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Somatic therapy has the potential to assist in establishing better mental health and wellness. It can help ease stress from the body and can help people manage trauma symptoms. Unlike other forms of therapy, Somatic therapy focuses more on the connection between the mind and body.
Want to learn more about the potential of Somatic therapy in wellness? Everything is below, so let’s begin.
1. It Establishes Stronger Mind-Body Awareness
Firstly, Somatic therapy is known for building a better connection between the mind and body. Patients work on becoming more aware of their bodily sensations and how they relate to their emotions.
Patients who practice becoming more attuned to their bodies can notice more subtle feelings, letting them know when something’s wrong. Being more aware of your body will help you work on your mental health, too.
There are several ways that Somatic therapy helps patients establish a stronger mind-body awareness, including:
- It teaches body scanning, an exercise where patients practice bringing awareness to different parts of their body to check for tension or pain. It lets them know where they’re holding onto stress.
- It also teaches breathing awareness. Taking note of breathing can help patients be more grounded. They focus on the pattern of their breath and slow it down to relax. This process makes them more aware of how their breathing relates to their emotional state.
- Somatic therapy focuses on sensation tracking as well. Patients follow their emotions and body responses to memories during this exercise.
- Lastly, Somatic therapy uses gentle movements to let patients test how these motions make them feel. It helps them understand how their physical exercises impact their mind and emotions.
2. It Can Assist With Treating Trauma
Next, Somatic therapy can help to treat trauma. Traumatic experiences usually take form in the body as stress and tension and can arise in many ways.
Somatic therapy helps to release the trauma stored in the body through various techniques that encourage the patient to be more mindful of their mind-body connection.
Additionally, it helps PTSD patients to remain grounded. Many people with trauma feel disconnected from the present. However, many Somatic therapy techniques focus on mindfulness and being in the moment. Over time, patients will have more mental health tools to manage their symptoms from trauma, helping them to heal.
3. It Can Help With Experiencing and Expressing Emotions
It can be difficult for many people to narrow down their emotions. Somatic therapy aims to help patients identify their feelings, allowing them to express themselves better. They learn to recognize emotions based on feelings within the body.
This experience can help people better understand and regulate their negative emotions, improving mental health. Many patients also develop better emotional resilience, an essential skill in dealing with daily stressors.
Somatic therapy teaches people to experience and accept their emotions so that they can express them accurately.
This benefit also allows patients to see an improvement in their personal relationships. People can become closer to others when they express themselves better and understand their emotions because they can feel more empathy. Relating to others is challenging when you don’t understand yourself first.
4. It Builds Mindfulness
Establishing mindfulness is another crucial part of Somatic therapy. It teaches you various techniques to remain present. Patients practice staying aware of their thoughts and sensations, allowing them to know what they’re doing at that moment.
It can be all too easy to “drift off” and not focus on the task at hand, especially for those with trauma or anxiety. Somatic therapy keeps patients more grounded, allowing them to relax and enjoy the moment.
Mindfulness is a vital skill for every person to have. According to News in Health, it can help you manage stress and may even boost self-esteem.
5. It Teaches Good Stress Management
Stress is a part of everyday life, so everyone should learn some techniques to manage it. One Somatic therapy technique, progressive muscle relaxation, can help patients identify where they’re feeling tense and release that feeling.
In Somatic therapy, various grounding and mindfulness practices are also excellent for managing stress. Meditation is another skill that Somatic therapy teaches for reducing stress. Needless to say, knowing these tactics would then be very beneficial to someone’s mental health.
Finally, Somatic therapy encourages clients to practice mindful physical activities, like Tai Chi and Yoga. These exercises are perfect for relaxing and help build a stronger mind-body connection through gentle motions and breathing awareness.
6. It Encourages a Positive Mental Health Journey
Many people seeking to better their mental health find themselves in Somatic therapy. They find that it lets them be more active in caring for their mental well-being. Many also view the therapy as a form of self-discovery and recovery.
Clients use it to learn more about their minds and bodies while learning skills they can use daily. Many people say they feel refreshed and more relaxed after a session.
Everyone’s mental health journey is different, but Somatic therapy can fit a lot of people’s needs. Whether they want to focus on treating trauma, expressing themselves better, or learning to manage their stress better, Somatic therapy has something for everyone.
You can take the tools that benefit your mental health journey the most Somatic therapy, making it versatile and a good fit for many people.
How Accepted Is Somatic Therapy’s Potential?
Somatic therapy has gained increased recognition over the years, becoming more common for improving mental health. It’s even become part of many other therapeutic methods.
More research and studies are coming out showing that Somatic therapy has a ton of potential within the mental health field. Plus, many clients have a strong desire to learn more about it.
Somatic Therapy Has a Lot of Potential
As you can see, Somatic therapy has ample potential for mental health and wellness. It can assist with trauma treatment, experiencing and expressing emotions, and stress management. As more research is done in Somatic therapy, we’ll learn more about how it can benefit our well-being.
