What is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic Therapy is a form of therapy that understands the powerful connection between mind and body. Our experiences get deeply rooted in our bodies and can manifest in a variety of physical ways. Individuals who are familiar with talk therapy find that there is often a limitation to this work alone. This is because it is not addressing the body and the knowledge that is stored there.
People will seek Somatic Therapy treatment for a variety of reasons.These include relationship conflicts that escalate despite coaching exercises, emotions that overwhelm, debilitating anxiety and depression, grief and loss, recovery from accidents, fears that take over and abuse in the family home. Including the body is essential in dealing with birth trauma and attachment issues that arise when the caregiver was missing or not available in the first 5 years of a child's life.
What kind of threat would trigger a stress response?
The triggering event/s is different for each person. The initial event may have been caused by pre/perinatal survival issues related to birth including difficulties in respiration and heart rate. This may later cluster with seemingly unrelated events like vehicle accidents, falls, surgeries, illnesses, an abusive relationship, and even divorces or losing a job. Any combination of these can accumulate and overwhelm the ability of a nervous system to self regulate, which can lay the groundwork for a stress reaction to develop.
Treating Fibromyalgia with Somatic Therapy
an article by Yuri Zelez, MFT and Somatic Therapist (please click here)
Resources (please click here)