Somatic therapy

musinglizzy · Dec 30, 2015 at 12:28 AM

Can someone help me, in laymen's terms, understand exactly what this is? I'm looking around at the various "types" of therapy out there.

One thing I saw is that it's often used in conjunction with mindfulness (meditation) type stuff.....but I may understand wrong.

Is anyone participating in somatic therapy? What exactly IS it?

rainbow8 · Dec 30, 2015 at 12:49 AM

I don't know if somatic experiencing is the same as somatic therapy, but it's what my T uses with me. SE is based on studies by Peter Levine, in his book, Waking the Tiger, which is about how wild animals respond to trauma. They unleash their stress by physically moving their bodies in certain ways. An application of that is when my T tells me to push my hands slowly on the couch in response to my agitation about something.

The most common question of an SE therapist is "where do you feel that in your body?" My T is very aware of my breathing patterns, my movements, my body language.

Holding hands was all right because it was for the specific purpose of calming my nervous system.

So, if SE and somatic therapy are the same, it's about how you experience feelings in your body. The mindfulness comes into play because the focus is on what's happening in your body right now.

Often we do regular talk therapy too but my T manages to throw in a little SE in every session.

I hope this is what you wanted to know!

musinglizzy · Dec 30, 2015 at 01:25 AM

Yup...I guess that's what I meant....somatic experiencing...not therapy....thank you! Have you read that book?

I guess my T has actually asked me before where I feel things in my body. So maybe she uses some of that herself.

atisketatasket · Dec 30, 2015 at 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musinglizzy

Yup...I guess that's what I meant....somatic experiencing...not therapy....thank you! Have you read that book?

I guess my T has actually asked me before where I feel things in my body. So maybe she uses some of that herself.

"Where do you feel things in your body?" seems to be a common therapist question. Every therapist I've seen more than once has asked it.

It's also a standard EMDR question. I don't think it's the question that makes a therapist somatic, but what they do with the answer.

BayBrony · Dec 30, 2015 at 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musinglizzy

Yup...I guess that's what I meant....somatic experiencing...not therapy....thank you! Have you read that book?

I guess my T has actually asked me before where I feel things in my body. So maybe she uses some of that herself.

I read the book. I thought it was kind of lame honestly. The man was very self absorbed. And the techniques did not work so.well.for me.

However my T and I do somatic/mindfulness work.that I find very helpful. This includes breathing work, identifying emotions as far as how they feel.inside me, and learning to identify feelings like being cold, hungry, etc ( I tend to not notice things like that until.I am hypothermic, starving, etc). My somatic work also.includes touch but I suspect you may shy away fr.yjst

Out There · Dec 30, 2015 at 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atisketatasket

"Where do you feel things in your body?" seems to be a common therapist question. Every therapist I've seen more than once has asked it.

It's also a standard EMDR question. I don't think it's the question that makes a therapist somatic, but what they do with the answer.

I had EMDR and the body feelings / memories are used also. Perhaps look at the book " The body keeps the score " ?

rainbow8 · Dec 30, 2015 at 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BayBrony

I read the book. I thought it was kind of lame honestly. The man was very self absorbed. And the techniques did not work so.well.for me.

However my T and I do somatic/mindfulness work.that I find very helpful. This includes breathing work, identifying emotions as far as how they feel.inside me, and learning to identify feelings like being cold, hungry, etc ( I tend to not notice things like that until.I am hypothermic, starving, etc). My somatic work also.includes touch but I suspect you may shy away fr.yjst

I didn't even read the book! I forgot to say that we do breathing work too. My T is very conscious of when I am holding my breath, which seems to be often when I'm anxious, so then she asks me to breathe slowly and mindfully. She's always asking if I can feel my legs, my feet, my arms. I was wondering about the touch for you too, musing. If you see a somatic therapist. I'd be sure to explain what happened with touch and your current T.
I don't seem to need to hold her hand anymore, which is real progress!

Partless · Dec 30, 2015 at 03:05 PM

Like rainbow8, I wonder if I need some somatic therapy. I am often holding my breath (and it's worse when I sleep cause I often get up gasping for air), also quite unaware of my body. I suppose where I experience my body, would be in my back and chest, mainly cause it's only when they tighten up so much and spasm, that's when I become really aware of my body but only those areas.

musinglizzy · Dec 30, 2015 at 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Out There

I had EMDR and the body feelings / memories are used also. Perhaps look at the book " The body keeps the score " ?

Thanks for all the opinions! I actually have this book, but haven't read it yet.

kecanoe · Dec 30, 2015 at 03:26 PM

My t3 does Somatic Experiencing with me. She says that it is letting the body speak up about where there is harm. I find it a lot more comfortable than trying to sort out the inner mess, and I don't leave there hurting and all messed up. We worked on abandonment a couple of weeks, not talking about it hardly at all, and after that I was able to call an ex-t and do some processing and reality checking without freaking out. Definite progress there!

Dec 30, 2015 at 07:15 PM

These aren't psychotherapies, but i consider them 'somatic' and they can help: reiki, cranial sacral, quantum touch, acupuncture.'

I'm trying some of them right now. I am a very physical, sensual person.

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musinglizzy Magnate Member Since May 2014 Location: Midwest Posts: 2,497 10 782 hugs given	Dec 30, 2015 at 01:25 AM #3 Yup...I guess that's what I meant....somatic experiencing...not therapy....thank you! Have you read that book? I guess my T has actually asked me before where I feel things in my body. So maybe she uses some of that herself. __________________ ~It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving~
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Anonymous37817 Guest Posts: n/a	Dec 30, 2015 at 07:15 PM #11 These aren't psychotherapies, but i consider them 'somatic' and they can help: reiki, cranial sacral, quantum touch, acupuncture.' I'm trying some of them right now. I am a very physical, sensual person.
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