Why Somatic Movement Is Vital To Healing Trauma.
Trauma, whether it stems from a single distressing event or prolonged exposure to stress, can significantly impact an individual's mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Traditional therapy often focuses on verbal expression and cognitive processing to address trauma, but somatic movement offers a complementary and powerful approach to healing.
Somatic movement practices emphasize the connection between the mind and body, recognizing that trauma isn't just stored in our thoughts but also in our physical being. Here's why incorporating somatic movement into trauma recovery is crucial, along with examples of its efficacy:
Understanding Somatic Movement
Somatic movement involves reconnecting with bodily sensations, movements, and experiences to address trauma stored in the body. This practice acknowledges that the body has its language, memories, and responses to traumatic experiences. Through various techniques like mindful movement, breathwork, and body awareness exercises, individuals can explore, release, and reprocess stored trauma in a safe and controlled environment.
Why Somatic Movement Matters in Healing Trauma
Embodied Healing: Trauma often disconnects individuals from their bodies, leading to sensations of numbness, dissociation, or hyperarousal. Somatic movement encourages reconnecting with bodily sensations, promoting a sense of embodiment and fostering a deeper understanding of how trauma manifests physically.
Regulating the Nervous System: Trauma can dysregulate the nervous system, leading to heightened states of anxiety or hypervigilance. Somatic practices, such as yoga or tai chi, help regulate the autonomic nervous system, promoting relaxation and reducing the impact of fight-or-flight responses.
Releasing Stored Tension: Unprocessed trauma can result in muscular tension and chronic pain. Somatic movement allows individuals to release physical tension and unravel patterns of holding onto stress, facilitating a sense of ease and comfort within the body.
Integration of Traumatic Experiences: Verbal processing may not access deeply stored traumatic memories. Somatic movement provides a non-verbal pathway for processing and integrating these experiences, allowing individuals to explore and express feelings that might be challenging to articulate verbally.
Examples of Somatic Movement Practices
Yoga: Combining movement, breathwork, and mindfulness, yoga helps individuals become more attuned to bodily sensations and fosters a sense of grounding and balance.
Dance/Movement Therapy: Using dance and expressive movement, this therapy form enables individuals to explore emotions and narratives through physical expression.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): Incorporating body scan meditations and gentle movement, MBSR helps individuals cultivate awareness of bodily sensations and reduce stress.
Trauma-Informed Somatic Experiencing: This approach focuses on the body's innate ability to heal from trauma through guided exercises that promote awareness of bodily sensations and facilitate trauma resolution.
To Wrap Up
Somatic movement practices offer a holistic approach to trauma recovery, acknowledging the intricate connection between mind and body. By incorporating these practices into therapeutic interventions, individuals can access deeper layers of healing, releasing stored trauma and promoting overall well-being. Through cultivating a profound connection with the body, somatic movement becomes an essential tool in the journey towards healing from trauma.
At The Holistic Directory we have an assortment of experts who work with trauma and in particular Somatic Movement to help shift the deep emotions. You can head here to find out more