your history and what you’d like to focus on in therapy. Your therapist will share the “in’s-and-out’s” of what to somatic exercises involve and what they do not, information about trauma and how it impacts you as a whole, and skills to ensure safety throughout the therapeutic process. As you work with your therapist, you will discuss your progress periodically, which will help determine how many sessions are appropriate to meet your needs.

Some common terms you will hear in somatic therapy are…

  1. Body (somatic) awareness: Connecting your feelings and bodily sensations in order to strengthen the mind-body connection and recognize patterns of dysregulation.

  2. Pendulation: Learning how to safely move between low states of activation where you are relaxed to high states of activation that are similar to what you experienced during the traumatic event and back down again.

  3. Titration: Noticing how your body responds to sharing a traumatic memory in “real-time” and increasing your ability to tolerate intense emotions and bodily sensations activated by trauma safely.

  4. Resourcing: Identifying “resources” in your life, such as people, places, or things that help increase that felt sense of safety or comfort and help you return to a more relaxed, lower state of activation.

Your body recognizes stress way before you do.

imagine Your life if you…

Stop trauma triggers in their tracks

✓

Learn how to “hack your nervous system”

✓

Feel present and safe in your own body

✓

Improve your relationships with yourself and others

✓

Feel better mentally and physically

✓

Relief is right around the corner.

Release the past from your body & feel safe in your own skin.

faqs

Common questions about Somatic Therapy

  • Yes! Somatic therapy has shown to be successful in treating a variety of disorders including trauma. Therapy is not a "one size fits all" kind of deal, some people may find that this method does not work for them. This may NOT be the right fit for you if you have a history of sexual trauma.

    If you have concerns about whether somatic therapy is right for you, schedule a consultation to speak with our director.

  • Somatic therapy tends to be a longer-term method, but it is hard to say for certain. Some of the factors that influence the number of sessions include: frequency of sessions, length of sessions, your trauma history, whether or not you have done therapy before, current stressors in your life, your goals, and more.

    Your therapist will be in ongoing communication with you about your progress and how you are feeling about therapy.

  • Yes, some somatic therapists incorporate physical touch as a part of their practice, but it is not a requirement. Because safety is a crucial part of therapy, you will ALWAYS be asked for your consent and be fully informed before trying any somatic exercise.

  • Yes! Somatic Therapy can be effective for treating anxiety, depression, self-esteem, emotional dysregulation, and more. Schedule a consultation if you have questions regarding whether or not Somatic Therapy can help with your specific concern.