What is Somatic Therapy?
Most of us have been taught that healing happens in the mind. That if we can just understand something, talk it through, find the right words then we will eventually feel better. Sometimes that is true and sometimes it helps, but for a lot of people, something still feels missing. The understanding and awareness may there, yet it feels like nothing has changed? This is because the body has not quite caught up.
Traditional talk therapy works from the top-down, starting with thoughts and language. Somatic therapy, on the other hand, works from the bottom up, starting with the body, the breath, and the felt sense of what is happening within the nervous system. It invites us into a deeper, more embodied way of experiencing ourselves, rather than only understanding ourselves cognitively. This mind-body approach is grounded in the work of Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score, who writes that the rational brain cannot simply talk the emotional brain out of its own reality. Sometimes, we need a different way in. If you have been curious about somatic therapy and what it actually involves, this is a gentle introduction to what it is, what a session may look like in practice, and who it can support.
What Is Somatic Therapy?
The word somatic simply means “of the body”. Somatic therapy is an approach to healing that includes the body as a core part of the therapeutic process, its sensations, its rhythms, and the ways it holds tension and tells stories without words.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, which focuses primarily on the mind and thoughts, somatic therapy also brings attention to the felt experience of what is happening within your body. It invites a sense of mindfulness and curiosity toward what your body may still be holding, managing, or feeling burdened by. This can include sensations such as tension, tightness, pain, or emotional activation held within the body.
At times, these stored emotional experiences may show up as tightness in the chest, heaviness in the limbs, a weight on the shoulders, or even a knot in the stomach. Somatic therapy is not about bypassing the mind, rather it recognises that the mind and body are always in conversation with one another. This approach offers a way to honour both, supporting a more integrated and embodied experience of healing.
Who Might Benefit from Somatic Therapy?
In short, anyone with a body. People often assume that somatic therapy is only for those who have experienced significant trauma, but the research tells a more expansive story. A 2017 randomised controlled trial found that Somatic Experiencing is an effective treatment for PTSD (Brom et al., 2017), and a 2024 BMJ Mental Health meta-analysis of over 9,000 participants found that somatic approaches outperformed both traditional psychotherapy and medication in PTSD outcomes (Leech, Stapleton and Patching, 2024).
For those working within the mind-body therapy space, this emerging research is beginning to reflect what has already been observed clinically for many years.
Somatic therapy tends to be particularly helpful for people living with some of the following experiences:
Trauma - Abuse & Neglect
Anxiety & Stress
Depression
Grief & Loss
Burnout & Perfectionism
Feeling stuck & stagnant
And physical symptoms and experiences like:
Chronic pain
Persistent tension
Chronic Fatigue
Digestive issues
Hypervigilance & Dysregulation
Dissociation
Difficulty feeling safe in the body
Somatic therapy also tends to resonate with people who have engaged in talk therapy and found it helpful, yet still feel that something is missing. It can be particularly supportive for those who find it difficult to put their experiences into words, or who do not feel ready to speak about them in detail. It is gentle, consensual and intentional by design.
Somatic therapy does not require you to relive or recount your experiences in depth. Instead, the focus is on what is happening in the body in the present moment, rather than on revisiting or excavating the past. This can make it more accessible for many people, especially for those who have found that retelling their story feels more re-traumatising than healing.
What Somatic Therapy Looks Like in Practice
In a somatic therapy session, you may be gently invited to slow down and notice what is happening within your body as you speak.
A therapist might ask, “As you say that, what do you notice in your chest?” These kinds of invitations support the development of interoceptive awareness, the capacity to sense and attune to what is happening internally in the present moment.
Sessions may include working with the breath, noticing areas of tension or stillness, inviting in gentle movement, or simply pausing to be with a sensation rather than immediately trying to change or fix it. The pace is intentionally slow and collaborative. Nothing is forced.
Somatic therapy also integrates beautifully with talk therapy. It is not an either/or approach. Many people find that bringing awareness to the body within sessions opens up a different kind of understanding, one that feels more grounded, more embodied, and more deeply integrated.
Coming Home to Your Self
Therapy that includes the body often feels different. It can feel slower, more nurturing, and guided by the pace of your own body and nervous system. It becomes less about arriving at an answer or resolution, trusting that these will unfold naturally, and more about developing a new kind of relationship with yourself. This is a relationship that gently builds your capacity to be with your body, your emotions, and your felt experience. As Susan Jeffers in Feel the Fear and Do It Anyways says “You can’t think your way out of fear, but you can feel your way out.” Somatic therapy honours this understanding. It is not about fixing what is broken, because you are not broken. It is about listening to what your body has been trying to communicate, noticing what it may still be holding onto, and finally offering it the space to be heard, supported, and integrated.
At Temenos Psychotherapy, based in Walkerville, Adelaide, somatic therapy forms the foundation of how I work and support you in your mental and emotional health journey. Drawing from Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy, parts work, talk therapy, and body-based mindfulness, I offer a space that honours both your story and your body’s wisdom. This approach is not one-size-fits-all, it is always personalised and attuned to your unique needs.
If this way of working resonates with you, I would love to hear from you. You are warmly invited to reach out or book a connection call to explore whether this approach feels like the right fit for where you are at.
Hello! I am Sophia.
I am an Adelaide PACFA Registered Psychotherapist and Counsellor. Temenos Psychotherapy is my private psychotherapy and counselling practice in Walkerville, Adelaide, South Australia. Over the past 9 years, I have supported the social and emotional wellbeing of 100s of children, young people and adults. I am deeply passionate in providing a holistic and non-pathologising approach to therapy. Truly all of you is welcome here.
References:
Brom, D. et al. (2017). Somatic experiencing for PTSD: A randomised controlled outcome study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 30(3), 304-312.
Leech K, Stapleton P, Patching A. A roadmap to understanding interoceptive awareness and post-traumatic stress disorder: a scoping review. Front Psychiatry. 2024 May 22;15:1355442. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1355442. PMID: 38840943; PMCID: PMC11150711.
van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score. Viking.
