I’m currently deep into my journey of exploring somatics and somatic movement. While I’m a counsellor and therapist that’s trained in talk therapy, I’ve known for some time that the mind is only one part of the puzzle when it comes to our healing journey. I absolutely believe in the power of talk therapy and the way that psychology can help us to explore and understand our experiences. I also believe that, for most people, we need to explore our embodied experience alongside that.

I trained as a meditation teacher long before I started my counsellor and therapy training so my counselling work has always been informed by my grounding in mindfulness, meditation and how connecting to our here and now experience can support us. More recently I’ve trained as a yoga teacher, alongside training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Somatic Trauma Therapy. The more I explore body based awareness and its link to the nervous system, the more I believe it’s crucial to take a holistic healing approach that works with the body, the mind and the nervous system. The body, in the worlds of Babbette Rothschild, remembers, and a big part of the work I do with my clients as a counsellor is exploring tools and resources that they can use every day to be more embodied and more connected to their experience in the here and now.

I’ve shared a little more about somatic movement and somatic trauma therapy, as well as simple practice for you to try, below.

Exploring somatic movement

The term somatic means “of or relating to the living body”. Somatic movement simply means exploring movement consciously. Because of this, any movement can be somatic and the way we work with somatics today is rooted in conscious movement practices that have existed for thousands of years, like yoga. Yoga is often sequence based whereas somatic movement is focussed on listening to the body and being guided by it.

Whether your goal is specific, for example to release tension or lessen pain, moving with intention is about exploring your internal experience in relation to the movement, rather than focussing on an outcome. We surrender rather than push. We also acknowledge that the body’s movement and sensations might differ from hour to hour or day to day.

Somatic therapy: how somatics can help and support you

Reflecting on my own healing journey, I really wish I’d understood the importance of working with my body at an earlier point in my journey. I’ve always been someone who has had a good ‘cognitive’ or thinking understanding of my own experience. Knowing why we experience the things we experience doesn’t automatically help us to shift through the things that we struggle with, though.

We are increasingly coming to understand that trauma and painful experiences are stored in the body and nervous system. I’ve talked a bit about the nervous system and the role it plays in mental health here. Learning to work with my nervous system, as well as learning tools to work somatically with my body, has been a game changer for me. This is especially true as someone who’s neurodivergent. Our nervous systems are highly sensitive to outside stimulus and moving through the world can be overwhelming, whether or not you’ve experienced any trauma outside of your neurodivergent experience.

Somatics as a tool for holistic healing: exploring the mind and body connection

I firmly believe that true healing requires addressing both our mental and physical well-being. However, even this holistic approach falls short in a world filled with societal challenges, structural oppression, and the relentless pursuit of productivity. Our disconnection from nature, a lack of proper rest, and the struggle to find time to engage in activities that bring us joy all add to our psychological distress.

Even with these challenges, though, I am hopeful. I believe that, even in the toughest times, we can discover alternative ways to support, care for, and nourish ourselves. This can begin with simple practices, like somatic movement, that encourage us to reconnect with our bodies, to find a sense of presence and self-awareness.

How I incorporate somatic movement into my counselling and therapy work

As a counsellor, I don’t believe that there is such as thing as a one size fits all approach. We’re all bringing different experiences and understandings of the world and the way we need to work in therapy is different for everyone. Some people want to dig into the past and explore the way it shows up in the present and others want to explore their experience in the present and respond to it differently. I have a range of tools that I use as a therapist but, however we’re working together, safety is always a starting point. To quote Babbette Rothschild again, you can’t hit the gas before you know how to work the breaks. Exploring somatic movement as part of our therapeutic approach, alongside ways of calming and regulating the nervous system, gives us a range of practical tools that can be used to hit the breaks.

It’s not just that, though. Somatic trauma therapy helps us to connect with our bodies and relate the trauma that might be stored there. Sometimes we might not even be aware of the tension that we’re holding in our bodies or the ways that our bodies automatically respond to external situations. Somatic trauma therapy helps us to expresses and release experiences, emotions, and traumatic events that can become trapped inside the body. Somatic movement can help us to access these experiences in the present, rather than having to painfully revise the past. I absolutely do explore the past with many of my clients and, in those situations, the work we do somatically and with the nervous system means that we can do so in a safe and supported way.

A simple somatic movement practice for you to try

To illustrate the power of somatic movement, I invite you to try a simple exercise that can be done while standing, seated, or lying down

Connect with your experience: start by taking a moment to ground yourself and become aware of your surroundings. Notice the chair, floor or bed beneath you. What colours or shapes can you see as you look around the room. Take as long as you need to feel grounded in the space.
Scan your body: slowly scan from the top of your head to your feet, noticing any areas of discomfort or tension as you go. Each time you move to a new area of the body, what do you notice?
Experiment with gentle touch: if you identify a tense area, what does it feel like to gently apply pressure with your hands? Or simply rest your hands on the area. If that feels too much, you could hover your hands lightly over the area. Notice how your body responds.
Listen to your body: pay attention to any changes in comfort. If the discomfort decreases, continue with the pressure; if it increases, explore other ways to nurture that part of your body. You could try hovering your hands just above the area.
Explore movement: Your body might need to tighten and release, stretch, or experience a gentle shake. Listen to what your body is telling you.
Notice what’s changed: take a moment at the end of your practice to see how you’re feeling. What’s changed, if anything?

Incorporating somatic practices into our daily lives can help us to explore our experience and reconnect with ourselves. For me, some gentle somatic movement really helps me to slow down and feel grounded. I passionately believe that the journey towards holistic healing involves recognising the interconnectedness of mind and body, even in a challenging world. If you’d like to explore your experience in counselling, through somatic movement and other nervous system based approaches, check out my counselling page or get in touch here.