3 Types of Somatic Therapy: Understanding Body-Based Healing Approaches

1. Somatic Experiencing (SE)

What It Is

Somatic Experiencing is a body-oriented therapeutic approach developed by Peter Levine. Research describes SE as treating post-traumatic symptoms by changing the interoceptive and proprioceptive sensations associated with traumatic experiences.

A scoping literature review from 2021 found preliminary evidence for positive effects of SE on PTSD-related symptoms. The research also suggests that SE has a positive impact on affective and somatic symptoms and measures of well-being in both traumatized and non-traumatized samples.

How It Works

Rather than relying on intense exposure to traumatic memories, SE works gradually. The approach involves working with small gradations of traumatic activation alternated with the use of bodily resources. Working with small increments of traumatic material is a key component of SE, as is the development of somatic resources.

Practitioners and clients identified resource-orientation and use of touch as method-specific key factors of SE. The therapy helps people track physical sensations and work with them rather than pushing through or avoiding them.

What Sessions Look Like

During SE sessions:

• You pay attention to body sensations, movements, and feelings
• The therapist helps you notice and track what’s happening in your body
• You work gently with difficult memories through body awareness
• You develop resources that help your nervous system feel safe
• Progress happens gradually at a pace that feels manageable

2. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy

What It Is

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy integrates traditional talk therapy with body-centered techniques. This approach recognizes that trauma and difficult experiences affect how we hold our bodies, our posture, and our physical patterns.

Research on body-oriented therapies shows that body psychotherapy fulfills the standards of verbal psychotherapy while adding the body as a central therapeutic tool.

How It Works

This approach uses what can be learned from gestures, posture, facial expressions, eye gaze, and movement. Therapists help you become aware of physical patterns that developed in response to difficult experiences.

The therapy explores:

• How your body responds to stress or triggers
• Physical patterns that might keep you stuck
• Ways to shift these patterns to feel more present and safe
• Integration of body awareness with emotional processing

What Makes It Unique

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy blends cognitive awareness with physical tracking. You might talk about experiences while also noticing what happens in your body, then work with those physical responses directly.

3. Body-Oriented Mindfulness and Regulation Techniques

What It Is

This category includes various approaches that use body awareness, movement, and regulation techniques to address stress and emotional challenges. These methods help you develop skills to manage your nervous system responses.

Nanton describes her passion for this integrated approach: “I’m very passionate about blending both somatic work and psychotherapy or talk therapy, so that I’m really providing opportunities for individuals to release as much of that stress and deep-rooted trauma as they can from the body.”

Why Regulation Comes First

Nanton explains a key principle: “Most moments when people feel dysregulated or stressed is going to require them to regulate themselves and get into their somatic body, as opposed to what typically people are encouraged to do, which is like challenge the thoughts and let me challenge my thoughts and see how I can think about this situation differently.”

She continues: “More times than not, you’re not going to be able to access your cognitive thinking brain if you’re not grounded and regulated in the moment and in your body and being present in your body and the senses that are within you and around you.”

Common Techniques

Breathwork:

Nanton describes specific breathing practices: “That’s with breath work, like alternate nostril breathing, which balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain, whether that’s three-part breath breathing expansively into your body, because oftentimes, when we’re stressed or anxious, we’re breathing very shallow, short breaths.”

Physical Movement:

“That’s also like physically shaking. There’s shaking, there’s jumping, there’s vigorous movements that gives your body the opportunity to really release that energy,” Nanton explains. These movements help discharge stress and tension held in the body.

Grounding and Orienting:

Nanton describes a powerful grounding technique: “We’re scanning the room. We’re looking at, okay, like five senses. What do I see? What do I hear? What do I smell? What do I taste? What do I touch? And get detailed about it. I see something green. I see a green tree that’s really tall and really big. I smell something that smells really sour or sweet, like really get specific about the detailing, the details of present moment awareness.”

She explains the process: “Then we’re going inward. Okay? What am I feeling in my body? It’s this dance of, let me go inward and scan, and let me go outward and scan inward, outward, and where that is, what is called orientating. I’m orienting into the space. I’m getting familiar, I’m getting safe.”