Creative Being Therapy

My friend said about their previous therapist: “They made me feel heard, but what happens after that?”

This points to one flaw that I see in conventional talk therapy. Yes, therapists are trained to be great listeners, to reflect what they hear and occasionally offer alternative perspectives. But insight alone doesn’t create change. Talk therapy can miss an opportunity to create change – not after the session is over, but right there, in the session. In addition, words alone often address issues in a very cognitive way, over-focusing on thoughts and downplaying body-based messages such as emotions, intuition, and sensations.

Of course, some therapists jump right into action mode, and that’s not usually helpful either. It can make the person on the receiving end feel like they are a problem to be fixed, when really they might just want some validation – not an action plan. Plus, therapists who work this way might be tempted to “solve” their clients’ problems for them, rather than helping them identify the next step for themselves.

So there’s a spectrum: one side can feel inert, the other can feel urgent. One side is stuck stillness, the other side is overwhelming movement. I’ve experienced both sides of the spectrum myself. This is one reason why I trained as a somatic counselor and expressive arts therapist, learning body-based, mindfulness-focused therapies that offer a healthy balance between awareness and action.

Somatic Therapy

Somatic therapy goes beyond a cognitive-focused approach to incorporate body awareness. “Soma” means body, so somatics help us understand the connection between our body and everything else.

Have you ever noticed that when you’re stressed, you get more headaches, digestive issues, and sleep disruption? Or that you sometimes have an emotional response to something as benign as stubbing your toe? Or maybe you have no idea what I’m talking about; a lot of people are really disconnected from their body-based experiences. We live in a very “shoulders up” society, where much of our focus is on cognitive tasks, like writing emails. Dissociating from one’s body is also a way to avoid experiencing uncomfortable sensations tied to stress, grief, or even trauma. Usually, this dissociation isn’t conscious or voluntary, but an automatic coping mechanism your nervous system instates to try to help you survive through difficult times. 

Traditional talk therapy works on stress and trauma in a “top-down” approach, the idea being that if you change your thoughts, you can change your life. But sometimes top-down methods alone don’t access deeper levels needed to process trauma and chronic stressors, which are essentially “stored” in your body. Somatic therapy provides an alternative, “bottom-up” way to deal with life’s challenges.

Can Somatic Therapy Help Me?

Somatic therapy, also sometimes called body psychotherapy, is both a general approach to counseling and an umbrella term that includes specific therapies, like Somatic Experiencing® (SE™) and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy™. General and specific somatic therapies have solid research behind them, showing they can help support many different people with a variety of issues, from trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)¹ to depression, anxiety, and physical complaints².

What Does a Somatic Therapy Session Look Like?

Another aspect of somatic work is that we don’t need to dive into the past to address things impacting you currently. This is because somatic therapy looks to what is happening in the here-and-now, within your lived, embodied experience. 

For many people, especially those who commonly disconnect from their bodies, learning how to be aware of and present with what shows up is the first step. Pain or discomfort feels wrong, and when first encountering it, we can rush to numb, distract from, or “fix” what is there. But somatic therapists don’t see you or your body as something that needs fixing. Instead, emotions and sensations are understood as helpful messages that can point us toward what needs attention and care. In a somatics session, we’ll learn skills to help you move from awareness to tolerance, and eventually to acceptance, of your whole, embodied experience. From a place of acceptance, we can finally respond with compassion, curiosity, and intention – working with the present moment instead of against it. 

There are many different techniques used in somatic therapy. We will learn grounding tools to help you get to a place of calm when triggering situations hijack your brain. We can explore different sensations and physical responses you feel and develop intuitive self-care strategies. We’ll help you “stay with” your experiences, promoting a compassionate, secure attachment style in your relationship with yourself and with others. Somatic therapists will collaborate with you throughout the process, co-creating a safe environment and therapeutic relationship where this kind of vulnerable work can thrive.

Somatic Therapy and Medical Issues

As a somatic therapist and a counselor with specialization in integrative approaches, my style is well-suited for people with physical/medical issues as well as mental health and relational ones. It can really make a difference to have a provider who understands the interconnection between physical and mental landscapes. That being said, somatic counselors are not medical doctors, so I will not diagnose or treat physical conditions, but can help you work with those issues from a holistic mental health perspective. I may also suggest you receive a medical opinion about physical ailments that negatively impact your life, so that treatable conditions can be addressed in a timely and effective manner. I also can, with your consent, collaborate with your other providers, such as your PCP, psychiatrist, couples therapist, traditional medicine healer, and others. You deserve a team of skilled clinicians working together to provide you with the best care available. 

Conclusion

Somatic therapy, or body psychotherapy, is an evidence-based and trauma-informed approach that brings your embodied experience into the conversation about your mental health, relationships, and well-being. Issues are addressed in the here-and-now, with therapists trained in somatics supporting you in achieving compassionate self-awareness and enacting new ways of being. Somatic work can be nonverbal and offer a bottom-up approach to healing.

After reading this, are you feeling curious about how experiential and somatic therapies can support you? I am a licensed counselor, somatic therapist, and expressive arts therapist who works with people all across Michigan. Click on the button below to schedule a free consultation with me, and we can explore what working together could look like!

References

1. Kuhfuß, M., König, J., & Vaitl, D. (2021). Somatic Experiencing® – A scoping review of evidence for psychophysiological effects of trauma therapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 714343. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1929023 ↩︎
2. Rosendahl, S., Sattel, H., & Lahmann, C. (2021). Effectiveness of body Psychotherapy. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.709798 ↩︎