What Somatic Therapy isn't

There are a lot of questions around what Somatic Therapy is—and that’s fair! Learning Somatic Therapy is a bit like learning a new language. The body “speaks” through sensations rather than words, and through metaphor rather than fact or opinion. Sometimes we might lean toward talk therapy, but we are always conscious of bringing the focus back to the body.

Unfortunately, there are a few misconceptions about Somatic Therapy floating around social media. Quick bites of information aren't well suited to the nuance and slowness of somatic work. I recently saw a cartoon comparing talk therapy to Somatic Therapy. The first panel showed two bored people saying, “Wah, wah, wah”—I assume representing talk therapy. The second showed an ecstatic client with a therapist placing a hand on their back, implying: “Voila! Done! Magic!” Yikes. Talk about pressure.

So, what isn’t Somatic Therapy?

1. It isn’t Magic

It isn’t your system being magically manipulated back into alignment by a therapist. Your body naturally wants to return to homeostatic balance. Given safety, presence, and enough time to sit with different sensations, your body will regulate. It feels amazing—it can even feel magical—but it isn’t magic. It is simply your own body returning to regulation.

Without slowing down to listen to the body, we can stay stuck in dysregulation for days, months, or even years. Learning to listen to your body so regulation can happen is a skill that takes time to build, and co-regulation with a skilled therapist is essential for healing trauma.

2. It isn’t an Instant Catharsis

Social media often leads people to believe that a single somatic session will cathartically release all their trauma. It just doesn’t work like that. Your body doesn’t feel safe simply because you tell it to; it feels safe when safety is established and fully integrated. That rarely happens in a single session. True safety is earned and tested over time.

Once enough safety and trust are built—and you’ve learned how to listen and allow your body to lead—a natural response happens. It might be externally visible (shaking, trembling, crying, yawning) or felt internally. It isn't performative; it feels right and happens autonomically. This is often called a "discharge"—the release of a traumatic response previously held in the body.

This isn’t to say we won’t "try out" different responses. If an autonomic reaction seems stuck, we might play with other options. For instance, if someone was never allowed to express anger growing up, they may have suppressed it so deeply that they believe they don't feel anger at all. This usually comes with a physical pattern of bracing—tight muscles or shallow breathing—to stop those precursor sensations from surfacing. In therapy, we might practice specific gestures or movements to prime the fight response associated with anger. The goal isn't to make someone angry, but to give them access to the defensive system needed to say a clear "No." This process is called "priming." While “priming” is consciously taught and practiced, a “discharge” is an automatic release from the body.

3. It isn’t Fast

A helpful definition of trauma is “too much, too fast, or too little for too long.” The antidote to trauma is titration—taking things in small doses at a pace slow enough, and with enough support, for the body to truly realize that the danger is over.

Building the container and developing those skills takes time. Once the body finally lets go, the shift itself can happen quickly—but only because of the trust, support, and safety that were established first.