What is Somatic Therapy?

Somatic therapy works with the body’s sensations and nervous system responses alongside thoughts and emotions. By increasing awareness and regulation, it helps people process trauma more safely and develop new patterns of resilience and connection.

A Holistic Approach to Mind and Body

This approach blends a variety of therapeutic modalities. If you are looking for a therapy that focuses only on the body, where you do not need to explore emotions or observe your thoughts, then this may not be the right fit for you. Even if you are seeking support following an accident or a physical injury, we will still need to explore your emotional experience and thought patterns.

How Early Life Shapes the Nervous System

Often, these emotions and beliefs have roots in early life experiences. From the moment we are born and even before birth, our nervous systems and brains are shaped by our environment. We develop beliefs about ourselves, many of which are inaccurate or limiting. We also develop coping mechanisms and survival strategies designed to help us maintain attachment with our caregivers and navigate our surroundings.

When a child grows up in an environment that is emotionally safe, nurturing, attuned, and supportive, they are more likely to develop resilience. However, when a child does not receive the protection, attunement, and emotional support they need, they often carry unresolved adaptations into adulthood.

The Impact of Later Trauma

As a result, when a person later experiences a single traumatic event such as an accident, assault, natural disaster, or other overwhelming experience, many of these earlier adaptations can be activated. Old fears, survival strategies, coping mechanisms, and deeply held beliefs about oneself often rise to the surface.

This is one reason why two people can experience the same traumatic event and have very different outcomes. Not everyone who goes to war develops Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Research and clinical experience suggest that a person’s early relational environment, attachment experiences, and developmental history can significantly influence how they respond to later trauma. When a child grows up without consistent emotional attunement, safety, or support, they may become more vulnerable to developing symptoms of PTSD following a traumatic event later in life.

Why We Explore the Past for Present Healing

For this reason, when we work with the effects of a single traumatic event, it is often necessary to explore aspects of the past. This is not because we are looking for something to blame, but because earlier experiences may be shaping how the nervous system responds in the present. By understanding and working with these deeper layers, we create the possibility for more profound, lasting, and sustainable healing.