What Is Somatic Therapy? (And Why It Might Be the Missing Piece in Your Healing)
If you've ever walked into a therapy session and felt like talking about it just wasn’t cutting it, you're not the only one!
So many of the individuals I work with, whether they’re navigating anxiety, grief, trauma, or chronic stress, already intellectualized their experiences a hundred different ways. They can name the patterns. They understand the triggers. They’ve read the books, journaled their hearts out, and maybe even know what their inner child wants to say.
But understanding something isn’t the same as healing it.
That’s where somatic therapy comes in.
So, What Is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic therapy is a body-based therapeutic approach that looks at how your physical sensations, posture, breath, and nervous system responses are all part of your emotional experience. Instead of staying in the “thinking mind,” we gently invite the body into the room too.
Because trauma doesn’t just live in your memories, it lives in your muscles, your gut, your breath. It shows up in tight shoulders, a racing heart, shallow breathing, or that feeling of being “frozen” or emotionally stuck.
Somatic therapy helps bring movement to what’s been stuck for too long.
Why the Body Matters in Healing
When you’re anxious, grieving, or overwhelmed, your body’s stress response kicks in, and it doesn’t always know how to shut off. You might feel keyed up, restless, or like you’re walking through life in a fog.
Somatic therapy helps regulate that system.
We use mindfulness, breath, gentle movement, guided awareness, and subtle cues from the body to support the entire system in coming back into balance. The goal isn’t to “get rid” of anxiety or grief, it’s to create space to feel, move through, and release what’s been held for far too long.
How It Supports Anxiety, Trauma, and Grief
When you experience trauma (or chronic stress), your body can go into survival mode, and sometimes it gets stuck there. You might be functioning, even thriving on the outside, but internally, there’s a constant buzz of tension or disconnection.
Somatic therapy can help you:
✔ Reconnect with your body in a safe, compassionate way
✔ Understand how your body reacts to emotional pain
✔ Learn tools to regulate your nervous system (especially when words fall short)
✔ Move stuck energy or survival patterns out of your system
✔ Feel more grounded and centered, even when things feel hard
For the Skeptical Mind
You don’t have to “believe” in somatic therapy for it to work. You just have to be open to noticing.
Maybe that tightness in your chest is trying to say something.
Maybe that clench in your jaw is holding a story you’ve never given voice to.
Maybe your body is wiser than you give it credit for.
At Origins Holistic Psychotherapy, this is the kind of work we do every day, helping individuals not only talk about what they’ve been through, but feel it, move it, and finally release it.
Because healing isn’t just in your head. It’s in your whole being.
Want to explore what this looks like for you? We’re currently accepting new clients, both in-person in Alpharetta and virtually across Georgia. You can book a free 15-minute consultation to learn more about how we work and what might support you best.
Your body has a voice.
We can teach you how to learn how to listen to it!