How to heal stress or trauma with somatic healing

If you experienced something deeply hurtful or traumatising in your past, it may still be affecting your current reality. You might be convinced that you have made peace with that difficult experience, rarely finding yourself thinking back to it or wanting to talk about it. Nevertheless, your body can hold onto the stress of that encounter without you consciously noticing.

Our bodies can store emotions, so, pain can live within us. The emotions we are unable to feel, express, and process, get trapped quite literally inside of us. This often happens when we are deeply moved by something; maybe we experience profound fear, sadness, or shock.

If we don’t have a safe person or environment to process these feelings with/in, our bodies can store them away for another day. This doesn’t mean these emotions disappear momentarily, it just means we don’t get to feel them fully and, therefore, their negative consequences get dragged out.

Other individuals involved in the stressful or traumatising situation may not be as affected as you, but it’s important to be gentle with yourself and have sympathy for how you were personally impacted. The same situation can affect people differently. Self-esteem problems, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, trust and intimacy issues, and anxiety can all manifest as a consequence of unprocessed trauma or stress.

How can somatic healing help?

Somatic healing allows us to address the negative emotions stored in our bodies, to lessen their painful impact or, in the long term, empower us to completely let them go. A variety of techniques can be used that involve various mind-body techniques. To name a few: dancing and singing, eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR), and yoga.

The power we feel when we are at peace in our bodies is often understated, especially when it comes to recovering from trauma or stress. Somatic practices can be groundbreaking for healing - physically and mentally.

With time and dedication, somatic practices can help us feel safe in our bodies and, consequently, calm in our minds. 

3 types of somatic healing practices

Talking about the trauma/stress you experienced with a professional or loved one can be incredibly powerful in the healing process, but many people forget to consider movement and their physical bodies. Here we'll explore three body-oriented practices that can support you.

Yoga

Gentle physical activity can provide a sense of relief and empowerment from trauma. Movement enables us to address stagnant emotions in our bodies.

Yoga is a great practice for those of us who are interested in an active and mindful approach to healing. With thoughtful movement, focused breathing, and awareness in the present moment, you can establish a strong bond with your body.

You can better understand how it responds to certain situations, noises, smells, and environments. Yoga allows us to get to grips with our internal sensory system. We can change how we respond to certain sensations in the body with regular practice. 

Trauma results in feeling triggered and stressed often and this can render us powerless, feeling out of control in our panicked bodies. Body-sensitive yoga allows us to get re-acquainted with the different movements and sensations in the body and find comfort again. Certain feelings may take us back to bad experiences, hence it’s important to practice in a safe environment, perhaps with a professional.

Through weekly practice, we can cultivate confidence to live fully in our bodies again, instead of running away from the difficult sensations. Symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress are likely to decrease when we are present in the moment and connected to our bodies. Generally speaking, yoga can help us enjoy our bodies, feel safe living inside of them, and stop us from associating them with fear. We can feel happy, excited, relaxed, and liberated in our bodies! 

Dancing and singing

Dancing and singing are forms of expression. They provide a way to externalise feelings, emotions, thoughts, and fears. This alternative way to free your inner pain allows you to create a sort of safe bubble around you, so the raw emotions are less debilitating. It allows you to look over the experience and embody it or vocalise it in a performative way; it’s a sort of interpretation. 

Sometimes recounting painful experiences in talking therapy feels too difficult and daunting. Dancing and singing is a less head-on approach that adds an element of creativity and lightheartedness. You can communicate vulnerable and negative experiences through dance and song, and translate them into something beautiful and empowering. Dancing to your own rhythm unapologetically and boldly allows for a profound physical and emotional release. It feels liberating to dance to music, feel confident in your body, and move intuitively. Dance can help us build trust in our bodies again.

When we sing, hum, or chant, we activate the vagus nerve. When this nerve is stimulated, our blood pressure is lowered, our stress response is discouraged and inflammation is reduced. Optimal vagus nerve function is also linked to strong connections with other humans and positive emotions. Vocalising our painful experiences through song can break down barriers and allow us to express how we really feel, perhaps not even through what we sing, but how we sing it - through our tone, pitch, or speed. Breakthroughs happen when we externalise our struggles and emotions, and dancing and singing are two great ways to let it all out.

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)

In an EMDR session, you are encouraged by an expert to recall the event that left you feeling traumatised or deeply stressed. You won’t have to think of the whole experience all at once, instead, you will be encouraged to break the memory down into chunks, remembering it moment by moment. This process necessitates bravery and openness; you need to let your brain freely explore whatever comes to mind.

The therapist will ask you to watch their fingers as they repetitively move them from one side of your face to the other. This somatic healing can change how we perceive traumatic or stressful memories, supposedly making them feel less negative. The movement of the eyes during a session instigates change in the brain so that the traumatic event is interpreted differently. EMDR is highly recommended for people with PTSD; many people have found it helps them find peace with their circumstances/past experiences.

If speaking to someone about your pain has not helped you let go of your painful past, perhaps it’s time for a more physical approach. We can use somatic healing practices to heal trauma and stress; whether it’s through dancing or singing, yoga, or eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy. 

Our bodies and minds are connected, therefore, our bodies can be a powerful tool for mental healing. When we find harmony within our bodies, we may, in turn, find it within our minds.