What is somatic therapy?

If you’re wondering “What is somatic therapy?” or seeking to understand “What is a somatic experience like?” you’re not alone. As mindfulness practices continue to gain popularity, there’s an increasing need to understand complementary approaches that address trauma stored in the body. 

This article explores somatic therapy, its relationship with mindfulness, and how somatic experiencing techniques can transform suffering and support nervous systems impacted by traumatic stress.

After reading this, you will feel confident in being able to respond to colleagues or clients who may ask “What is somatic therapy?”

The rise of mindfulness and its limitations

The CDC reported that meditation practices among Americans rose from just 4% in 2012 to over 14% in 2017. 

Given this trajectory, it’s reasonable to assume that even more Americans are incorporating meditation into their lives today. This surge in contemplative practices creates both opportunities and challenges for clinicians working with trauma.

Traditional mindfulness stems from Buddhist frameworks where practice occurs within supportive communities.

These communities, like Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village and Tibetan exile communities, have effectively addressed and transformed collective traumatic stress through communal support and varied practices that orient practitioners toward common humanity, wisdom, and bodily awareness.

However, most Western practitioners today engage with mindfulness outside such communities—through apps, temporary classes, or individual practice. 

While secular mindfulness can significantly impact stress levels and our relationship to stress, practicing without community guidance may leave individuals without proper support for processing traumatic experiences.

What is somatic experiencing therapy?

This is where somatic therapy enters the picture. 

Peter Levine developed somatic experiencing techniques specifically to address how traumatic stress disrupts nervous system functioning. 

But, what is somatic experience exactly? It’s an approach that prioritizes the felt sense of the body as the pathway to accessing implicit memory and guiding the nervous system back to regulation.

Somatic experience therapy complements mindfulness practices, though sometimes the approaches may initially seem contradictory. 

Understanding how these modalities differ and intersect can enrich your therapy practice.

How somatic therapy differs from traditional mindfulness

During meditation, people often notice physical sensations like temperature fluctuations, emotional sensations (lump in throat, nausea), or trembling. 

While traditional mindfulness instructions might suggest stillness, somatic experiencing techniques offer a framework for validating and working constructively with these bodily responses.

Trembling and shaking

From a somatic experience perspective, trembling is a natural way stress discharges from the nervous system, particularly after a freeze response. 

Rather than suppressing this response as “failed meditation,” somatic therapy encourages bringing kind awareness to the trembling, allowing the nervous system to rediscover balance.

Visual orientation

Traditional mindfulness often suggests closing the eyes, but somatic experiencing recognizes that visual orientation is how our nervous system assesses safety. 

Just as a deer lifts its head and orients toward a sound before returning to grazing, our nervous systems benefit from being allowed to orient visually when needed.

Is somatic experiencing evidence-based?

A common question clinicians ask is “Is somatic experiencing evidence-based?” 

While research is still emerging, several studies support its effectiveness for treating PTSD and other trauma-related conditions. The biological foundation of the approach—based on how animals naturally process threats in the wild—provides a compelling theoretical framework that aligns with current understanding of polyvagal theory and neuroscience.

Critics might point to limitations in the research base, leading to some somatic experiencing criticism regarding standardization of protocols. 

However, practitioners report consistent clinical outcomes when the approach is applied with fidelity to its core principles.

Benefits of integrating somatic experiencing

When people engage with mindfulness practice, they’re generally safe from external threats, but internal threats—thoughts, sensations, or emotions—can still trigger threat responses. 

Just as vividly imagining biting into a lemon can cause salivation, thoughts can produce physiological reactions similar to external threats.

Somatic therapy encourages people to:

• Moderate exposure to internal threats.
• Meet these experiences with curious, kind awareness.
• Build confidence through doable challenges.
• Allow for nervous system shifts toward safety.

The somatic experience differs whether working with a therapist or practicing individually, but both contexts can inform each other. 

For instance, mindfulness supports awareness of the shifting nature of our nervous system. Additionally, mindfulness helps us name and identify experiences (“if you can name it, you can tame it.”)

In contrast, somatic experiencing provides guidance for working through physiological responses. Furthermore, somatic experiencing techniques like orienting, pendulation, and titration help the nervous system rediscover equilibrium.

Practical applications of what somatic therapy is

Understanding what somatic therapy is allows clinicians to incorporate powerful principles into their practice. These principles provide important counterpoints to general mindfulness instructions that might not serve everyone, especially those with trauma histories.

Instead of rigid instructions to sit still, be quiet, and keep eyes closed, somatic experiencing principles encourage:

1. Orienting: Allowing the nervous system to visually assess safety.
2. Pendulating: Moving between activation and resourcing.
3. Titrating: Moderating exposure to traumatic material.
4. Validating: Normalizing bodily processes like trembling or temperature changes.

The complementary nature of mindfulness and somatic therapy

By integrating your new understanding around the question what is somatic therapy with the broader growth of contemplative practice, clinicians can more effectively help clients heal from adverse and traumatic experiences. This integration creates a more balanced, compassionate approach to trauma treatment.

Somatic therapy enriches our clinical toolbox, allowing us to meet clients where they are and support their nervous systems in rediscovering regulation, resilience, and connection. 

As these complementary approaches continue to evolve together, they offer promising pathways for creating a more responsive and trauma-informed society.

Now you’ve developed an understanding so that you’re prepared to answer the question when a colleague or client asks, “What is somatic therapy?” 

For clinicians interested in learning more about somatic therapy and how to incorporate these principles into your practice, consider exploring training opportunities in somatic experiencing techniques or consulting with certified practitioners.

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