Somatic Therapy

Are The Physical Symptoms Of Stress Taking A Toll?

When we’re under stress—whether due to trauma, grief, anxiety, or just having too many things to check off our “to-do” list—we feel it in our bodies. We may notice shoulder tightness, chest constriction, a churning belly, sweaty palms and armpits, and even brain fog. Over time, the body adapts, and soon we’re stuck in survival mode rather than thriving. 

In his seminal book, The Body Keeps the Score, psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk explores how trauma gets stored in the body. He writes, “The mind might try to bury trauma to protect us, but the body remembers. The body keeps the score, holding onto the raw sensations, emotions, and survival instincts activated during the traumatic event. This can manifest as physical or emotional symptoms, signaling unresolved trauma.” 

If you’ve ever tried therapy before, perhaps you’ve gained cognitive awareness of what underlies your stress and developed practices that support greater mental flexibility. But despite having an intellectual understanding of its cause, you may still feel discomfort in your body. 

Without effective tools to quell physical responses, you’re unable to truly relax and feel at ease. Whether your symptoms happen routinely or only arise in times of high anxiety, you need to incorporate practices that target both mind and body. That’s where somatic therapy comes in.

Is Somatic Therapy Right For You?

Somatic psychotherapy offers tools for addressing the physiological impacts of anxiety, trauma, grief, burnout, stress, ADHD, and depression. Somatic processing therapy fosters healthier muscle memory patterns that can help you feel more grounded and regulated. Feeling grounded and safer in your body supports more successful outcomes with traditional therapeutic approaches, ensuring a holistic path to healing.  

For some clients, sitting still and discussing the issue or problem can feel overwhelming. Taking a somatic approach, we can incorporate movement into our sessions, such as walk-and-talk therapy outdoors, to ensure nervous system regulation and better engagement. When body-based awareness is utilized in session, you may notice it’s easier to focus, reduce judgment, and harness greater curiosity in the present moment. 

Evidence denoting the helpful benefits of somatic therapy is growing. For example, one study found somatic therapy to be beneficial in reducing symptoms associated with PTSD. Additionally, coherent breathing has been shown to help lessen the impacts of stress and anxiety.

Why Somatic-Based Therapy Is A Pillar Of My Practice

My practice is informed by a tailored, integrative approach where mind and body are considered in equal measure. Although cognitive-based tools can be beneficial, when utilized exclusively, they can only go so far. When your body remains stuck—operating in entrenched survival patterns rather than a sense of thriving—you need something else. Taking a body-centric approach allows us to tap into the nervous system to ensure the parasympathetic response of rest-and-digest is engaged rather than the sympathetic, fight-flight-freeze-fawn response.

I was first inspired by somatic-based tools as a child. I would often wander the woods and fields around my home, using physical movement and the healing power of nature to self-regulate and lessen my own symptoms. After years of research, study, experience, practice, and training, I now realize how valuable these practices were. Today, as a therapist, I carry these same concepts forward through tools such as mindfulness, breathwork, tapping, yoga, meditation, walk-and-talk therapy, body scans, and more to help my clients discover somatic practices for themselves.

When paired with cognitive tools, incorporating somatic practices into therapy ensures you address both body and mind. When you develop helpful skills such as breathwork, walking meditations, body scans, and mindfulness, you have access to effective remedies for reducing body-based symptoms exacerbated by stress, trauma, anxiety, grief, and burnout. An integrative approach opens the door to fresh insights and increased self-awareness that can help you get unstuck so you can feel lighter, more relaxed, and at peace.