What Is Somatics?

Welcome to Insight Timer.

You might have heard the word somatics and maybe you've wondered what it actually means.

Well,

Somatic simply refers to the body.

But more than that,

When we work with somatics in a therapeutic setting,

It's about the felt experience of your body from the inside.

And in somatic work,

We approach the body not as something to fix or control,

But we're learning to listen to our bodies in a new way.

Now,

Given that we experience life through our bodies,

It's where our nervous system speaks to us and it's where our emotions are felt.

Somatic work is really important.

And yet,

So much of our lives happens in our heads,

In our minds.

We spend so much time thinking and analysing and trying to understand everything or figuring everything out.

But the body has its own language.

It speaks to us in the form of sensations and feelings.

And if we've been dissociated from our bodies for a long time,

Then that will be like learning a new language.

And often,

Even before we have words for something,

The body is speaking that language already.

And somatics invites us to slow down enough to start noticing the subtle messages and ways that our bodies are constantly communicating with us.

And so somatic work is about building a new relationship with your body and gently supporting your body to experience moments of safety,

Especially if you're someone with complex trauma in your background,

Like me.

We want to start experiencing moments where your body can soften and start to let go of all the holding and the tension and the clenching and the bracing that inevitably builds up in our system in response to the challenges of being human.

Now,

In my own experience,

Somatic work has been an essential part of my healing journey.

And of course,

There's a huge benefit to talking therapies,

But often they can only take us so far.

And as the trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk says,

The body keeps the score.

And it's because trauma and stress is stored in our bodies that,

In my experience,

We have to address that trauma and stress on the level of the body as well as on the level of our minds if we want true healing to take place.

And I've witnessed some amazing shifts in myself and in my clients using somatic therapy,

And I really hope it can benefit you too.

Now,

We're lucky because Insight Timer is an incredible resource and it offers so many somatic practices for you to try.

So I wish you well on your path to greater ease and freedom in your daily life.

And I sincerely hope that you find somatics as helpful in your life as I have in mine.

Much love.