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Aurora Counseling Associates

In plain terms

Somatic therapy

Somatic therapy is an approach that works with the body, not only the thinking mind, on the understanding that stress and trauma live in the nervous system and show up as tension, bracing, or numbness. Sessions pay attention to physical sensation and what the body is doing, so the nervous system can settle. It is often used alongside talk therapy.

Why the body matters

A threat response is physical before it is verbal: the chest tightens, the stomach drops, the jaw sets. When a stressful or traumatic experience does not fully finish, the body can keep holding that charge, which is why people say they know they are safe but do not feel it. Somatic work treats those sensations as information and a way in, rather than something to think your way past.

What it looks like

Sessions slow down and pay attention to sensation, breath, posture, and small impulses to move, so the nervous system can complete what it did not get to and settle. It pairs naturally with trauma therapy, anxiety work, and EMDR. You stay in control of the pace throughout, and nothing about it requires reliving the worst moment in detail.

This page is part of our therapy glossary.

Where we work with this

Related areas we work in

Questions

Common questions

Do I have to talk about the trauma in detail?
No. Somatic work often moves through sensation rather than narrative, so you can do meaningful work without recounting every detail. You set the pace.
Is somatic therapy evidence-based?
Body-based approaches are increasingly supported for trauma and anxiety, and they are usually used alongside established talk therapies rather than in place of them.
Is it the same as a massage or bodywork?
No. There is no physical treatment. It is talk therapy that pays close attention to what the body is doing, so the nervous system can regulate.

Ready when you are

A free 15-minute call is the easiest way to find out whether Aurora is the right fit.

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References and further reading

Somatic work often supports trauma therapy. Learn more from Somatic Experiencing International and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, and see our physical health resources.