Somatic Therapy
Healing Through the Wisdom of Your Body
What is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic therapy is a body-based approach to healing. While traditional talk therapy focuses on the mind, somatic therapy helps you reconnect with your body – because that’s where trauma often hides.
When your body has carried stress, fear, or disconnection for years, no amount of mindset work alone will create lasting change. Somatic therapy invites your body into the conversation.
It’s not about dramatic movement or intense catharsis. It’s about slowing down, tuning in, and learning to listen to the signals your body is already sending.
Why the Body Matters in Therapy
Your nervous system remembers what your mind forgets.
That racing heart when conflict arises? The way you shut down when you feel criticized? The tension in your shoulders that never seems to go away?
Those aren’t random – they’re signals. And somatic therapy helps you understand what they’re trying to say.
Whether you’ve experienced trauma, chronic stress, or just spent a lifetime disconnecting from your feelings to survive, this approach helps you come back home to yourself.
What Somatic Therapy Looks Like
If you’re picturing yoga or dance, don’t worry – this is not that. Somatic therapy at Empowering Optimism is gentle, trauma-informed, and paced with care.
We might:
– Begin sessions with grounding or breathwork
– Track physical sensations connected to thoughts or memories
– Practice simple, non-triggering movements to discharge tension
– Use imagery or mindfulness to build body awareness
– Explore where emotions are “living” in the body
– Learn and practice coping skills, as we exist in the uncomfortable together
There’s no right or wrong way to do this. We follow your body’s lead.
You Don’t Have to Talk the Whole Time
For some clients, it’s a relief to know that healing doesn’t always require rehashing painful memories out loud.
Somatic therapy allows you to work with what’s arising – without needing to have the perfect words.
Sometimes, your body knows before your brain does. And we honor that.
Real-Life Healing Through Somatic Work
A recent client came to me feeling chronically anxious and out of control. Every small task felt overwhelming. She described her chest as “tight” and her jaw as “clenched all the time.” She found herself reacting with anger and yelling towards her partner and kids.
Through our somatic work, she began noticing when tension showed up – and what triggered it. Instead of judging or ignoring those sensations, she learned to pause, breathe, and ask, “What is this feeling trying to tell me?”
Over time, she started feeling safer in her own body. Her anxiety didn’t disappear, but she no longer felt consumed by it. She was able to respond with boundaries and ask for help before her reactions took over. Somatic work is a first step in understanding your needs.
Is Somatic Therapy Right for You?
Somatic therapy might be a good fit if you:
– Struggle to feel “present” or grounded
– Often feel disconnected or checked out
– Experience chronic stress, anxiety, or tension
– Have tried talk therapy but still feel stuck
– Want to feel safer in your own body and emotions
You don’t need to know how to “do” this. You just need to be open to listening – to yourself.
How We Use Somatic Therapy at Empowering Optimism
At Empowering Optimism Therapy, we integrate somatic therapy alongside traditional talk therapy, CBT, mindfulness, and inner child work.
This isn’t about pushing you into discomfort. It’s about creating safety, at your pace, with the body as your guide.
Our sessions are collaborative, curious, and deeply respectful of your story. We move slowly. We check in often. We let your body lead the way.
Ready to Feel at Home in your Body Again?
You don’t have to live in fight-or-flight mode. You don’t have to be at war with your own nervous system.
If you’re longing for a deeper kind of healing – one that includes your body and not just your mind – somatic therapy might be the missing piece.
Together, we’ll gently reconnect you to the wisdom within.