We have a saying in therapy that comes from a popular book by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk: The body keeps the score. As much as society believes mental health takes place solely in the mind, that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, the body holds onto stress and memories, and this has led to an emerging practice: somatic therapy. 

Somatic therapy focuses on how the mind and body process painful, emotional memories and experiences, leading to major health improvement outcomes. 

Check out our table of contents to learn more. 

Table of Contents

What Is Somatic Therapy?
Types of Somatic Therapy
What Is Somatic Therapy Good For?
EMDR And Somatic Therapy
Somatic Therapy Exercises
What Is Somatic Movement?
Somatic Therapy In Pittsburgh

What Is Somatic Therapy?

If you’ve ever attended a therapy session in the past—especially through My Wellness Center—you’ve likely experienced somatic therapy, even if you didn’t realize it. 

Somatic therapy is a type of mental health therapy that focuses on an individual’s mind-body connection, paying close attention to how trauma, stress, and anxiety physically manifest inside someone’s body. 

By understanding these physical sensations, we can begin to gradually release the internal tension—especially when we work in conjunction with talk therapy and other approaches to mental health therapy (like EMDR).

Types of Somatic Therapy

Somatic therapy isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. There are a variety of methods and techniques, each tailored to meet different needs and preferences. At My Wellness Center, we focus on the following types of somatic therapy:

• Somatic Experiencing: Developed by Dr. Peter Levine, this approach focuses on releasing trauma that’s been “stuck” in the body by gently guiding individuals to reprocess those experiences in a safe, slow, and supportive way.
• Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: This method blends traditional talk therapy with a focus on the body, helping individuals understand how trauma and emotions are stored physically and how they affect behavior.
• Hakomi Method: A mindfulness-based approach that uses the body as a window into unconscious beliefs and patterns, allowing individuals to uncover and heal deep emotional wounds.
• Body-Mind Centering: This practice explores the mind-body connection through movement, touch, and guided imagery to create a deeper awareness of how the body holds emotions and experiences.
• Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy: Using gentle touch, this therapy helps release tension stored in the nervous system, promoting relaxation and a sense of balance.
• Trauma-Informed Yoga: Yoga tailored specifically for those who’ve experienced trauma, combining movement and mindfulness to help individuals reconnect with their bodies in a safe and empowering way.
• EMDR with Somatic Elements: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy often incorporates somatic techniques, such as bilateral stimulation, to engage the entire body in the healing process.

Each of these approaches offers something unique, and your therapist can help you determine which one(s) might work best for you. At its core, all somatic therapy focuses on helping individuals reconnect with their bodies and release what no longer serves them.

What Is Somatic Therapy Good For?

Somatic therapy is an incredibly versatile approach to healing because it addresses both the mind and the body—two parts of us that are often treated separately but are deeply interconnected. By focusing on the physical manifestations of stress, trauma, and anxiety, somatic therapy can help with a wide range of mental health and emotional challenges:

• PTSD: One of the most common uses of somatic therapy is to help individuals process and release the physical and emotional tension caused by traumatic experiences. Trauma doesn’t just live in our memories—it lives in our muscles, posture, and even our breathing patterns. Somatic therapy helps untangle that.
• Anxiety: Anxiety often feels like a mental whirlwind, but it also creates significant tension in the body, like tight shoulders, clenched jaws, or rapid heartbeats. Somatic therapy can help you identify and release those physical symptoms, creating a calmer mind-body connection.
• Depression: Depression can feel like a weight on your chest or a fog over your head. By incorporating somatic practices, individuals can begin to physically move through that heaviness, finding relief and a greater sense of vitality.
• Gaps in Memory: Trauma can block or distort memory, but somatic therapy works to gently reopen those locked doors. By paying attention to how the body reacts during therapy, practitioners can help individuals reconnect with parts of their story they may have avoided or suppressed.
• Self-Esteem: The way we carry ourselves physically often reflects how we feel about ourselves emotionally. Through somatic therapy, individuals can develop a deeper sense of self-compassion and awareness, helping them feel more grounded and confident.
• Chronic Stress or Fatigue: Chronic stress can take a significant toll on both mental and physical health. Somatic therapy offers tools to process that stress, bringing greater balance and relaxation to your daily life.
• Navigating Grief: Moving through grief can feel overwhelming and stagnant, like being stuck in deep water. Somatic therapy provides a safe space to physically process those emotions, creating opportunities for healing and closure.

EMDR And Somatic Therapy

At My Wellness Center, our EMDR-trained therapists have experienced the power of EMDR firsthand. If you’re unfamiliar, EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.

It works by activating a patient’s entire brain during therapy to finally process intense emotions, trauma, and memories. Here’s how My Wellness Center founder Tomi Ward explains it: 

EMDR and somatic therapy are a powerful combination—and our practice with EMDR even incorporates elements of somatic therapy (like bilateral stimulation) to incorporate the entire body and mind into the practice. 

The result is a powerful physical and emotional release that helps individuals reprocess painful experiences to alleviate PTSD and other long-term pain. 

Somatic Therapy Exercises

There are numerous mind-body practices that are the building blocks of somatic therapy exercises. Your therapist can help you find the ideal practice for you, but some of the most common include:

1. Body Scan – Systematically assess each part of your body to identify tension, stress, or discomfort.

2. Grounding – Focus on your senses. A common grounding technique is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique: Identify five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. 

3. Bilateral Stimulation – Bilateral stimulation is the act of stimulating both sides of your body at once, often by crossing your hands across your chest and patting one hand at a time. 

4. Resourcing – Resourcing relies on coping skills—like remembering positive memories or finding a safe place to relax—to assist in regulating emotions.  

5. Mindful Exercises – Some of the most popular somatic therapy exercises are incredibly common—and you might not even realize they have somatic therapy benefits. This includes mind-body practices such as yoga, dance, pilates, and Tai Chi. 

Of course, there are other somatic therapy exercises you can explore as well, so talk to your therapist to learn more—or check out our next section on somatic movement. 

What Is Somatic Movement?

In simple terms, somatic movement is any movement someone practices while focusing on the experience of the movement. 

In the context of therapy, somatic movement is a powerful technique for understanding where your body holds on to trauma, stress, and anxiety. 

Because of this, somatic therapy and yoga are deeply linked. Just as somatic therapy focuses on the mind-body connection, yoga places a deep emphasis on understanding one’s body and the healing power of breathing and mindfulness. 

Somatic Therapy In Pittsburgh

If you’d like to explore somatic therapy in Pittsburgh, contact us! Our Pittsburgh somatic therapists can help you develop a therapy plan that works for your unique background and needs.