Trauma can leave lasting effects not only in the mind but also in the body. You might feel tense, restless, numb, or disconnected without knowing why. Somatic Experiencing is a gentle, body-based approach that helps release stored tension, rebuild a sense of safety, and support healing in a way that feels calm and manageable. It invites your body to participate in the recovery process, one steady step at a time.
What Is Somatic Experiencing?
When trauma affects the body, it often shows up through tension, restlessness, or a feeling of being disconnected. Somatic Experiencing offers a gentle, body-focused way to support healing from within.
A Body-Based Approach To Healing
Somatic Experiencing helps people tune into their physical sensations in a way that feels safe and supportive. It does not rely on telling your story or going over painful memories. Instead, it focuses on what the body is holding and helps release that tension slowly. This approach can bring relief for those who have tried talk therapy but still feel stuck in physical or emotional discomfort.
How Trauma Impacts The Nervous System
After a traumatic experience, the body may stay on high alert. You might feel jumpy, tense, numb, or completely shut down. These are signs that your nervous system has not returned to a state of calm. Somatic Experiencing helps shift the body out of that stuck state. It works with your natural ability to recover, helping you feel more grounded, steady, and aware of what is happening in the present moment.
Why Talk Alone Is Sometimes Not Enough
Talking about trauma is important, but it does not always reach the parts of us that feel tight, frozen, or reactive. Some trauma lives in the body, not just in thoughts. Somatic Experiencing gives people another way to heal—one that listens to the body’s signals and responds with care.
Somatic Experiencing can be a powerful addition to our individual therapy services for those looking for a more holistic path to healing. This method does not replace talk therapy but can work alongside it for a deeper, more complete healing process.
How Somatic Experiencing Supports Trauma Recovery
Healing from trauma is not just about thinking differently. It is also about feeling safe again in your body. Somatic Experiencing helps with both.
Releasing Held Tension
Trauma can stay in the body as muscle tightness, clenched jaws, shallow breathing, or a general feeling of restlessness. You might not even realize how much your body is holding. Somatic Experiencing helps you notice and release this tension slowly, in a way that feels manageable. As the body begins to relax, you may feel more present, more peaceful, and less stuck.
Restoring A Sense Of Safety
One of the hardest things about trauma is the feeling that you are not safe in your own skin. Somatic Experiencing helps rebuild that sense of safety. Through small, guided steps, you reconnect with your body in a way that feels calm and supportive. You begin to trust that you can handle sensations, emotions, and reactions without being overwhelmed.
Supporting Emotional Regulation
When the body starts to feel more balanced, your emotions often follow. You may find it easier to pause, respond calmly, and stay steady even when stress shows up. Somatic Experiencing gives you tools to notice what is happening in your body before it becomes too much. This helps you feel more in control, more at ease, and better able to care for yourself during difficult moments.
Key Techniques Used In Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing uses simple but powerful tools that support healing without pushing or overwhelming the body.
At Alpine Integrative Wellness, we also offer integrative therapies like Healing Touch that complement this body-centered approach and help deepen the healing process.
Together, these techniques help you build trust in yourself and reconnect with your body’s natural ability to heal.
Tuning In To Body Sensations
One of the core parts of Somatic Experiencing is learning how to notice what your body is feeling in the present moment. This can include sensations like warmth, coolness, tightness, tingling, or a flutter in the chest. You are not asked to label these as good or bad—just to be curious and pay attention. This practice helps you get out of your head and back into your body, one small step at a time.
Over time, this increased awareness can help you feel more in tune with yourself and better able to respond to stress as it arises.
Pendulation And Resourcing
Rather than staying in discomfort or pushing through emotional pain, Somatic Experiencing introduces pendulation. This is the gentle movement between a stressful sensation and something that feels safe or soothing. You might notice a tight feeling in your chest, then shift attention to the solid feeling of your feet on the ground. This back-and-forth helps the nervous system release stress in a safe and balanced way.
Resourcing means identifying things that bring you comfort, both internally and externally. It could be a memory, a place, or simply noticing your breath. These tools give you something steady to hold on to when emotions rise.
Completing Survival Responses
Trauma often interrupts the body’s natural survival reactions. You may have wanted to fight, run, or protect yourself, but couldn’t. That energy stays stuck in the body. In Somatic Experiencing, the therapist gently supports your body in finishing what it never had the chance to complete.
This might include small movements like pushing your hands, shaking your arms, or noticing a spontaneous deep breath or sigh. These signs show that the nervous system is beginning to reset. When the body is allowed to complete these responses, a deep sense of relief and calm often follows. This process helps people feel more grounded, less reactive, and more in control of their body and emotions.
Who Can Benefit From Somatic Experiencing?
Somatic Experiencing is gentle, adaptable, and supportive for a wide range of people. It is especially helpful for those who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or out of touch with their body after stress or trauma.
Survivors Of Shock Trauma
People who have experienced sudden or overwhelming events—such as car accidents, medical emergencies, natural disasters, or assaults—often feel the effects long after the event has passed. The body may stay tense, jumpy, or frozen, even when the mind says everything is fine. Somatic Experiencing works directly with these physical responses. It helps survivors feel safe again, not just mentally but physically. Over time, the body can begin to relax, and the nervous system can find a steadier rhythm.
People With Complex Or Developmental Trauma
Those who experienced childhood neglect, ongoing emotional stress, or attachment wounds often carry deep, long-standing patterns of tension and disconnection. These patterns are not always easy to explain with words.
At Alpine, our family and child therapy services provide supportive options for addressing these early life experiences alongside Somatic Experiencing.
Somatic Experiencing offers a slower, more body-centered way to approach healing. It allows the body to feel supported without pressure to revisit every detail of the past. This is especially helpful for people who have tried talk therapy but still feel stuck in their healing process.
Anyone Feeling Disconnected From Their Body
You do not need to have a clear trauma history to benefit from Somatic Experiencing. Some people feel numb, anxious, or overwhelmed in their daily lives without knowing why. Others feel like they are living in their head, disconnected from what their body is feeling. Somatic work helps rebuild that connection. It teaches you how to listen to your body in a way that feels safe and manageable. This process brings more presence, comfort, and ease into everyday life.
Everyday Signs You May Benefit From Somatic Work
Many people carry stress or trauma in their bodies without realizing it. Somatic Experiencing can help even if you are not sure what caused your discomfort. These signs may be small, but they often point to something your body is trying to say.
Chronic Physical Tension Or Pain Without Clear Cause
If your body always feels tight, achy, or tired—and medical tests do not explain why—it could be that stress or past experiences are being held in your muscles and nervous system. Somatic work helps gently unwind this tension and bring relief.
Feeling Numb, Disconnected, Or On Edge
You may not feel fully present in your body or emotions. Some people describe this as feeling checked out, spaced out, or constantly bracing for something bad. These are signs that your system may still be in a protective state. Somatic Experiencing can help bring you back to a more settled, grounded place.
Trouble Relaxing Or Sleeping Even When You Feel Safe
If your body has trouble calming down—like racing thoughts at night, jumpiness during the day, or difficulty breathing deeply—it might be holding onto old stress patterns. Somatic work helps your system relearn what true rest feels like, one small step at a time.
Somatic Experiencing Therapy at Alpine Integrative Wellness
You don’t have to carry the weight of stress, trauma, or disconnection alone. Somatic Experiencing offers a gentle, body-centered path to healing by helping your nervous system find balance and safety again—one small step at a time.
At Alpine Integrative Wellness, we offer in-person therapy for trauma and nervous system healing in Boise, Meridian, Ketchum, and Hailey, Idaho, along with telehealth sessions for those who prefer to access care from home.
Our therapists are trained in Somatic Experiencing and other integrative approaches to help you feel more grounded, calm, and connected. Schedule a free consultation to begin your healing process with compassionate, body-informed care tailored to your needs.