What is Somatic Work?

Hey there,

I'm Katie and welcome to this video on somatic work.

So we hear this term used a lot these days,

But what does it actually mean?

So somatic work is the process and the practice of developing a deeper relationship with your own body,

Your own physiology,

And your own nervous system.

You know,

So many of us were kind of taught to understand ourselves through the realm of thought and cognition.

And we analyze,

We problem solve,

We meaning make.

And while those are all very valuable capacities,

They are only one part of the picture.

While your mind has a story,

So does your body.

I mean,

Just think about it.

Your body has been with you since day one.

It's been there through every conversation,

Through every experience,

Through every heartbreak,

Through every joy,

Through every moment of uncertainty.

And without you consciously thinking about it,

Your body,

Your physiology,

And your nervous system,

It's constantly taking in information.

It's assessing your environment to determine whether you're safe.

It's organizing responses in your physiology to help you meet the present moment the best that it can.

And now sometimes those responses are shaped by what's happening here and the here and now and the present moment.

And sometimes it's shaped by maybe what's been learned through past experiences.

So somatic work is learning to kind of untangle that and just becoming more aware and learning to be with these processes as they unfold with them.

So for example,

You might notice your jaw starting to tighten or your breath starting to get really shallow or your heart rate starting to rise before an important conversation.

Now rather than just trying to push through that like many of us do,

Somatic work is going to invite a little bit of slowing down and curiosity.

For instance,

What is your body preparing for?

What might be able to support it in this moment?

What might be able to bring a sense of stability and safety and grounding and capacity?

You know,

A moment where your body can say.

OK,

I can be with this.

And it's not just an intellectual thing.

It's felt within.

So over time,

When we do this kind of work,

We might begin to recognize that our reactions,

Our habits,

And our patterns are not random.

They're often expressions of a body and a nervous system that has been working really hard to help us navigate and survive this life.

And perhaps this is one of the greatest gifts of somatic work is that it's not about fixing ourselves,

It's about learning how to listen.

And listening to the subtle language of the body and the nervous system and you know the parts of you that have been communicating all along.

So I hope this sheds a little light on why this work is so meaningful.

And I appreciate you for being here and taking a few moments to explore this with me.