To understand how somatics works, it’s important to understand that our bodies hold our life experiences. This is especially true of traumatic experiences, including those that are physical, psychological, vicarious, acute, chronic, personal, collective, and intergenerational.
Even people who cannot pinpoint a traumatic event or experience often live with unconscious, protective patterns formed by their past experiences. These patterns might manifest as anxiety, depression, hypervigilance, panic attacks, addiction, violence, or other mental health challenges; they can also present as chronic pain, limited mobility, sleep and digestion issues, or other physical symptoms too. (Learn more about trauma-informed movement at “How Movement Therapy Can Heal Traumatic Stress.”)
Notably, the conscious mind is not always able to access what needs to be processed, which is where healing through the body comes in. “We need to understand our body’s process of connection and settling,” writes therapist and somatic educator Resmaa Menakem, MSW, LICSW, SEP, in his book My Grandmother’s Hands.
“We need to slow ourselves down and learn to lean into uncertainty, rather than away from it. We need to ground ourselves, touch the pain or discomfort inside our trauma, and explore it — gently. This requires building a tolerance for bodily and emotional discomfort, and learning to stay present with — rather than trying to flee — that discomfort. . . . With practice, over time, this enables us to be more curious, more mindful, and less reflexive. Only then can growth and change occur.”