Traditional therapy methods may not be beneficial for everyone, and that’s okay. For this reason, many treatment facilities use a combination of traditional and experiential therapies to help clients through the recovery process. At Northstar Transitions, both traditional and experiential therapies are used, including somatic therapy, which came to prominence in the 1970s. Also known as somatic experiencing, it has been used with great success in treating those with anxiety, depression, interpersonal problems, trauma, substance abuse, stress, grief, sexual function, and abuse. Somatic therapy has many benefits to offer its clients, and learning about it can give you a better understanding of what it is and how it can help you.
Somatic therapy focuses on the body and its connection with the mind. Using psychotherapy and physical and mind-body exercises, the practitioner can help the client release tension from their body. Dr. Peter Levine developed the practice in the 1970s to treat individuals who had gone through traumatic experiences. Through the use of touch and body-centered healing, clients can identify tension in their body related to mental health or trauma experiences and then use those identifications to aid in recovery from their experiences.
This treatment modality is primarily based on what is known as the “freeze response.” The freeze response is similar to the fight-or-flight response in your body, which may be commonly known among the general population. People likely know the fight-or-flight response occurs when your brain perceives a threat, causing your body to produce high levels of adrenaline. During this response, your heart rate and breathing increase, your muscles tense up, and your body is filled with extra hormones. All of these actions prepare you to run from the threat or stay to fight, hence the term “fight-or-flight.”
However, there is a third response that is less known, called the freeze response. The freeze response occurs when your body goes into fight-or-flight mode but realizes that neither is a good option. The adrenaline and extra hormones cause the same effects in your body, but that energy is not used because you freeze. Your muscles are still tensed up, holding the energy that should have been released during fight-or-flight. This energy stays in your body, causing you to be unable to heal from the experience altogether.
Somatic therapy is excellent for treating those who have physical, mental, or a combination of both effects that hinder their life. Treatment is focused on the mind-body connection, healing physical and mental concerns simultaneously. Therefore, individuals who struggle with the following could find healing from somatic therapy:
Somatic therapy helps heal clients from past events that affected them mentally and physically by focusing on the mind, body, and spirit connection. Somatic therapy believes the connection between mind, body, and spirit are all affected, even when only one is disrupted. Therefore, events that caused emotional distress can significantly affect the central nervous system and physical body, affecting posture, physical pain, bodily changes, and body language.
The therapist will generally use physical exercises and other alternative therapy methods during the session, helping the client identify pain and other sensations connected to past distressing or traumatic events. The person can relax and loosen up through these different treatment approaches, helping to heal energy throughout the body.
It is important to remember that somatic therapy is different from other therapies in that it often uses touch to stimulate healing. It is essential to prepare yourself for this part of the session and know your limits, telling the therapist what you are and aren’t comfortable with.
You should also be ready to discuss past experiences that may have been particularly distressing to you. It is crucial to find a therapist that you feel comfortable with. This way, you allow yourself to be vulnerable and open, being completely honest with your therapist. It can be challenging to relive traumatic experiences; therefore, being comfortable is vital to allowing the treatment to work.
Most of all, be open to what somatic therapy can do for you. It may be an alternative form of treatment, but somatic therapy has shown to be beneficial for many individuals struggling with past traumatic experiences. You, too, can find healing.
At Northstar Transitions, we aim to give our clients the best possible treatment experience so they can find their happiness and confidence in sobriety. At our facility, we use a combination of traditional and experiential treatment modalities to aid in the recovery process. One such approach is somatic therapy, which helps our clients heal from distressing events in their past through touch, physical movements, and awareness of one’s mind, body, and spirit. Somatic therapy is a great way to become more centered within oneself, helping heal the body and mind from traumatic experiences by releasing built-up energy that causes tension. It is important to remember that this treatment approach is best used in conjunction with our other treatment modalities, and we can help you create a plan that is best for you and your healing. Trying something new just may be the thing you need to bring about healing for yourself. Contact us today (303) 558-6400 to learn more about somatic therapy and the other forms of experiential therapies our facility offers.
