Somatic psychotherapy toolbox : 125 worksheets and exercises to treat trauma & stress. (2024)

FAQs

How can I do somatic therapy by myself? ›

There hasn't been much research into the specific benefits of somatic movement approaches. But Warren says in her personal experience, people who do it regularly find that it improves posture, flexibility, range of motion, and balance.

Often the scars of past trauma extend beyond emotional pain and physical injury—they can manifest in distinct somatic symptoms as well. Patients may experience a range of general symptoms like fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, joint or muscle pain, headaches, and palpitations, which may or may not be temporary.

Physical symptoms such as headaches, nausea, or dizziness can often accompany the release of trauma. These symptoms may arise seemingly out of nowhere and can be perplexing to those experiencing them. The nervous system, having been in a prolonged state of alert, begins to normalize, causing various physical reactions.

One of the most common types of Trauma Release Exercises is stretching, which can relieve muscle tension. These stretches might include sitting in a hip squat to release chronic stress or doing wall sits to lessen deep tension. The Spiral Technique is another common Trauma Release Exercise.

SomaShare is a free app that brings practical, easy-to-follow tools and a communal space to support people in deep healing and transformation.

This can happen anywhere in the body, and for trauma survivors, it is most commonly held in the core of the body, the stomach, abdomen, and low back, as well as the upper torso, chest, shoulders, and spine.

Yoga is a classic example of a somatic activity that uses the mind-body connection to promote healing. Yoga has origins in ancient healing practices from Asia, and its original practitioners used it to help them gain insight into themselves.

What is a somatic workout plan? ›

Somatic movement is moving with full-body awareness, focusing more on how you're feeling rather than meeting a specific fitness goal. It's a way to connect your emotions to how you're feeling physically.

Risks of somatic therapy include misinterpretation of touch, re-traumatization, breaking down of defenses, abusive touch and inappropriate regression.

The 'fight or flight' response is how people sometimes refer to our body's automatic reactions to fear. There are actually 5 of these common responses, including 'freeze', 'flop' and 'friend', as well as 'fight' or 'flight'.

People who have chronic (long-term) stressors, a trauma history, or underlying mental health conditions like anxiety disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may also have difficulty relaxing after a fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response.

The six main types of trauma responses are fight, flight, freeze, fawn, fine, and faint. All reactions to trauma are valid, but trauma should always be addressed in therapy.

Several studies show the positive effects of a type of somatic therapy called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). In EMDR, the client recalls traumatic experiences while moving their eyes from left to right.

SomaShare is a free app that brings practical, easy-to-follow tools and a communal space to support people in deep healing and transformation.

Rather than just talk about them, somatic therapists guide patients to focus on their underlying physical sensations. From there, the mind-body exercises may include breath work, meditation, visualization, massage, grounding, dance, and/or sensation awareness work.