Somatic therapy: releasing and understanding emotions trapped in our body

Somatic therapy helps us understand and promote correct harmony between body, mind and emotions. It is a holistic approach that makes use of various therapeutic strategies. Thus, its purpose is to help us become aware of various somatic experiences, those that are associated with traumatic events or entrenched emotions.

Sometimes we overlook that close conjunction between mind, body and emotions. A striking fact that should make us reflect is, for example, that documented by Dr. Bruce Perry, director of the Alberta Children’s Mental Health Hospital, in Canada. This psychiatrist, also an expert in behavioral pediatrics, realized an aspect that was as positive as it was curious.

All those children who were labeled by their teachers as too nervous, with bad behavior and poor performance in class, showed enormous progress by practicing a series of physical activities just before entering the classroom. After these exercises, they were more relaxed and academically focused.to the point of significantly improving the reading-writing and mathematical process.

The truth is that we still do not fully understand this special link established between the body, our emotions and even cognitive performance. Possibly, one of the most relevant figures in this field is Antonio Damasio. Thus, one of the best known theories about him is undoubtedly that of somatic marker.

This term comes to define how emotions create what is known as somesthetic sensations, a type of physiological patterns capable of mediating our decision-making and reasoning processes. It is an undoubtedly exciting topic that has also integrated approaches such as somatic therapy into its foundations. Let’s see more data below.

Objectives of somatic therapy

Somatic therapy is a psychobiological approach most often aimed at treating trauma.. One of the premises that nourish the roots of this approach is that if the body and mind are not treated as a unit, it is practically impossible to facilitate a complete healing of the person.

This technique was developed by Berkeley professor Standley Keleman in 1971. Its purpose was “heal the physical, emotional and psychological knots derived from conflicts, experiences and unresolved experiences.”

In addition, It is effectively applied to problems of anxiety, stress, depression, addictions and even to promote a better quality of life in people with chronic pain.. If we now ask ourselves about the effectiveness of somatic therapy, it can be said that we have abundant scientific documentation.

Thus, studies carried out by the University of Jerusalem and the Los Angeles Trauma Institute explain to us that somatic therapy is a useful strategy in the treatment of post-traumatic stress. They have been seen good progress in cases of patients who suffered abuse in childhood and even in people who were immersed in events related to natural disasters.

Objectives of somatic therapy

We are facing a type of psychobiological approach where body awareness is integrated into the psychotherapeutic process.

It starts from the idea that all trauma, Every complex event, problem or worry generates an impact on the autonomic nervous system.These complex emotions, far from dissolving over time, become somatized in our body. AND They do it in the form of digestive problems, hormonal imbalances, the immune system, muscle pain, headaches, allergies.…The goal of the therapist is to facilitate homeostasis. That is, achieving harmony between mind and body, where nothing hurts, where nothing clouds our ability to function in the present without the weight of the past. In somatic therapy sessions, tools are facilitated and offered so that the patient can can detect every sensation that occurs in your body.Likewise, Somatic therapy differs from cognitive therapy in that the intervention goes from the body to the mind. Unveiling and understanding these internal sensations, both visceral (interoception) and musculoskeletal (proprioception and kinesthesia), allows the therapist to then go to emotional realities.

Likewise, it should be said that in recent years somatic therapy is finding greater scientific support thanks to advances in neuroscience. Studies such as that of Dr. Lauri Nummenmaa, professor of cognitive neuroscience at Aalto University in Finland, were undoubtedly one of the most striking and revealing.

In this work, published in the magazine Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), we were shown the first body map of human emotions. Internal realities such as anger, fear, disappointment, illusion, surprise or envy showed greater physiological activity in a certain area of ​​our body..

How to release and understand the emotions trapped in our body

Dr. Peter Levine, a biophysicist and psychologist at the University of California at Berkeley, is one of the exponents of somatic experimentation therapy. His approach to mediate that emotional release is to be able to “detach” it from our body first. To do this, it is necessary that we ourselves be aware of this pathological imprint contained in our body.

The means to achieve this are the following:

Relaxation and deep breathing techniques.Physical exercises such as dances, movements, stretching, etc.Exercises with the voice.

Each person will work better with one type of technique or another. However, the purpose is for the person to become aware of somatic experiences. Each sensation must evoke images and emotions.those that will help the therapist understand what is happening.

To conclude, it should be noted that this type of therapy is not without criticism. The main one is that many people make the mistake of resorting to this strategy without previously having a clear diagnosis. It is always necessary to rule out organic problems, diseases and hormonal alterations, such as thyroid problems.

Somatic therapy, although useful and interesting, does not have the effectiveness rate that more relevant therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapies present, for example. However, we cannot ignore its current rise.

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