What is Somatic Trauma Therapy?
Somatic Trauma Therapy is a body-based therapeutic approach that helps people process and heal the physical, emotional, and psychological effects of trauma. Unlike traditional talk therapy—which focuses mainly on thoughts and memories—somatic work pays close attention to the body’s signals: tension, sensation, breath, posture, and movement. Trauma often lives in the nervous system, not just the mind; Somatic Trauma Therapy helps release what the body has been holding.
It integrates neuroscience, mindfulness, and body-awareness techniques to support healing. It is grounded in the understanding that trauma can overwhelm the nervous system, leaving the body stuck in patterns of fight, flight, or freeze. Through gentle guidance, clients learn to notice internal sensations, track shifts in the body, and complete stress responses that may have been interrupted during past overwhelming experiences.
How does Somatic Trauma Therapy work?
Somatic sessions are collaborative and paced slowly to avoid overwhelm. Together, we explore what is happening in the body in the present moment. Instead of revisiting trauma stories in detail, we work with the sensations underneath them—tension, tightness, heaviness, restlessness, warmth, or numbness.
Common approaches include:
- Body awareness and grounding
- Breathwork
- Movement or micro-movement
- Touch (only when appropriate and consented)
- Resourcing and nervous-system regulation techniques
As the body learns to regulate and feel safe again, clients often experience:
- Reduced anxiety and hypervigilance
- Increased capacity to tolerate emotions
- Greater sense of grounding and safety
- Release of long-held physical tension
- Improved resilience and self-connection
Healing happens not by reliving trauma, but by creating new patterns in the nervous system.
Who is Somatic Trauma Therapy Suitable for?
Somatic Trauma Therapy is suitable for adults who:
- Feel “stuck” even after talk therapy
- Experience trauma symptoms in the body
- Find it hard to feel or express emotions
- Feel disconnected or shut down
- Struggle with stress or overwhelm
- Want a gentle, body-centered approach rather than only cognitive work
It’s especially helpful for people who prefer experiential, grounded, and present-moment ways of working.
What issues is it helpful for?
Somatic Trauma Therapy is well-suited for:
- PTSD and complex trauma
- Childhood or developmental trauma
- Anxiety and panic
- Dissociation or emotional numbness
- Chronic stress and burnout
- Grief and loss
- Relationship trauma
- Body-based symptoms linked to stress (e.g., tension, digestive issues)
How many sessions will I have?
Healing is individual, and the number of sessions varies depending on your goals, history, and pace. Many people begin to feel shifts within 6–8 sessions, while deeper trauma patterns often require longer-term work. We will regularly review your progress together and adjust the pace so that it feels safe, manageable, and supportive.
Somatic Trauma Therapists at Southside Counselling and Therapy Centre:
