Beyond words: an Introduction to Somatic Therapy
Updated: Aug 30
Understanding trauma through the body, not just through the story
When we think about therapy, we often think about talking — exploring our thoughts, memories and emotions and trying to make sense of what we've experienced.
But not everything we experience is easy to put into words.
Sometimes we know something doesn't feel right without knowing why. We might feel tense, overwhelmed, numb or disconnected, but struggle to explain what is happening. Or we might understand an experience intellectually while feeling that something hasn't quite been reached.
Somatic therapy offers another way of working with our experiences by bringing the body into the conversation.
What does "somatic" mean?
Somatic simply means relating to the body.
In somatic therapy, we pay attention to what is happening in the body alongside our thoughts, emotions and experiences. This might include noticing changes in breathing, muscle tension, sensations, movement, impulses or feelings of expansion and contraction.
The aim isn't to analyse every sensation or assume that the body is always telling us something important. Instead, we develop curiosity about what we are experiencing.
For example, you might notice that your chest tightens when you talk about a particular situation, or that you automatically become very still when you feel uncomfortable.
These responses can give us information that might otherwise be difficult to access.
When words aren't enough
Somatic approaches can be particularly helpful when something is difficult to talk about or connect with.
This might be because an experience happened before we had words for it, because it feels overwhelming to talk about, or simply because our experience doesn't make complete sense cognitively.
We don't have to start with "Tell me what happened."
Sometimes we can begin with: "What are you noticing in your body right now?"
This gives us another language through which to understand ourselves.
Over time, our physical sensations, emotions, thoughts and memories can begin to form a fuller narrative of our experience — one that includes not just what happened, but how we experienced it.
Is somatic therapy a shortcut?
No.
Somatic therapy isn't a quick fix or a fail-safe approach, and it doesn't necessarily make healing easier.
What it can do is make some experiences more accessible.
When something feels difficult to reach through words or conscious understanding, paying attention to the body can give us another place to begin.
Sometimes healing isn't about finding an easier route. It's about finding a route that is accessible to us.
About Tarah
I'm a trauma-informed, somatic therapist supporting people to heal and integrate trauma, reconnect with their body and live with greater ease and authenticity
