“The burden of unexpressed emotions can leave you feeling heavy and weighted down, as if you have been carrying a heavy backpack for many years" Dr. Arielle Schwartz

Somatic therapy and EMDR

Somatic therapy facilitates resolution of trauma and PTSD responses. We can’t always think our way out of traumatic experiences. One of the biggest issues that we face as human beings is that we can feel trapped by our own physical and emotional states. These are the times that we feel panicky and anxious, without the ability to calm down. Other times we feel depressed and unmotivated and can’t seem to accomplish simple tasks. The brilliance of somatic interventions is the ability to directly intervene by developing new neural pathways and behaviours that provide alternative ways of responding to your environment without getting stuck in the habits of the past.

The synthesis of somatic psychology and EMDR Therapy is an exciting advancement in mental health. As stand alone therapies these are now considered to be two of the best trauma treatment models available. Integrating these therapies enhances the effectiveness of both.

Somatic therapy is a form of therapy that focuses on the connection between the mind and body in order to promote holistic healing. It is based on the principle that our physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts are interconnected and influence each other. The word "somatic" refers to the body, so somatic therapy emphasizes bodily experience as a key aspect of psychological health.

Key features of somatic therapy include:

• Body Awareness: Somatic therapists help clients become more aware of their bodily sensations, movements, and posture. This awareness can reveal underlying emotions, stress patterns, or trauma held in the body.

• Mind-Body Connection: The therapy aims to address psychological issues by working with bodily experiences. For example, chronic tension or pain may be explored as manifestations of unresolved emotional issues.

• Techniques and Approaches: Somatic therapy may incorporate various techniques such as breathwork, mindfulness, gentle movement, and touch. These are used to release tension, process emotions, and improve overall well-being.

• Trauma-Informed: Many somatic therapists are trained in trauma-informed approaches, recognizing that trauma can be stored in the body and working gently to release this stored tension.

• Integration: The ultimate goal of somatic therapy is to integrate the insights gained from body awareness into the client’s emotional and psychological healing process, leading to greater self-awareness, resilience, and overall health.

Somatic therapy can be beneficial for a wide range of issues including anxiety, depression, trauma, chronic stress, and emotional regulation.

Somatic Therapy Explained

Somatic Psychology engages body awareness as a intervention in psychotherapy. Somatic interventions addresses the connections between the brain, the mind, and behaviour. Therapists who emphasize “talk therapy” generally focus on the mind as influencing psychological health, however the somatically oriented therapist uses knowledge if the basic functions of the nervous system to greatly enhance the therapeutic process.

Somatic Psychology offers key concepts that include:

• Grounding: This concept essentially sits at the heart of all body-based psychotherapy. Introduced by Alexander Lowen, developer of bioenergetics, grounding refers to our ability to experience ourselves as embodied. Grounding involves sensing the body, feeling your feet on the earth, and calming the nervous system.

• Cultivating Somatic Awareness: The somatic therapist promotes awareness of the body. We can then work with breath constrictions and tension patterns that are held just under our conscious awareness. Simply bringing awareness to physical sensations creates change.

• Staying Descriptive: Whereas early somatic therapists made interpretations based upon tension or posture patterns; modern day somatic therapists become curious about the somatic experience of the client. You can try this on your own by noticing your sensations. Try using descriptive words such as hot, cold, tingly, sharp, or dull.

• Deepening Awareness: Once we have become aware of sensations or a tension pattern we deepen the experience by gently amplifying the sensations. For example, we can focus our breath into the sensation, make a sound, or add movements. The key is to deepen at a pace that does not create overwhelm and honors your timing.

• Resourcing: When we help clients develop resources we focus on increasing a sense of choice and safety. Identify people, times, and places that facilitate a sense of safety, calm, or peace. How do you know when you feel peaceful or relaxed? How does your body feel?

• Titration: When we turn our attention to traumatic events our body-centered awareness helps us become conscious of our physical tension patterns. Titration refers to a process of experiencing small amounts of distress at a time with a goal to discharge the tension. Used in both Somatic Experiencing (Peter Levine) and

•  (Pat Ogden and Kekuni Minton), titration is achieved by “pendulating” or oscillating attention between feeling the distress and feeling safe and calm.

• Sequencing: When somatic tension begins to discharge or release, we typically report the movement of emotion and sensations. Tension in the belly might move to chest and then becomes tightness in the throat and forehead. Sometimes we might visibly see hands or legs shake and tremble. The tension eventually releases–sometimes in the form of tears, an ability to breathe more freely, or possibly the feeling of lightness.

• Movement and Process: Somatic therapies tap into our innate healing capacity by inviting us to listen to the story as told by the body. Our postures, gestures, and use of space provide insight into our experience. For example, a client who has  an impulse to crouch, cower, or hide is invited to mindfully engage in these defensive movements. After doing so, she may notice a new impulse to push her arms and kick her legs. As she intuitively re-engages these protective movements resolution may arise with a new found sense of calm in her body.

• Boundary Development: When we allow our somatic awareness to guide the pacing of therapy we must work in the here and now. Focusing on the present moment empowers you to stay responsive to changing needs and helps you develop clear boundaries. A boundary allows you to recognize and speak your “yes” and your “no” in a way that helps you feel protected and strong.

• Self-Regulation: Modern somatic therapies integrate research from neuroscience about how we respond to stress and trauma. Such research emphasizes the importance of mindfully staying connected to the body in the midst of big emotions or sensations. When you develop awareness of body sensations you are better able to regulate (respond effectively) to emotional intensity. Ultimately this helps you stay connected and supported amidst the intensity of healing trauma.

Somatic Therapies Today

Somatic Psychology has evolved over time from the cathartic approaches of Wilhelm Reich and Alexander Lowen who emphasized strong physical and emotional release. These early therapeutic modalities often involved very intense and even invasive approaches such as deep pressure massage, primal screams, and stressful positions held over time. While these therapies were effective in creating rapid change they often involved overwhelming experiences that resulted in re-traumatizing the client.  As a result modern day somatic approaches incorporate mindfulness to facilitate somatic release in a safe, contained fashion.

 EMDR explained

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a therapeutic approach designed to help people process distressing memories and experiences, particularly those associated with trauma.  EMDR was developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s. Shapiro observed that certain eye movements seemed to reduce the intensity of disturbing thoughts, leading to the development of EMDR as a structured therapy.

The primary goal of EMDR is to help individuals reprocess traumatic memories and integrate them in a way that reduces their emotional impact and associated symptoms. Trauma, in the context of EMDR, can range from acute events like accidents or assaults to chronic experiences such as childhood abuse or neglect.

Key Components of EMDR Therapy

• Assessment and Preparation: The therapist works with the client to identify specific memories or experiences that are causing distress. They assess the readiness of the client for EMDR and ensure that coping skills are in place to manage emotional reactions that may arise during the process.

• Desensitization: During the desensitization phase, the client focuses on the targeted memory while simultaneously attending to a bilateral stimulation. This can involve following the therapist's fingers moving side to side, listening to tones alternating in each ear, or tapping on the client's hands or knees.

• Reprocessing: As the bilateral stimulation continues, the client's brain is thought to process the memory differently, often leading to insights, changes in emotions, or new perspectives. Negative beliefs associated with the memory are challenged, and more adaptive beliefs can emerge.

• Installation: Positive beliefs or self-statements that have been identified as desirable are "installed" or strengthened during this phase. This helps the client to build resilience and reduce the emotional distress associated with the memory.

• Body Scan: The therapist guides the client through a body scan to ensure that any residual tension or discomfort related to the memory has been addressed and resolved.

• Closure: At the end of each session, the therapist ensures that the client is stable and grounded before concluding. This may involve relaxation exercises or other techniques to help the client feel calm and in control.

• Reevaluation: In subsequent sessions, the therapist and client evaluate progress and identify any new aspects of the memory that may need further processing.

The exact mechanism of how EMDR works is not fully understood, but several studies suggest that the bilateral stimulation used in EMDR may facilitate the brain's information processing system, allowing traumatic memories to be reprocessed in a less distressing way. This can lead to a reduction in the emotional charge associated with the memory and a decrease in symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, and hypervigilance.

EMDR is recognized as an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by organizations like the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization. It is also used to treat other conditions such as anxiety disorders, phobias, and depression, particularly when these are linked to traumatic experiences.  Stay tuned to the next blog on Trauma.