What is Somatic Healing
What is Somatic healing?
Somatic healing is an approach to health and well-being that focuses on the connection between the body and mind. Unlike traditional talk therapies, which primarily engage the cognitive and emotional parts of our experience, somatic healing works directly with the body to process and release unresolved stress, trauma, and tension. This practice is grounded in neuroscience, psychology, and physiology, and has been shown to support nervous system regulation, resilience, and emotional balance.
The Nervous System and Trauma
To understand somatic healing, it helps to first look at the nervous system. The nervous system is the body’s communication network, consisting of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. It regulates everything from movement and digestion to mood and stress responses. A key component of this system is the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which has two main branches:
Sympathetic nervous system: Activates the “fight or flight” response in moments of stress or danger.
Parasympathetic nervous system: Supports the “rest, digest, and repair” state, helping the body restore balance after stress.
The Difference between Ptsd & c-ptsd
When a person experiences overwhelming or ongoing stress, their nervous system can become dysregulated. Instead of moving fluidly between activation and rest, the body may remain stuck in hyperarousal (anxiety, hypervigilance, irritability) or hypoarousal (numbness, fatigue, dissociation). Trauma researcher Dr. Peter Levine describes this as the body holding onto incomplete survival responses—like fight, flight, or freeze—that never fully resolved.
It’s also important to understand the difference between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), as both are relevant to somatic healing:
PTSD typically develops after a single traumatic event (such as an accident, assault, or natural disaster). Symptoms often include intrusive memories, flashbacks, nightmares, hyperarousal, and avoidance of reminders.
CPTSD, on the other hand, develops after prolonged or repeated trauma, often in childhood or within relationships (such as ongoing abuse, neglect, or captivity). In addition to PTSD symptoms, CPTSD often involves difficulties with emotional regulation, deep feelings of shame or worthlessness, and challenges in forming or maintaining healthy relationships.
Somatic healing can be particularly beneficial for those with CPTSD, because the body often holds layers of unresolved survival responses accumulated over time. By working gently with the nervous system, somatic practices provide a pathway toward safety and integration for people whose trauma is not tied to a single event but to long-term experiences.
How somatic healing works
Somatic healing helps the body complete and release these stuck patterns. By engaging the body directly, people can process experiences that may not be fully accessible through verbal reasoning alone. Somatic practices work with sensations, movement, breath, and awareness to restore nervous system regulation.
Some common techniques include:
Grounding exercises: Bringing awareness to physical sensations to anchor oneself in the present moment.
Breathwork: Using conscious breathing patterns to calm or energize the nervous system.
Somatic movement and shaking: Gentle movements or tremors that discharge stored stress and tension.
Touch and self-holding: Offering the body soothing physical input to support feelings of safety.
Research shows that somatic approaches can reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress, improve emotional regulation, and increase resilience. By re-establishing safety in the body, individuals often find it easier to access clarity, creativity, and authentic self-expression.
Why Somatics Matters
One of the core insights of somatic healing is that the body is not separate from the mind. Emotional and psychological experiences leave an imprint on the nervous system and physical body. By working through the body, healing can take place on a deeper and often more sustainable level.
Somatic healing is not about avoiding thoughts or emotions—it’s about creating the conditions where the body feels safe enough to process them. In this way, somatics supports integration: reconnecting mind, body, and spirit so that a person can move forward with greater balance and resilience.
Summary
Somatic healing offers a scientifically informed, body-centered approach to well-being. By working directly with the nervous system and physical sensations, it helps release unresolved stress, supports emotional regulation, and restores a sense of safety and connection. For those living with trauma, chronic stress, or dysregulation, somatic practices can provide a gentle and effective path toward healing.
