Somatic Therapy 101: How Listening to Your Body Can Heal What Talk Therapy Can’t
If you’ve ever said, “I know it’s not logical, but I still feel it,” — you already understand why Somatic Therapy exists.
Because healing doesn’t just happen in your mind — it happens in your body, too.
What Somatic Therapy Actually Is
“Somatic” means body-based.
Somatic Therapy focuses on how emotions, memories, and trauma live in the body — and how releasing them physically can lead to deep emotional healing.
When something stressful or traumatic happens, your body reacts before your mind does. Your muscles tense, your breath shortens, your heart races.
If your body doesn’t get a chance to fully process or release that reaction, it can get stuck — showing up later as anxiety, numbness, or unexplained pain.
Somatic Therapy helps you reconnect to those body cues safely and gently, so you can start to release what’s been held for too long.
What Happens in a Somatic Session
A session might look different depending on your therapist, but it’s not about doing yoga or meditating perfectly.
You might:
Notice physical sensations as you talk about something emotional
Practice grounding or breathing exercises
Track tension or movement in your body
Use gentle movement, visualization, or sound
Your therapist helps you stay present and curious instead of overwhelmed.
The goal isn’t to get rid of the feeling — it’s to allow it to move through, so your body no longer has to carry it alone.
Why It Works
Your body is the first to know when you’re safe — and the last to believe it.
Somatic Therapy helps your nervous system relearn safety.
It’s particularly powerful for:
Chronic anxiety
Trauma or PTSD
Emotional numbness or disconnection
Stress-related physical symptoms
Burnout and overwhelm
Somatic Therapy vs. Talk Therapy
Talk therapy engages the thinking brain — it helps you understand why you feel what you feel.
Somatic Therapy engages the body’s wisdom — it helps you feel it and let it go.
When you combine them (like many therapists at Benevolent Therapy do), you get a full-circle approach:
Understanding and release.
Insight and integration.
How It Feels to Heal Through the Body
You might notice subtle shifts:
A deep breath you didn’t know you were holding.
A sudden lightness in your chest.
Tears that come out of nowhere — but bring relief.
Healing through the body can feel unfamiliar, but it’s often where the deepest peace begins.
Your Body Has Been Trying to Talk to You
Every ache, tension, or tightness has a story.
Somatic Therapy helps you finally listen — and respond with compassion.
At Benevolent Therapy, we use Somatic Therapy to help clients across Ohio reconnect with their bodies and rebuild trust in their own system.
💛 Reach out today to start your journey back to your body.
You don’t have to think your way to healing — you can feel your way there.
