3 Types of Somatic Therapy: A Complete Guide to Body-Based Healing

What if true healing starts not in your thoughts but in your body? Unlike traditional talk therapy, which focuses on changing thought patterns, somatic therapy works with the physical sensations where trauma is often stored in the muscles, nervous system, and cellular memory.

In this guide, we’ll explore 3 types of somatic therapy that highlight the powerful connection between mind and body. These holistic approaches are helping people heal from trauma, chronic stress, and mental health challenges by addressing what talk therapy alone may miss.

What is Somatic Therapy?

Somatic therapy, also known as body psychotherapy, focuses on the deep mind-body connection to support healing. Unlike traditional trauma therapy, which emphasizes thoughts and emotions, somatic therapy recognizes that trauma is often stored in the body as physical tension, chronic pain, or disrupted stress responses. The term “somatic” comes from the Greek word for body, highlighting the approach’s emphasis on bodily awareness.

By tuning into physical sensations through techniques like breathwork, movement, and mindfulness, clients can access and release stored trauma that talk therapy alone may not reach. Somatic therapy offers a powerful path to healing by helping individuals feel their way through emotional pain, addressing patterns that lie beyond conscious awareness.

The 3 Primary Types of Somatic Therapy

1. Somatic Experiencing (SE)

Somatic Experiencing, developed by Dr. Peter Levine, is perhaps the most well-known type of somatic therapy. This approach is based on Levine’s observation that wild animals, despite facing life-threatening situations regularly, rarely suffer from trauma symptoms. The key difference is that animals naturally discharge the pent-up energy created by traumatic experiences through shaking, trembling, and other physical movements.

Core Principles of Somatic Experiencing:

  • Pendulation: Moving between states of activation and calm
  • Titration: Processing trauma in small, manageable pieces
  • Resourcing: Accessing positive memories and sensations

SE focuses on helping clients learn about their nervous system and how it responds to stress. Rather than requiring people to relive traumatic memories in detail, this therapeutic approach teaches individuals to track their bodily sensations and learn to self-regulate. The therapist helps clients notice when they’re becoming activated and guides them back to a state of calm.

During SE sessions, clients might experience spontaneous movements, trembling, or other physical releases as stored trauma begins to discharge from the body. This natural process allows the nervous system to complete responses that were interrupted during the original traumatic event.

What SE Treats Best:

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Anxiety and panic attacks
  • Chronic pain and tension
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Emotional numbness

2. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR therapy is a structured, evidence-based approach that uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain process traumatic memories. Developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro, this method involves having clients recall distressing memories while engaging in specific eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation.

The bilateral stimulation, typically rapid eye movements from side to side, appears to help the brain process traumatic memories more effectively. This process allows the memory to be stored properly rather than remaining “stuck” in an activated state that continues to cause distress.

The EMDR Process includes:

  • Preparation: Building coping skills and establishing safety
  • Assessment: Identifying target memories and measuring distress
  • Desensitization: Processing memories with bilateral stimulation
  • Installation: Strengthening positive beliefs
  • Body scan: Checking for remaining physical tension
  • Closure: Ensuring client stability before ending
  • Reevaluation: Assessing progress in subsequent sessions

EMDR is particularly effective for single-incident traumas and has extensive research supporting its effectiveness for treating PTSD. Many clients experience significant improvement in just a few sessions, making it one of the more efficient trauma treatments available.

What EMDR Treats Best:

  • Single-incident trauma (accidents, assaults, natural disasters)
  • Combat-related PTSD
  • Childhood trauma
  • Phobias and panic disorders
  • Recent traumatic events

3. Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP)

AEDP, developed by Dr. Diana Fosha, is based on the belief that we all have natural healing capacities and core emotions that, when fully experienced, lead to transformation and growth. This approach focuses on creating a deeply affirming therapeutic relationship where clients can safely experience and process emotions.

Key Elements of AEDP:

  • Relational healing: The therapeutic relationship is central to healing
  • Core emotions: Anger, sadness, fear, joy, excitement, and disgust are seen as healthy and adaptive
  • Undoing aloneness: Healing happens in connection with others
  • Moment-to-moment tracking: Therapist and client pay close attention to what’s happening in the present moment

Unlike some other somatic approaches, AEDP therapists are actively engaged and emotionally present with their clients. They share their own emotional responses and observations, creating a corrective emotional experience that helps heal attachment wounds and trauma.

The therapist helps clients learn to tolerate and fully experience their emotions rather than avoiding or suppressing them. This process often leads to profound shifts and what AEDP calls “transformational experiences,” where clients feel a deep sense of vitality and connection.

What AEDP Treats Best:

  • Attachment trauma and relationship wounds
  • Depression and emotional numbness
  • Anxiety and fear-based responses
  • Grief and loss
  • Relationship difficulties

Choosing the Right Somatic Therapy for You

Selecting the most appropriate type of somatic therapy depends on several factors, including the nature of your trauma, your comfort level with different approaches, and your specific healing goals.

Consider Somatic Experiencing if you:

  • Experience chronic tension or physical symptoms
  • Feel disconnected from your body
  • Have difficulty with emotional regulation
  • Want to focus on nervous system healing rather than detailed memory processing

Consider EMDR if you:

  • Have specific traumatic memories that continue to cause distress
  • Prefer a more structured therapeutic approach
  • Want evidence-based treatment with proven effectiveness
  • Are you dealing with recent trauma or PTSD symptoms

Consider AEDP if you:

  • Struggle with emotional numbness or disconnection
  • Have attachment or relationship trauma
  • Want a highly relational therapeutic experience
  • Feel comfortable with an emotionally engaged therapist

Additional Somatic Approaches Worth Knowing

While the three types above represent the primary somatic therapies, several other approaches integrate body awareness and somatic principles:

  • Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Focuses on how early attachment experiences shape our physical posture and movement patterns. Developed by Pat Ogden, this approach helps clients become aware of how their bodies hold memories and unconscious beliefs from past experiences.
  • Hakomi Method: A mindfulness-based somatic approach that uses gentle touch and movement to explore core beliefs and patterns stored in the body. This method emphasizes non-violence and follows the body’s natural wisdom.
  • Bioenergetic Therapy: Works with chronic tension patterns and blocked energy in the body through specific exercises and bodywork techniques.

What to Expect in Somatic Therapy

Your first somatic therapy session will typically involve an assessment of your history, current symptoms, and goals for treatment. The therapist will explain their approach and help you understand how somatic work differs from traditional talk therapy.

During sessions, you might:

  • Learn grounding exercises to help regulate your nervous system
  • Practice body awareness techniques
  • Experience spontaneous movements or releases
  • Work with breathing patterns
  • Explore physical sensations and their meanings
  • Process emotions as they arise in your body

It’s important to note that somatic therapy requires specialized training, and not all mental health professionals are qualified to provide these treatments. When seeking a somatic therapist, look for someone with proper credentials and experience in your specific area of need.

Benefits and Effectiveness

Research has consistently shown that somatic approaches can be highly effective for trauma treatment and various mental health issues. Benefits often include:

  • Reduced symptoms of PTSD and anxiety
  • Improved emotional regulation
  • Better sleep and reduced physical pain
  • Increased body awareness and self-compassion
  • Enhanced resilience and stress management
  • Improved relationships and social connections

Many clients report feeling more grounded, present, and connected to their bodies after engaging in somatic therapy. The physical well-being that comes from releasing stored trauma often translates into improved mental health and overall quality of life.

Conclusion

Somatic therapy offers a powerful path to healing by recognizing that trauma isn’t just stored in the mind but in the body as well. Whether through Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, or AEDP, these approaches work by reconnecting you with your physical self, helping you release long-held stress and restore emotional balance. For those who’ve found talk therapy helpful but incomplete, somatic therapy may be the missing link in your journey to lasting wellness.

At Rego Park Counseling, we understand that healing needs to happen on all levels—mental, emotional, and physical. Our experienced therapists in Queens, NY, offer personalized support and are trained in evidence-based somatic techniques to help you feel safe in your body again. Ready to explore a new way of healing? Contact us today to schedule your first session and take the next step toward feeling whole.

FAQs

What are the different somatic therapies?

The main somatic therapies include Somatic Experiencing (SE), EMDR, AEDP, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Gestalt therapy, Hakomi Method, and Bioenergetic therapy. Each approach uses body awareness and physical sensations to help process trauma and promote healing.

What are three examples of somatic?

The three primary examples are Somatic Experiencing (which focuses on nervous system regulation), EMDR (which uses bilateral stimulation to process memories), and AEDP (which emphasizes emotional processing through relationship).

What are the basics of somatic therapy?

Somatic therapy is based on the principle that trauma is stored in the body, not just the mind. It uses body awareness, physical sensations, breathing, and movement to help release stored trauma and regulate the nervous system.

How many types of somatic therapy are there?

There are three primary types (Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, and AEDP) plus several other recognized methods like Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Hakomi. In total, there are over a dozen different somatic therapy approaches.