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Somatic Therapy, also referred to as ‘somatic counseling’ is a type of therapy that focuses on the connection of the body and the mind. This type of therapy includes Somatic Experiencing and Hakomi Therapy, and it helps people suffering from psychological trauma to recover and live a trauma-free life. Derived from the Greek word “soma,” meaning “living body,” somatic therapy focuses on the mind-body connection to recover from stress, anxiety, grief and even addiction.

What is Somatic Therapy?

As a body-centered therapy, somatic therapy examines the mind-body connection, combining psychotherapy and physical therapies to promote holistic healing. Thus, practitioners use mind-body connection exercises and other physical techniques, including somatic trauma therapy and Hakomi therapy. These techniques help people release repressed tension that is negatively affecting their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. As a result, somatic therapy has proven to be particularly useful in treating trauma.

Somatic Counseling

By combining traditional talk therapy with body-based therapy through a somatic counseling program, it can greatly help heal and aid in the recovery of traumatic impact. Somatic Experiencing assists trauma survivors to be more aware of trauma’s impact on the body. Subsequently, techniques like deep breathing and meditation help to relieve these tough symptoms. Thus, somatic counseling being a viable solution for trauma victims trying to fully heal and lead a happy life.

Research by Peter A. Levine, PhD, led to the Somatic Experiencing approach to trauma therapy. Hakomi therapy was founded in 1981 by Ron Kurtz and incorporates many of Levine’s techniques to explore the mind-body connection. By helping people achieve deeper insight, somatic trauma therapy leads to self-awareness and self-regulation. Moreover, somatic therapy emphasizes safety and offers access to the inner self, leading to positive change.

Sources: Hakomi Institute, Frontiers of Psychology (National Institutes of Health), US National Library of Medicine (National Institutes of Health)

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