When we think of healing from trauma, many of us imagine talking through our experiences in therapy. And while words can be powerful, they’re not always enough, especially when trauma is held not just in our memories, but in our bodies.
If you’ve ever felt numb, disconnected, or like you’re living outside yourself, somatic trauma therapy may offer something different: a path back to safety, not just in the mind, but in the body too.
In this post, we’ll explore what somatic therapy is, how it works, and why it can be so effective for trauma recovery.
What Is Somatic Trauma Therapy?
“Somatic” simply means “relating to the body.” Somatic trauma therapy is an approach that recognises trauma as not only psychological, but also physiological. In other words, trauma doesn’t just affect how we think, it affects how we feel in our bodies, how we breathe, move, and even how we exist in space.
This therapeutic approach gently supports you in noticing bodily sensations, patterns of tension, and emotional responses that might be linked to past trauma often without needing to talk through every detail of what happened.
It’s particularly helpful for those who:
Feel “stuck” or frustrated with traditional talk therapy
Experience physical symptoms linked to stress or anxiety
Struggle with dissociation or feeling disconnected
Find it hard to name or express emotions
How Trauma Lives in the Body
When something traumatic happens, our nervous system kicks into high alert: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. Sometimes, if we aren’t able to process the event fully at the time, that energy stays “trapped” in the body.
This can lead to chronic tension, fatigue, digestive issues, difficulty relaxing, or a constant feeling of being unsafe—even if life looks calm on the outside. Over time, the body forgets how to rest.
Somatic therapy helps to gently complete the stress cycle. It invites the body to release that stored energy and re-learn how to feel grounded and safe.
What Happens in a Somatic Therapy Session?
Somatic sessions are guided, supportive, and always trauma-informed. You’re never pushed or rushed. Instead, you and your therapist work together to tune in to the body’s cues in a safe, contained way.
A session might include:
Body awareness: gently noticing where tension or emotion lives
Movement or posture work: exploring how the body responds in certain positions
Breathwork: helping to calm or energise the nervous system
Grounding techniques: reconnecting with the present moment
Visualisation or touch (if appropriate and consented to)
You don’t need to be experienced in mindfulness or yoga to benefit—just a willingness to explore at your own pace.
A Different Way to Heal
Many people find somatic therapy empowering because it shifts the focus from “what’s wrong with me?” to “what happened to me, and how is my body holding that?”
It’s not about fixing or forcing anything. It’s about listening, gently unwinding, and reconnecting with your inner sense of wholeness.
Is Somatic Therapy Right for You?
If you’ve tried talk therapy before and still feel disconnected, overwhelmed, or stuck, somatic work might be a meaningful next step. It can complement other forms of therapy or stand alone as its own process.
You don’t need to have the right words or know exactly what you’re looking for. The body already knows how to heal—it just needs the right conditions and support.
Ready to Reconnect?
If you’re curious about how somatic therapy could support your healing journey, I’d love to hear from you. I offer a free 15-minute consultation so we can gently explore whether this approach might be a good fit for you.
You deserve to feel safe in your body and connected to yourself again.