Reconnecting Through the Body: A Guide to Somatic and Body-Based Therapy

Have you ever felt anxious, but couldn’t explain why? Or sensed your body tense up even when your mind said you were safe? For many people, trauma and emotional distress live not just in their thoughts—but in their bodies.

Somatic and body-based therapies offer a pathway to healing that doesn’t rely on words alone. By paying attention to sensations, breath, movement, and posture, these approaches help individuals release stored trauma, regulate their nervous systems, and reconnect with themselves in a deeper, more integrated way.

This type of therapy can be especially powerful for those who have tried traditional talk therapy but still feel stuck. In this post, we’ll explore the history, process, effectiveness, and spiritual significance of somatic and body-based approaches to healing.

A Brief History of Somatic and Body-Based Therapy

The roots of somatic therapy trace back to early 20th-century psychoanalysis when Wilhelm Reich, a student of Freud, proposed that emotional experiences are stored in the body. Reich’s theory of “body armor” suggested that chronic muscular tension reflected unresolved psychological conflict.

Building on his ideas, Alexander Lowen developed Bioenergetics in the 1950s—a method that emphasized physical expression and body movement as tools for healing. Later decades saw a surge in body-oriented modalities:

• Peter Levine introduced Somatic Experiencing (SE), a trauma resolution model that gently guides clients to release trapped survival energy.

• Pat Ogden founded Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, integrating body awareness with cognitive and emotional processing for trauma recovery.

• Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory transformed the field by explaining how the vagus nerve regulates stress, safety, and connection through the autonomic nervous system.

These developments laid the foundation for what we now refer to as somatic and body-based therapy—a broad umbrella encompassing various methods that prioritize healing through embodied experience.

What Is Somatic and Body-Based Therapy?

Somatic therapy views the body as an essential partner in the healing process. It recognizes that trauma is not only a psychological experience but also a physiological one. When we experience something overwhelming, our nervous systems may become dysregulated—locking us in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn states long after the threat is gone.

Somatic therapy helps individuals:

• Notice what their bodies are saying (e.g., tightness in the chest, shallow breathing)

• Learn how to safely discharge stress and survival energy

• Rebuild a sense of internal safety and connection

Rather than focusing solely on analyzing thoughts or telling one’s story, somatic work invites a slower, more present-centered process of sensing, noticing, and responding to the body’s cues.

Key Components of the Somatic Process

Somatic therapy sessions vary depending on the approach, but they often include the following components:

• Tracking Physical Sensations: Clients are encouraged to notice internal experiences like warmth, pressure, vibration, or numbness—without judgment.

• Grounding and Resourcing: Therapists help clients connect with present-moment resources (like the feel of the chair, the breath, or a comforting memory) to stabilize and support regulation.

• Titration and Pendulation: Borrowed from Peter Levine’s work, titration involves approaching trauma slowly and in small doses, while pendulation allows clients to move between sensations of distress and safety, helping the nervous system reorganize itself.

• Breathwork and Movement: Breath awareness and subtle movements can help release stored tension and increase vitality.

• Integration: The goal is not just to release discomfort but to integrate the experience—helping clients feel more whole, connected, and alive.

These elements work together to create a body-informed healing process that is safe, empowering, and deeply transformative.

Who Is a Good Fit for Somatic Therapy?

Somatic and body-based therapies can be a powerful fit for clients who:

• Feel disconnected from their bodies or emotions

• Have experienced trauma that left them feeling numb or hypervigilant

• Experience chronic pain, tension, or health symptoms with no clear medical cause

• Struggle with anxiety, panic attacks, or dissociation

• Have tried traditional talk therapy but still feel stuck

• Clients who value experiential learning and want to include their full selves—body, mind, and spirit—in the healing journey often find somatic therapy uniquely beneficial.

Who Might Not Be a Good Fit for Somatic Therapy?

While body-based work can be deeply healing, it’s not the best starting point for everyone.

Clients who may not be ready for somatic work include:

• Those currently in acute crisis or active psychosis

• Individuals with little capacity to stay present to internal sensations

• Clients with a history of severe trauma who are not yet stabilized or grounded

• People who become overwhelmed or flooded when focusing on the body

In these cases, therapists often begin with stabilization and resourcing before incorporating deeper somatic processing. As with any modality, timing and readiness matter.

What to Expect in Somatic Sessions

Somatic therapy sessions tend to move at a slower pace than traditional talk therapy. Rather than jumping straight into a narrative, the therapist may begin by checking in with how the client feels physically or emotionally in the moment.

A session might include:

• Noticing areas of comfort or tension in the body

• Exploring posture or breathing patterns

• Engaging in simple movements to release held energy

• Practicing grounding or resourcing exercises

• Brief reflections to connect bodily experiences with emotional insight

Therapists play a vital role in co-regulating with the client—providing a calm, attuned presence that supports safety and containment. Consent is central to the process, and clients are never pushed beyond their window of tolerance.

Effectiveness of Somatic Therapy

Research and clinical reports increasingly affirm the benefits of somatic therapy, particularly in treating trauma-related conditions.

Studies have shown that body-based approaches:

• Reduce symptoms of PTSD, including nightmares and hyperarousal

• Improve emotional regulation and resilience

• Enhance interoception (the ability to feel and interpret internal signals)

• Decrease chronic pain and somatic complaints

• Support post-traumatic growth and embodied presence

Somatic therapies also complement other modalities like EMDR, mindfulness-based approaches, and trauma-informed yoga. The body is not just a vessel for symptoms—it’s a vital part of healing.

Length of Treatment

The timeline for somatic therapy is highly individualized. Some clients notice meaningful shifts within a few months, while others benefit from a longer journey.

Generally, treatment begins with stabilization and safety-building, followed by gentle trauma processing and, eventually, integration. The pacing honors the body’s natural rhythm and capacity.

Because somatic work taps into deep, foundational systems (like the autonomic nervous system), change is often slow and profound—resulting in long-term healing rather than short-term relief.

Why Faith-Based Clients May Find Somatic Therapy Meaningful

For Christian clients, somatic therapy may hold special significance. Scripture reminds us that we are embodied beings—formed from the dust, indwelt by the Spirit, and called to present our bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). The incarnation of Christ—God made flesh—affirms that our physical existence matters deeply to God.

Somatic therapy can invite clients to:

• Reclaim the body as a sacred space

• Listen for the Holy Spirit’s guidance through physical awareness

• Recognize spiritual warfare that affects body and mind

• Restore trust in their bodies after trauma

• Encounter God not just in thoughts, but in breath, movement, and rest

Spirit-led counselors can pray silently during sessions, invite discernment, and create a space where God is invited to heal not only the heart and mind—but the whole self.

If you’ve ever felt like traditional therapy wasn’t enough—if your body seems to carry burdens your mind can’t explain—somatic and body-based therapy might be a meaningful next step.

Healing doesn’t always come through talking. Sometimes it comes through listening—to the breath, to the heartbeat, to the stillness that waits beneath the noise.

At Restoration Counseling, we have trained therapists who can walk with you on this embodied journey of healing. If you’re ready to reconnect with your body and experience lasting transformation, we invite you to reach out for a consultation.

Reference List

• Levine, P. A. (2010). In an unspoken voice: How the body releases trauma and restores goodness. North Atlantic Books.

• Ogden, P., Minton, K., & Pain, C. (2006). Trauma and the body: A sensorimotor approach to psychotherapy. W. W. Norton & Company.

• Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.

• Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.

• Rothschild, B. (2000). The body remembers: The psychophysiology of trauma and trauma treatment. W. W. Norton & Company.

• Heller, L., & LaPierre, A. (2012). Healing developmental trauma: How early trauma affects self-regulation, self-image, and the capacity for relationship. North Atlantic Books.

• Payne, P., Levine, P. A., & Crane-Godreau, M. A. (2015). Somatic experiencing: Using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 93. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093