How the Body Holds What Words Can't

Somatic Psychology: The Duet Between Body and Emotion

Someone who habitually clenches their jaw may have internalised a childhood prohibition against crying; someone who unconsciously picks at their nails or skin may often be weighed down by overwhelming anxiety; someone whose stomach frequently aches may be used to "swallowing" every emotion alone. Language sometimes cannot reach our deepest memories — they are often hidden in the movements of the body. To learn more about the basic principles and concepts of somatic psychology, do read our earlier piece, "Somatic Psychology Intro Guide I: Seeing Through How Body and Mind Interweave".

According to Gross's process model of emotion regulation (1998), emotion regulation is an active process that encompasses how we choose situations, reappraise them, and respond to our emotions. Somatic psychology draws on precisely this theory, using bodily movement and posture to shape how we experience and express emotion. Research shows that when we change our body posture, it can significantly influence our emotional state (Goldin et al., 2008). For instance, holding an open posture (such as spreading the arms wide, lifting the head and opening the chest) can make a person feel more confident and in control — and not merely as a psychological cue: this bodily change in turn feeds back to influence how the brain perceives things.

Practical Somatic Techniques: Releasing Emotional Stress Through Breath, Posture and Movement

"Do you know how to breathe?" The question may sound a little absurd, but in fact the way we breathe is the most direct reflection of our emotional state. When we feel tense or anxious, our breathing often becomes rapid and shallow, which only heightens the body's sense of stress. The "breath regulation" technique in somatic psychology is one effective way to regulate emotion through slow, deep breathing.

▍A Beginner's Breathing Exercise

1. Sit in a quiet place, close your eyes, and bring your attention to your own breath.
2. Inhale slowly, feeling the air enter your lungs and gradually spread to every part of your body.
3. Exhale gently, imagining all your stress being carried out of the body along with the breath.

This kind of deep-breathing exercise not only helps us relax the body, it can also effectively reduce anxiety and the sense of stress. Research shows that deep breathing can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, thereby lowering the heart rate and bringing a feeling of calm (Beddoe & Murphy, 2004). We can extend the exercise above by pairing it with a body scan.

▍A Beginner's Body-Scan Exercise

1. Sit in a quiet place and close your eyes.
2. Focus on the sensations of the body — for example, the feeling of your feet against the floor or your body against the chair.
3. Imagine your breath flowing like ocean waves towards the areas that feel tight (commonly the shoulders and back, or the temples).
4. If you notice somewhere that feels especially stiff, gently ask it: "What do you need?"

This exercise comes from Hayes's (2003) "acceptance and commitment therapy", and its beauty lies here: when we stop resisting the body's signals, emotion instead flows more smoothly. Gently asking "What do you need?" represents a tender acceptance of oneself, rather than resistance or suppression. To face what the body reveals is to look directly at our own inner needs — and perhaps what we see is the sign of an emotion we had never noticed before.

Bringing Somatic Psychology Into Daily Life: Building a Positive Cycle and Lifting Your Overall Sense of Wellbeing

Somatic psychology is not merely a set of theories and techniques — it is also a way of life. By applying it in everyday life, we can gradually build a positive emotional cycle and so lift our overall sense of wellbeing. To begin, why not start each morning by spending a few minutes on a small body-scan exercise: lie in bed, close your eyes, and from your feet to your head, sense each part of your body in turn. This can help you wake quickly from sleep and prepare for the day ahead.

Beyond this, when we face certain challenges and pressures, we can also draw on somatic techniques to cope. For example, when you feel tense at work, you can try a brief deep-breathing exercise to let yourself relax for a moment before throwing yourself back into the task. A short break like this can not only improve work efficiency, it can also reduce the stress and emotional burden of the workday.

Through these small adjustments, we can gradually weave the ideas of somatic psychology into every aspect of daily life, and so build a positive, healthy way of living.

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If these somatic techniques interest you and you would like to explore the connection between your emotions and your body more deeply, do consider joining our "Counselling Practice Studio – Starting From the Body" workshop (held from time to time; please contact us for more information). Here, you will experience the possibility of being present with your own emotions, allowing a space to converse with yourself and to come to know yourself well.

Alternatively, you can keep an eye on our somatic psychology introductory course (offered from time to time; please contact us for more information). This course combines theory with practice: by coming to know your own bodily sensations to work through emotions and inner knots, it lets you observe your emotions with a measure of objectivity and understand your inner feelings from a fresh perspective.

References

• Beddoe, A. E., & Murphy, S. O. (2004). Does mindfulness decrease stress and foster empathy among nursing students?. Journal of Nursing Education, 43(7), 305-312.
• Goldin, P., McRae, K., Ramel, W., & Gross, J. J. (2008). The neural bases of emotion regulation: Reappraisal and suppression of negative emotion. Biological Psychiatry, 63(6), 577–586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.05.031
• Gross, J. J. (1998). The emerging field of emotion regulation: An integrative review. Review of General Psychology, 2(3), 271–299. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.271
• Wilson, K., Hayes, S., & Strosahl, K. (2003). Acceptance and commitment therapy: an experiential approach to behavior change. New York: Guilford press.[Google Scholar].