Inside-Out Healing
At some point in your pursuit of caring for your mental health, you may have stumbled across the words “Somatic Therapy” or “Somatic Experiencing.” While this approach is widely used, it often leaves therapy-seekers curious about its definition and importance. So, what does it really mean to engage in somatic therapy, and how is it helpful?
What is Somatic Experiencing?
Somatic Experiencing highlights the idea that experiences aren’t just in our minds - they are also deeply ingrained in our bodies. In a therapeutic space, it focuses especially on the physiological experience of processing stress, anxiety, and trauma.
Let’s use an example: Imagine you’ve been in a car crash and later struggle to move past the fear you encountered in that moment. You may experience a racing heart, tense muscles, and feeling stuck whenever you entertain the thought of driving again. A somatic treatment approach would involve exploring those physical sensations. Your body's fight or flight response might get "stuck" after such an experience; it's like a skipping record, continuously replaying the traumatic event in your body, even if your mind wants to move on. The goal of Somatic Therapy is to complete that response so you can move forward toward healing.
In a nutshell, somatic awareness is about empowering you to heal from the inside out. It recognizes the incredible wisdom of your body and helps you tap into your innate ability to recover from trauma and stress.
Bottom-Up Processing
Instead of starting with cognitive or intellectual processing in therapy, bottom-up processing focuses on your sensory experiences and emotional responses. It’s like building a house from the foundation up, where the foundation is your immediate sensory and emotional experiences, and the roof is your mind.
Let’s go back to the car crash example. Instead of immediately delving into your anxious thoughts, a therapist using bottom-up processing might guide you to focus on your body. You might be encouraged to notice physical sensations like a racing heart, sweaty palms, or a knot in your stomach. Exploring these sensations and the root of your anxiety can often uncover unresolved emotions that have been trapped in your body. Addressing these bodily sensations and emotions first helps to process them on a deeper level, building a strong foundation for lasting change and emotional growth.
If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or trapped in the past, you may talk to your therapist about taking on a somatic approach. Therapy isn’t always just about talking about your feelings; sometimes, it includes noticing the sensations of them in your body. There is no one-size-fits-all to therapy or healing, and this approach may be aligned with your goals if any of this has resonated with you! Root to Rise has an excellent team of clinicians with thorough knowledge of the mind-body connection and somatic therapy. Reach out to our Client Care Coordinator today to find out which Root to Rise therapist would best suit you!
Warmly,
Sophia Rodriguez
P.S. - If you’re curious to understand more about the fight or flight response and negative associations, visit my last blog post, Rewiring Your Brain For Success (link here). Another great resource for learning about the way the body stores trauma in your body is the book, “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk.
