How Somatic Psychology Can Affect The Body's Health

There are many types of psychological approaches, and in this post, we will look at a holistic type known as somatic psychology. Holistic psychology involves trying to heal the whole body, as opposed to a specific part. For example, if a person has been experiencing chronic neck pain, a holistic psychologist would ask questions that pertain to areas of the body and mind outside of the neck region. They might inquire about the person’s physical activity routine, sleep hygiene, environmental stressors, and family dynamic as opposed to searching for a pathological cause of neck pain (like a physical injury or disease). 

Somatic psychology – the focus of this article – is a subtype of holistic psychology that can better help us understand the complex relationship between our mind, body, brain, and behavior. Ahead, we will share a definition and history of somatic psychology, how it works in a clinical setting, as well as its potential benefits.

What is somatic psychology?

Somatic psychology is a form of psychotherapy that uses somatics – a field that emphasizes your experience and your internal physical perception, or how you see your movement. Soma means “the perception of your body from within.” The point of somatic psychology is to consider the interactions among your emotions, body, mind, and spirit to help you heal.

What does this mean? People who support somatic therapy believe your physical movements can be impacted by your emotions, thoughts, and beliefs. Also, your mental state can be affected by lifestyle choices like diet, exercise, and even your posture. Somatic therapy is proposed as a way to address these issues.

People who practice somatic psychotherapy believe in the whole, meaning they think the body and mind are one in the same. In essence, if only one part is treated, the other isn’t getting the care it deserves. If both are treated in a way that is respectful, you can be on your way to treating your whole self.

In psychology, your past trauma can affect you in many ways. According to the somatic theory, some of those ways include how your body displays itself. Your posture, facial expressions, body language, and pain may be a result of your trauma. Often, trauma is treated by therapy, but bodily therapy may need to be conducted in addition to helping you heal.

Somatic psychotherapy purports to help your body process unresolved emotions that become “trapped” in the body and remain unprocessed. It’s similar to body therapy, but body therapy doesn’t often consider the mental health issues that may be affecting how your body displays itself. Body therapy involves massages, physical therapy, and medicine to help your symptoms, but it rarely delves into addressing mental aspects. Somatic therapy aims to integrate the realms of the body and mind.

History of somatic psychology

Wilhelm Reich, a psychoanalyst from Austria, is responsible for developing somatic psychotherapy. However, other figures would emerge to develop the theory some more, including Pierre Janet, a psychotherapist from France. Janet made other contributions as well. And of course, Freud helped by looking at the body when it comes to mental health.

Let’s go back to Wilhelm Reich. Freud taught him, and he believed that our impulses are innately good. He published a book known as Character Analysis in 1933. In his work, he said that emotions are often repressed, but that personality in general, could be found in body languages such as muscle tension and posture. He called the body armor, and stated that for people to change, the way we present ourselves physically must change as well.

Later, the idea of body psychotherapy would grow. More health experts are noticing the benefits of somatic psychotherapy and how the body should be treated in addition to the mind. Today, there are many schools of somatic psychotherapy, which include the following.

• Mindfulness: involves being aware of the present and one’s bodily functions; often used to treat stress and anxiety, among other things.
• Core Energetics: balancing your mind, body, and spiritual energy to keep yourself in perfect health.
• Bioenergetic analysis: combines therapy with bodywork and psychology.
• This is when the body is used to solve any concerns a person has psychologically.
• Emotional reintegration: combines bodywork and cognitive thinking to help relieve trauma and find parts of your body that the trauma may have affected.

How somatic psychotherapy works

We’ve talked a lot about the history of somatic psychotherapy, but we still haven’t explained much on how the healing process itself works. Somatic psychotherapy works by filling in what traditional talk therapy leaves behind. Talk therapy can help many mental health issues, but some of them are not easily resolved, especially if they are connected to body language. The belief is that someone’s trauma can affect how the nervous system behaves, and when that happens it affects everything physically, including sexual dysfunctions, hormonal troubles, digestive problems, and inexplicable body tension.

When it comes to these issues, you should see a doctor to rule out other causes; however, if you believe your physical issues have an unknown cause, a somatic psychotherapist may be the answer you need. There may be unresolved tensions in your body, and they can be addressed through therapy. Some techniques used include:

• Breathing exercises: can calm your body down when it’s having a moment and can reduce your stress and anxiety. Do a few breathing exercises and see where it gets you. A psychotherapist can teach you how to do them properly.
• Noticing body sensations: can help you to focus on disconcerting energies and reduce their intensity.
• Physical exercise: can help your body in many different ways, including reducing pain and tension in your body.
• Guided relaxation: can relieve the tension you have while you treat the cause.
• Dancing: can help loosen your muscles and relieve your tension.
• Behavioral observation: involves a therapist who observes behaviors to understand how they impact our body and mind; then, the person can be encouraged to change the behaviors in a functional way.

How somatic psychotherapy helps a person

Somatic psychotherapy can help people in many different ways. The key to attaining the benefits involves listening and paying attention to one’s body.

• Improves self-awareness: lets us feel what is happening to our bodies and control our thoughts.
• Reduces stress: A little stress in your life is okay and to be expected; however, too much stress can make you feel like you can’t get anything done. Somatic psychotherapy helps to reduce your stress and keep it at a healthy level.
• Treats PTSD: Knowing how your body reacts to certain triggers can help you reduce your PTSD episodes, and somatic psychotherapy can help by allowing you to be more mindful.
• Helps regulate emotions: if your emotions feel out of sorts, somatic psychotherapy can help you keep them in check.
• Boosts self-confidence: A little confidence goes a long way, and if you’re having confidence issues, somatic psychotherapy can help.
• Reduces anxiety and depression: accomplished through mindfulness and eliminating negative thoughts that fuel anxiety.
• Improves relationships: teaches ways to resolve conflict in an efficient manner.

Somatic psychotherapy’s concerns

Somatic psychotherapy has many people who have sworn by its effectiveness, but its study in the scientific community is limited. As such, there are concerns about its effectiveness.

Somatic therapy does involve physical touch, and this can be an ethical problem in therapy. A somatic therapist needs to touch you to relieve pain and tension. For those who have had a past trauma, such as sexual abuse, you may not feel comfortable with somatic therapy.

Of course, touching should only be done with full consent between both parties; in all cases, a somatic therapist will review the therapeutic process with a client before beginning and describe the types of touches and areas where they may touch them. Those who do not want to be touched should not be forced to if they believe it will exacerbate their issue. It can also cause them to experience transference, where it is possible they transfer their sexual feelings onto their therapist.

However, if you are comfortable with ethical touching, somatic psychology may be worth a try. It’s certainly a different approach, but one that may hold some promise. 

Online somatic therapy for mind-body integration

Sometimes, people face barriers to receiving mental health support due to financial, time, or geographic constraints. Online therapy through platforms like MyTherapist may alleviate these hindrances because it enables users to schedule virtual counseling sessions with their dedicated therapist at convenient times and from a preferred location with a secure internet connection. Additionally, online therapy is considered by many to be a more affordable option than in-person therapy.

You may be wondering, “If somatic psychotherapy involves touching, how do I try it out online? Will it even work?” Somatic experiencing does not necessarily need to involve touching. Your online therapist can lead you through guided meditations, teach you different mindfulness strategies, or use other techniques to help you practice paying attention to your body and resolving unprocessed trauma. 

Many people have experienced positive outcomes from somatic experiencing. The first-known randomized controlled study to evaluate the effectiveness of somatic experiencing took place in 2017, and involved 63 participants who met the criteria for the DSM-IV definition of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). After the conclusion of the study, results showed that those who participated in somatic therapy achieved significant improvements in their symptoms. While research on online somatic therapy is limited, many studies have highlighted how online therapy is just as effective as in-person therapy in mitigating symptoms of anxiety, depression, and trauma – all phenomena that somatic therapy aims to address.

Takeaway

The journey to heal chronic pain can be frustrating – people may go from one doctor or specialist to the next in an attempt to understand the source of their pain. They may visit chiropractors, dentists, acupuncturists, and massage therapists. Additionally, they could spend a significant amount of money on x-rays, diagnostical tests, physical therapy, and other treatments that don’t yield any conclusive results. This process in itself can compound stress, further exacerbating chronic pain.

Somatic psychotherapy may be an excellent option for people who have gone through these kinds of experiences. When you collaborate with an online counselor at MyTherapist, they can reassure you that you are not alone in your struggles, and that there are steps you can take and processes you can learn to heal yourself from the inside out. If you are interested in learning more, reach out to a MyTherapist online counselor today.