Beyond Talk: How Somatic Therapy Reaches the Roots of Emotional Pain
When Talking Isn’t Enough
Talk therapy can be life-changing—but for many of us, words only go so far. Sometimes, no matter how much we analyze, explain, or understand our pain, it doesn’t shift. That’s where somatic therapy comes in. It goes beneath the story, into the body, where a deeper layer of healing can begin.
Your Body Remembers What the Mind Can’t
I’ve worked with so many people who’ve said, “I know where this comes from. I’ve talked about it for years. But it still lives in me.” What they’re describing is emotional pain that’s gotten stuck—pain that didn’t get to move through when it first happened. It shows up as tightness in the chest, a knot in the stomach, or a sense of being shut down or on edge, even when life looks “fine” from the outside.
Somatic therapy invites us to turn toward those physical signals, not as symptoms to get rid of, but as messengers. Your body carries its own kind of memory. It often knows things long before your mind can put them into words. And that’s not a flaw—it’s part of how we survive.
The Process of Somatic Therapy
In somatic work, we slow down. We listen differently. I might guide you to notice sensations that arise as you speak, or help you stay with a felt sense of safety or discomfort, without needing to fix it right away. Sometimes, I use movement, breath, or grounding practices to support this process. It’s not about pushing through pain—it’s about building enough safety and trust in your body to gently explore what’s been held there.
Reaching the Roots, Not Just Managing Symptoms
When we involve the body in therapy, we’re not just managing symptoms—we’re reaching the roots. Emotional patterns that once felt immovable can start to loosen. People tell me they feel more spacious, more connected, more like themselves again—not because they figured something out intellectually, but because their system finally had room to complete an old response or release what’s no longer needed.
Real Change Looks Subtle (at First)
This kind of healing doesn’t always come with big dramatic moments. It can be subtle—like realizing you’re breathing more freely, setting a boundary without panic, or simply waking up not dreading the day. That’s the power of working with the body: it helps restore what got interrupted, and it does so at a pace that honors your nervous system.
Letting the Body Speak
If you’ve tried talk therapy and feel like something’s still missing, it might not be that you’re doing it wrong. It might just be time to let your body have a voice, too.