Your body keeps a record of what you have been through. Tension in your shoulders, tightness in your chest, a stomach that knots before difficult conversations. These are not random. They are your nervous system responding to stored stress and unresolved experiences. Somatic therapy works directly with the body to help you release what talk therapy alone may not reach.
At Artisan Counseling, our licensed counselors trained in somatic approaches use body-based techniques as part of individual counseling for clients who want to address the physical side of emotional distress.
Somatic therapy is a body-oriented approach to counseling that focuses on the connection between physical sensation and emotional experience. The word “somatic” comes from the Greek word soma, meaning body.
While most forms of therapy focus on thoughts, beliefs and verbal processing, somatic therapy directs attention to what is happening in the body. It is based on the idea that the body stores emotional and psychological experiences, particularly those that were overwhelming or that occurred before you had the language to process them.
Somatic approaches draw from the work of several researchers and clinicians, including Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing), Pat Ogden (Sensorimotor Psychotherapy) and Bessel van der Kolk, whose book The Body Keeps the Score brought widespread attention to the role of the body in trauma recovery.
Research supports the use of somatic interventions for trauma, anxiety, chronic stress and pain. A study published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress found that somatic-based therapy produced significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, with improvements maintained at follow-up.
The mind and body are not separate systems. What happens in your thoughts affects your body, and what happens in your body affects your thoughts and emotions.
When you feel anxious, your body responds. Your heart rate increases. Your muscles tense. Your breathing becomes shallow. These are not just symptoms. They are your nervous system doing its job, preparing you to respond to a perceived threat.
In many cases, the body learns to stay in this activated state long after the original threat has passed. You may notice that your body reacts to situations that are not dangerous but that remind your nervous system of something that once was. A raised voice, a certain tone, a crowded room, being alone. The body responds before the thinking brain has time to assess the situation.
Somatic therapy helps you become aware of these patterns in your body and, with the support of your counselor, begin to shift them. This is not about overriding your body’s responses. It is about restoring your nervous system’s ability to move between states of activation and rest.
Your autonomic nervous system has three primary states:
Sympathetic activation (fight or flight). This is the state your body enters when it perceives danger. Heart rate and breathing increase, muscles tense and your body prepares to act.
Dorsal vagal (freeze or shutdown). When the threat is too much to fight or flee from, the body may shut down. This can look like numbness, disconnection, fatigue, collapse or a sense of being frozen.
Ventral vagal (safety & connection). This is the state associated with feeling safe, grounded and connected. Your breathing is steady, your body is relaxed and you are able to engage with others.
When someone has experienced trauma, the nervous system can become stuck in sympathetic activation or dorsal vagal shutdown. You may alternate between the two, feeling hyper-alert and anxious at times and numb or disconnected at others.
Somatic therapy works directly with the nervous system to help it return to regulation. Rather than analyzing the trauma through language alone, your counselor guides you to notice the sensations in your body and, through careful pacing, allows the body to complete the responses it was unable to finish during the original experience.
This might mean noticing the impulse to push away, run or curl up and allowing that movement to happen in a safe, supported way. Over time, the nervous system learns that it is no longer in danger and begins to spend more time in the ventral vagal state.
Somatic therapy sessions are different from what many clients expect from counseling. There is conversation, but there is also a significant focus on internal awareness and physical experience.
Checking in. Your counselor will start by asking how you are doing and what you are noticing in your body. This is not small talk. It is the beginning of the therapeutic process.
Building body awareness. Your counselor may guide you to pay attention to specific sensations, such as tension in your jaw, warmth in your hands or tightness in your chest. This practice, called “tracking,” helps you develop a vocabulary for your physical experience.
Working with sensation. Once you are aware of what is happening in your body, your counselor may invite you to stay with a particular sensation and notice how it changes. This process is slow and guided. You are not asked to push through discomfort. You are asked to notice it and let your body respond.
Movement & posture. Your counselor may invite you to make small movements, shift your posture or try a grounding exercise. These are not physical exercises. They are ways of helping your body express what it has been holding.
Resourcing. Throughout the session, your counselor will help you identify and return to states of safety. This might involve grounding techniques, breathing practices or recalling a memory or sensation associated with calm. Resourcing ensures that the work stays within a range your nervous system can handle.
Closing. Sessions end with a period of settling. Your counselor will help you return to a grounded state before you leave.
You remain fully clothed during somatic therapy sessions. There is no physical contact unless you and your counselor have discussed and agreed to it, and only within the scope of clinical practice.
Sessions are typically 50 to 60 minutes and can be done in person or through telehealth, though in-person sessions may offer a fuller experience for body-based work.
No. Somatic therapy does not require a detailed verbal account of what happened. Much of the work happens through the body, and your counselor will follow your pace.
No. Somatic therapy is a form of licensed counseling, not a physical treatment. While it focuses on the body, it is conducted within a clinical framework and addresses emotional and psychological concerns.
That is common, especially for people who have experienced trauma. Disconnection from the body is a protective response. Your counselor will help you build body awareness gradually, at a pace that feels manageable.
This depends on your goals and history. Some clients notice shifts within a few sessions. Others benefit from a longer course of treatment, particularly when working with early or repeated trauma.
Yes. Many counselors at Artisan Counseling integrate somatic techniques with other modalities such as CBT, EMDR or brainspotting. Your counselor will work with you to determine the right combination.
Yes. Somatic approaches are supported by research in neuroscience and trauma treatment. Studies on Somatic Experiencing, in particular, have shown meaningful reductions in trauma symptoms.
Yes, though some clients find that in-person sessions allow for a more grounded experience. Your counselor can help you decide which format works best for you.
Somatic therapy is provided within the context of licensed counseling and is billed as a standard therapy session. Most insurance plans cover it. Contact our office at 757.503.2819 or check your benefits for details.