Five Common Somatic Therapy Techniques Explained

April Lyons, LPC

When it comes to mental health matters, it’s easy to default to your mind being the culprit. But research has shown time and time again that nothing is all in our heads, nor are our symptoms isolated to that one area.

Memories, emotions, and experiences are generally processed on a cellular level. You may notice anxious ticks or feeling physically unwell when you have periods of high stress or anxiety. Your body continues to tell the story even when you may feel okay.

This is where somatic therapy enters into the picture. Somatic therapy is effective in dealing with stress and mental health issues. It helps you find relief from symptoms in a different way than traditional talk therapy can. Let’s look at five common techniques used.

Developing Somatic Awareness

One important technique used in somatic therapy is education about body awareness. This is a good starting point for any other methods under the somatic umbrella. You first learn about identifying tension and how it lives in the body. You also assess what can bring on a sense of calm and safety. Somatic awareness helps improve upon good bodily sensations and adjust the negative ones.

Body Scanning

Body scanning is considered to be one of the foundational somatic therapy techniques. This technique helps to bring more awareness to the different body parts and sensations that are present, including tension, physical sensations, and emotional responses being stored.

Starting with your head, you’ll focus your attention on that specific point. Working your way down, part by part, you’ll acknowledge anything you may be feeling. Are your shoulders carrying tension? Are your hands colder than the rest of your body? Do you feel unusual pressure in your lower back? Body scanning can help you gain a better understanding of how stress is manifesting within your body.

Grounding Exercises

Grounding exercises are another great way to reconnect your mind and body in the present moment. This is commonly used for combating stress and anxiety, or at any point when you’re starting to feel very overwhelmed.

This process can start by simply acknowledging how your feet feel when in contact with the floor. It can be noticing contact points between your body and another surface. Meditation is often incorporated, allowing you to become centered and release energy and/or emotions that are not helpful.

Breathwork is also an effective grounding technique used to help regulate your body and release tension through proper breathing techniques. It’s important to remember that grounding exercises may take some time to get used to and perfect. You may feel a bit odd or like you’re doing something wrong, but sticking with the process will give you long-term benefits.

Movement Therapy

Movement therapy is a technique used to help connect you to your body through different types of movements. This could include activities like dance, yoga, or tai chi. They’re movement-based exercises that have an intentional goal of expression and release of inner feelings.

During movement therapy, you want to work towards releasing tension and any emotional heaviness you may be carrying. For movement therapy to work, it’s important to tie your breath to your movements. You also want to pay attention to what unusual or new sensations you may experience during your guided movements.

Titration and Pendulation

Feelings like panic, fear, anger, frustration, and depression all manifest through bodily sensations. When one of these kicks in, you may find yourself feeling out of sorts, disconnected from your own reality, lost, or stuck.

It isn’t always the most efficient way to try to tackle such emotions from a talking perspective. With this technique, you alternate between periods of activation and regulation to build up your resilience. You pendulate your focus between something distressing and something not stressful to release the tension in small doses.

Somatic therapy can offer helpful tools for combating stress and promoting growth. While some of these techniques may seem easy, they’re best done under professional guidance. If you’re interested in learning more about somatic therapy, schedule an appointment today and we can talk about how it can be beneficial for you.

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