Somatic Psychology: What the Body Knows About the Mind

The core idea of Somatic Psychology: an emotional map woven deep into how we sense

Have you ever noticed that when you feel under pressure, your shoulders seem to seize up as if pressed by an enormous weight; or that when you feel anxious, your stomach churns as though it were dissolving? These seemingly ordinary physical reactions are in fact concrete expressions of the connection between body and mind. Somatic Psychology (Somatics) is precisely the discipline that studies this reciprocal relationship between body and psyche, and it stresses that our body is not merely an external instrument, but an inner core that is deeply interwoven with our emotions, thoughts and behaviour.

The central concept of Somatic Psychology is that "the body is an extension of the mind". Our body does not just record what we have lived through; it also reflects our psychological state. Research shows, for example, that prolonged stress can lead to muscle tension and a weakened immune system (Payne et al., 2015). These physiological changes are not accidental; they are the body's direct response to psychological stress. Somatic Psychology holds that by paying attention to bodily sensations, we can understand our own emotions and behavioural patterns more deeply, and find more effective ways to cope.

The principles of Somatic Psychology: a reading through neuroscience and psychology

To understand how Somatic Psychology works, we need to approach it from the perspective of neuroscience and psychology. According to Polyvagal Theory (Porges, 2007), our autonomic nervous system plays a key role in regulating bodily states and emotional responses. When we feel safe, our parasympathetic nervous system is engaged, letting us feel relaxed and at ease; when we feel threatened, the sympathetic nervous system is activated, triggering the "fight or flight" response. This neural reaction affects not only our bodily state but also runs deep into our emotions and behaviour.

Somatic Psychology also stresses the importance of "interoception". Interoception is our ability to sense internal bodily signals, such as the heartbeat, breathing and gut activity. Research indicates that strengthening interoception can help us regulate our emotions more effectively and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression (Price & Hooven, 2018). For instance, when we learn to attend to the rhythm of our breath, we can calm a stirred-up emotion more effectively. This integrated view of body and mind offers us a scientific, systematic pathway towards better mental health.

Somatic Psychology in practice: effective ways to ease stress, heal trauma and support emotional health

The applications of Somatic Psychology are remarkably wide-ranging — from stress management to trauma recovery to everyday emotional regulation, its influence can be seen throughout. Trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk (2014), for example, points out that the impact of trauma on the body and mind is profound. While traditional talk therapy helps us understand the roots of trauma, it often cannot fully resolve reactions at the level of the body. For this reason, body-and-mind therapies such as yoga and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (Sensorimotor Psychotherapy) have become important tools for trauma recovery. By reconnecting body and mind, these methods help restore balance to the nervous system and so promote recovery as a whole.

When it comes to stress management, Somatic Psychology offers a set of practical techniques, such as progressive muscle relaxation and mindfulness meditation. These techniques can not only ease physical tension but also help us cope better with psychological stress. By attending to the subtle sensations of the body, for example, we can notice the traces of stress earlier and take corresponding steps to respond. This proactive way of regulating body and mind makes us more resilient and adaptable in the face of stress.

Body-oriented therapy: common somatic approaches and techniques

Body-oriented therapy is an approach that treats body and mind as a single whole. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, for example, helps clients work through trauma and emotional distress by integrating cognition, emotion and bodily experience. The therapist guides the client to attend to the body's sensations, movements and impulses, and step by step builds new, more adaptive patterns of body and mind (Ogden et al., 2006). When a person feels anxious, for instance, the therapist may guide them to notice which part of the body feels tense, and ease that tension by adjusting posture or breathing. The actions taken in the therapy room can seem trivial: a slight shift of posture, observing a flicker of tightness in the left shoulder — yet these instinctive movements are in fact the starting point for working through trauma.

Another common body-oriented therapy is "Somatic Experiencing" (Somatic Experiencing, SE), developed by Dr. Peter A. Levine. SE helps clients restore balance to the nervous system through gradual exposure to, and regulation of, the body's stress responses. This approach is especially suited to recovery after trauma, because it avoids having the client revisit the traumatic experience directly, working instead through the body's sensations to process unfinished stress responses (Payne et al., 2015).

How to begin learning and practising Somatic Psychology: recommended resources and a beginner's guide

If you are interested in Somatic Psychology and would like to apply it in your own life, there are a few ways to begin. First, you can try some simple mindfulness meditation or yoga practice; these are all entry points for opening up the connection between body and mind (Price & Hooven, 2018). For example, spend 10 minutes each day attending to your breathing and noticing the sensations of your body — this helps strengthen interoception.

What has already happened cannot be undone,
but you can work through the marks that trauma has left on your body and mind.

The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk

Next, you can read some related books, such as Bessel van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score, which explores in depth the role of the body in trauma recovery and offers a range of practical body-and-mind therapies, including using yoga to regulate an over-aroused body, using EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) to reorganise memory, and using self-leadership, structure, theatre and other means to rebuild connection with oneself and with others. Read it line by line, and you will gain a sudden, vivid insight into how deeply the body holds memory.

Somatic Psychology is a vast field. It not only helps us understand ourselves better and feel that we are truly alive in the present, it also offers us new ways to improve our mental health. Whether you wish to ease stress, mend trauma or calm an emotion, take notice of that faint light that has not yet slipped away — Somatic Psychology, like the breath in this very moment, is always with you.

If Somatic Psychology interests you, why not try our Somatic Psychology introductory course (offered from time to time; please contact us for more information). This course combines theory with practice, working through emotions and inner knots by getting to know your own bodily sensations, so that you can observe your emotions with greater detachment and understand your inner feelings from another angle.

Alternatively, you can keep an eye out for our Counselling Practice Room – Starting From the Body workshop (held from time to time; please contact us for more information), where in a single session you learn to start from the body's senses and sensations and build a connection with your emotions.

References:

• Ogden, P., Minton, K., & Pain, C. (2006). Trauma and the body: A sensorimotor approach to psychotherapy. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Payne, P., Levine, P. A., & Crane-Godreau, M. A. (2015). Somatic experiencing: using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 93. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093
• Porges, S. W. (2007). The polyvagal perspective. Biological Psychology, 74(2), 116-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2006.06.009
• Price, C. J., & Hooven, C. (2018). Interoceptive Awareness Skills for Emotion Regulation: Theory and Approach of Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy (MABT). Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 798. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00798
• Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. New York, 3.