Emotional trauma—whether from a single distressing event or ongoing exposure to toxic stress—can leave long-lasting imprints on both the mind and body. While traditional talk therapy and cognitive methods offer valuable insight, trauma often bypasses rational thinking and embeds itself in the nervous system and body memory. This is where somatic techniques offer a powerful, body-centered approach to healing.
Somatic healing focuses on the physical sensations associated with trauma, helping individuals release stored tension, regulate their nervous systems, and reconnect with their bodies in safe, empowering ways. These techniques allow trauma survivors to not just understand what happened to them—but to feel safe in their bodies again.
Here’s how somatic techniques work and why they are a transformative path for healing emotional trauma.
Understanding Trauma and the Body
Trauma is not just an event—it’s how your nervous system responds to the event. When faced with overwhelming stress, the body may enter a survival mode (fight, flight, freeze, or fawn). If the nervous system isn’t able to fully process or release this response, trauma can remain “trapped” in the body.
Symptoms of unresolved trauma may include:
- Chronic anxiety or hypervigilance
- Difficulty sleeping or relaxing
- Emotional numbness or shutdown
- Mood swings or irritability
- Physical symptoms like tension, fatigue, or pain
Somatic practices aim to release these stored survival responses, restore regulation to the nervous system, and foster a sense of safety and embodiment.
What Are Somatic Techniques?
“Somatic” comes from the Greek word soma, meaning “the living body.” Somatic techniques involve bringing mindful awareness to physical sensations and allowing the body to guide the healing process, rather than just the mind.
These techniques may include:
- Body scanning
- Breathwork
- Gentle movement
- Touch and self-soothing
- Grounding exercises
- Trauma-informed yoga
- Somatic Experiencing (SE)
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
They are often used alongside psychotherapy, but many can be practiced independently to support healing.
1. Body Awareness and Grounding
Why it works: Trauma can leave you disconnected from your body or constantly on edge. Body awareness helps you re-establish a safe connection with yourself.
Practice:
- Sit or lie down and bring your attention to your body.
- Notice where you feel tension, heaviness, warmth, or tingling.
- Gently press your feet into the floor or your back into a chair.
- Name aloud what sensations you feel without judgment.
Benefit:
Helps anchor you in the present, reduce dissociation, and build trust in bodily sensations.
2. Somatic Experiencing (SE)
Developed by Dr. Peter Levine, Somatic Experiencing is a therapeutic approach that helps individuals track bodily sensations and safely release trapped trauma energy.
Core concept: Trauma is a disruption in the nervous system’s ability to regulate itself. SE helps “complete” the fight/flight/freeze cycle that was interrupted during the trauma.
How it helps:
- Avoids re-traumatization by not requiring detailed retelling of events.
- Emphasizes resourcing—identifying feelings of safety and support first.
- Uses gentle titration to explore and release activation in small, manageable doses.
Benefit:
Releases chronic tension and restores nervous system balance.
3. Breathwork and Regulation
The breath is a direct link to the autonomic nervous system. Trauma can create patterns of shallow, rapid, or held breathing. Conscious breathing reintroduces calm and control.
Practice:
- Inhale through the nose for 4 counts.
- Exhale slowly through the mouth for 6–8 counts.
- Repeat for several rounds, focusing on the exhale.
Advanced: Try diaphragmatic breathing (belly rises as you inhale, falls as you exhale).
Benefit:
Regulates the vagus nerve, calms fight-or-flight responses, and reduces anxiety.
4. Tremoring and Somatic Release
Involuntary shaking or tremoring is a natural mechanism the body uses to discharge excess stress. Animals in the wild shake after stressful encounters—humans often suppress this instinct.
Technique: TRE® (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises)
- A series of exercises that induce safe, therapeutic tremors in the body
- Releases deep muscular patterns of tension
- Often practiced under guidance but can be learned with training
Benefit:
Physically discharges trauma energy and resets nervous system patterns.
5. Touch and Self-Soothing
For trauma survivors, touch can be both healing and complicated. Safe, intentional touch—either from a therapist or self-directed—can restore a sense of comfort and agency.
Practice:
- Gently place a hand over your heart or belly and notice the warmth.
- Wrap yourself in a blanket or give yourself a gentle hug.
- Use a weighted object (like a weighted blanket or pillow) to calm the body.
Benefit:
Increases feelings of safety, supports emotional regulation, and enhances body trust.
6. Trauma-Informed Movement and Yoga
Trauma-informed yoga and movement practices prioritize choice, agency, and interoception (awareness of internal bodily states). These slow, mindful movements help survivors reconnect with their bodies without forcing discomfort or emotional triggers.
Focus is on:
- Breath and movement synchronization
- Grounding postures (child’s pose, legs up the wall, standing mountain pose)
- Noticing how the body feels with each movement
- Making choices—whether to move, pause, or modify
Benefit:
Restores control over the body, improves mobility, and fosters emotional stability.
7. Titration and Pendulation
These are techniques from Somatic Experiencing that involve alternating between small amounts of trauma-related activation and resourced, calm states.
Titration: Exploring small pieces of a traumatic memory or sensation
Pendulation: Gently swinging between activation and relaxation
Why it works:
Trauma overwhelms the nervous system when approached all at once. These techniques keep the process manageable and reduce re-traumatization.
Final Thoughts
Healing from emotional trauma isn’t only a cognitive process—it’s a body-based journey. Somatic techniques offer a compassionate, empowering way to reconnect with your body, restore nervous system balance, and finally release what has been held for too long.
You don’t have to “talk it out” to heal—it’s possible to feel it out, with care, safety, and support.
Getting Started Safely
If you’re new to somatic practices:
- Start slowly and gently
- Don’t force yourself to relive traumatic experiences
- Work with a trauma-informed therapist or somatic practitioner when possible
- Respect your limits and honor when your body says “enough”
Remember:
Your body has a natural ability to heal—it just needs safety, time, and the right tools. Somatic techniques are a doorway to that healing. And every mindful breath, every moment of awareness, is a powerful step toward freedom.
