Somats are the motivating components that, when processed by the cognitive brain, will be perceived as emotions. Unless rapidly and properly processed, somats will reverberate and will precipitate additional somats, resulting in suboptimal emotional and behavioral responses. They are ever present, whether we are aware of them or not. Repressed somats will prompt the SBS to prompt other somats. Chronic repression of prompted action causes stress in the body.
Emotions modulate our behavior.
Inattention to the somats that reflect the subtle changes in the functioning of our bodies, delays or reduces our immunological response, and reduces our self-regulating and healing skills at its simplest, awareness of incipient pain may induce more heedful movements, averting sore back and sprained wrist. In a less voluntary context, rapid and correct awareness of minute changes in body sensations permits a more accurate and more rapid deployment of the body s defenses and self-healing responses Somat Awareness proposes a theory of human health and behavior that is not at all new. However, by its reformulation of old constructs, it helps bridge among conflicting concepts, theories, and schools of thought, in terms that can be readily understood by scholars of diverse orientations. Somat theory offers ready solutions to issues in emotions, psychotherapies, disease and healing that are not, in essence, at discord with existing theories and practices. Somat Awareness Theory is based on a 15 year study starting back in 1982, and on more recent research involving over one thousand subjects and over thirty validating measures and factors.