Somatic Therapy Methods (Explained by a Somatic Therapist)

In our increasingly stressful world, anxiety, depression, and trauma are more prevalent than ever. A growing body of research suggests that somatic methods—techniques like EMDR and tapping—can offer rapid healing. How do these techniques work, and why are they gaining popularity?

The Body-Mind Connection

Traditional talk therapy emphasizes exploring limiting patterns of thoughts and behaviours within a supportive, accepting relationship. Therapists help clients understand how these patterns originated, leading to "aha" moments and breakthroughs.

However, there's a growing trend to consider the body's role in distress. Many therapists already incorporate calming approaches such as breathwork and progressive muscle relaxation. They may also suggest practices such as yoga, massage, or exercise.

A body-mind approach is supported by the 1960s two-factor theory of emotion, which suggests that emotions have both psychological and bodily sensation components. We are constantly, and often subconsciously, scanning the environment to determine whether it feels safe or unsafe. Our sense of safety is influenced by core beliefs and past experiences. Often, the first sign of distress is a physical sensation like tension, agitation, or pain, which the conscious mind then interprets based on beliefs and awareness.

For example, a client experiencing body tightness and a racing heart might identify this as fear and initially attribute it to an upcoming work presentation. However, if the sensations persist, they might begin to consider another source of stress, such as an upcoming doctor’s visit.

The Body’s Role in Processing Emotion

In recent decades, we've gained a deeper understanding of how the body holds and processes emotion. Polyvagal theory explains how our autonomic nervous system responds to perceived threats or safety. Brain structures like the amygdala play a key role in sensing danger and mobilizing for defense. We now recognize that stress and anxiety often involve "fight or flight" reactions that can become stuck, leading to chronic stress.

It's increasingly clear that conditions like trauma, anxiety disorders, and depression involve both thoughts and body reactions. Somatic modalities naturally extend traditional talk therapy by directly calming the body while addressing emotional and physical pain, often leading to more complete and rapid healing.

Principles of Somatic Treatment

Therapists guide clients to focus on bodily sensations (like tightness or tingling) while holding an upsetting event in awareness. A physical or imaginal intervention helps release the intensity, bringing the client to a state of calm awareness. A key principle, particularly for trauma, is keeping the emotional experience within a "window of tolerance." This can be achieved by oscillating between a painful feeling and a positive memory or by initially exploring the event in less detail before delving deeper.

Popular Somatic Modalities

Different somatic modalities vary in their methods of diffusing intense feelings and their underlying rationales. Here are some of the most well-known:

• Prolonged Exposure Therapy (not somatic, for comparison): The client faces or imagines their trigger and waits for the emotional or physical pain to subside without direct intervention. This can be slower than direct somatic interventions and may reinforce distress if the trigger is too strong.
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• Somatic Experiencing: Involves focusing conscious awareness on the body without physical intervention. It operates on the premise that trauma is stored in the sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight). Calm awareness of sensations helps clients release excess energy, balancing the sympathetic with the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) systems.
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• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): Uses bilateral eye movements or alternating right/left tapping or sounds while the individual focuses on a memory or event that elicits a negative reaction. It is thought that bilateral stimulation balances brain function between the right and left hemispheres, allowing negative feelings to release and normalize. EMDR is primarily used for stress disorders and trauma, including PTSD, and should only be used within a structured therapeutic setting.
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• Havening: Combines touch techniques, eye movements, and visualizations. The tactile stimulation, often in the form of gentle stroking on the arms, face, or hands, activates sensory pathways that send soothing signals to the brain. This helps downregulate the emotional response associated with traumatic memories. Havening can be used for self-calming or within therapy.
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• Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT, Tapping): Uses tapping on acupressure points on the face and upper torso while focusing on a memory or event that elicits distress. The premise is that tapping stimulates the meridians of Traditional Chinese Medicine, allowing stuck energy and blockages to release. Tapping can be used for self-care, as therapy homework, or within therapy to explore an issue or pattern. Within trauma treatment, it has been used effectively for PTSD and complex trauma.

Somatic Interventions Improve Both Body and Mind

When I first started working with tapping, there was little research proving how somatic methods worked—just lots of anecdotal reports of surprising improvements. But now, there is a strong research base, with EMDR and EFT tapping being the most studied. For EFT tapping, more than 200 clinical studies document its effectiveness. It meets the American Psychological Association’s criteria for an evidence-based method for anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Research shows that the effect sizes of these improvements are classified as 'medium' to 'large,' which is similar to or better than existing therapy methods or medications.

Whether a somatic intervention balances brain hemispheres (EMDR) or restores energy flow in meridians (EFT tapping), the result is normalizing the body’s overall stress physiology. This leads to reduced symptoms of pain, anxiety, and depression. Research on EFT tapping, for example, has shown that reduced stress intensity correlates with improved physiological markers like cortisol levels, blood pressure, heart rate variability, and brain function, as seen in functional MRI scans.

As the body and emotions calm, cognitive shifts also tend to occur. For example, a client may shift from thinking, "My boss is going to fire me for this mistake" to "My boss generally approves of my performance; this one mistake is not going to change that."

Bringing Somatic Methods into Therapy

A body-mind approach to therapy can be incredibly powerful. In my experience, tapping allows significant change to occur gently, whether it's used while discussing a painful topic, calming overwhelming emotions, or in structured trauma processing. As more therapists integrate somatic methods into their practice, we continue to see how vital the connection between the body and mind truly is.

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