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We're excited to welcome two practitioners to the Forbes Clinic: Dafni Serdari and Hannah Westphal, who both offer Somatic Therapy.
In this blog, we'll take a deep dive into Somatic Therapy to discover what it is and how it can help.
What is Somatic Therapy?
In the 1930s an Austrian Doctor called Wilhelm Reich, a student of Sigmund Freud, introduced the idea of Somatic Therapy. This therapy emphasises the intimate connection between mind and body - in other words, the emotional issues lying behind physical ailments. It focuses on the body and considers how emotions manifest within the body.
Somatic Therapy is concerned with how the body expresses painful experiences. It recognises that the body can manifest mental unease as well as helping to heal it. Therefore, mind/body healing can be applied to aid recovery from trauma.
It's well recognised that when we carry around grief, trauma, anger or guilt, these emotions show up physically in the body. For example, when people go through a period of stress, they may experience headaches, and their blood pressure rises. In fact, trauma registers within the body at the cellular level, and unresolved emotions can become trapped.
Somatic Therapists guide clients to focus on underlying physical sensations. The body only experiences intensely powerful emotions when it is crucial that these emotions are heeded. Essentially, the aim is to release strong emotional states, thus removing the physical and emotional manifestations of the stress.
Various kinds of Somatic Therapies have been practiced for centuries in the East. For example, yoga and meditation can be considered Somatic Therapies. The therapy uses techniques like breathwork, acupressure, visualisation, massage, and even dance, as appropriate for the client, to support mental healing.
This is distinct from standard talking therapies where clients are encouraged to talk about their problems, engaging only the mind, and not the body. Somatic Therapy believes the body represents an untapped resource for psychotherapy.
What Health Issues Can Somatic Therapy Support?
Many people find Somatic Therapy helpful for issues such as:
- Stress and anxiety
- Phobias
- Performance issues
- Addiction
- Grief
- Depression
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Poor self-esteem
as well as physical health issues like:
- Chronic pain
- Digestive disorders
- Sexual dysfunction
Because the focus is on mindfulness, Somatic Therapy is an attractive option for anyone looking to become involved with their healing journey.
Does Somatic Therapy Work?
Research has shown that trauma and chronic stress actually influence the structure and function of the brain. In particular, the areas responsible for regulating emotions and stress responses are affected. Somatic Therapy targets these brain regions, promoting self-regulation and relaxation, but also works on the body’s neurophysiology. The term somatic refers to the body.
Physical symptoms such as chronic pain and negative emotions can then be healed at a cellular level.
What is Emotional Freedom Technique?
In 1990, a Stanford engineer called Gary Craig developed a therapy called Emotional Freedom Technique, commonly known as EFT. A type of Somatic Therapy, EFT takes the ancient Chinese knowledge of meridians and combines it with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
Meridians have been recognised for centuries in acupuncture and acupressure. They can be thought of as interconnected channels along which energy flows. Each meridian is linked to a specific organ, and energy flowing through these meridians is believed to influence health on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level. Strong emotions or trauma can hinder the flow of energy.
EFT can be described as an emotional version of acupuncture, but without using needles. Instead, the practitioner taps on areas on the head and torso. This aims to address emotional issues contributing to stress, anxiety, and physical symptoms.
EFT teaches the patient to tune in to the negative emotion and use the tapping technique on specific points along a meridian to restore the body's energy flow. This has the effect of immediately relaxing the body, and over time, restoring it to a calmer baseline. This, in turn, reduces physical symptoms. In fact, EFT can change the way a patient thinks and feels within minutes.
Dafni Serdari offers EFT at The Forbes Clinic.
The Felt Sense Polyvagal Method (FSPM)
Hannah Westphal offers Neuroscience in combination with Felt Sense and Artistic Integration. She blends Neuroscience with Somatic Therapy techniques to offer a unique approach to healing.
Neuroscience understands that our bodies need to feel safe. This feeling of safety is not a construct in our head, but a neurophysiological process regulated by the autonomic nervous system. When humans feel safe, their bodies not only support health but also allow the person to be accessible to others without feeling vulnerable or threatened.
Behaviour is driven by this physiological need to feel safely seen, heard and connected. Humans lack the language to express what the body is experiencing in relation to these neurophysiological needs, so verbalising doesn't go far enough. In fact. many people struggling with trauma are unable to coherently articulate their feelings.
Sometimes people can be in a state of threat or survival mode for many years - as the nervous system wants to protect them - so the body needs to learn that this is no longer needed. FSPM shifts the nervous system out of this survival mode and into a neuronal state of safety and connection.
Hannah offers holistic recovery programmes combining scientific research with artistic expression. Some people find it easier to express themselves through movement or art, which function as external ways to express the emotional healing journey.
Her mission is to create pathways for healing that allow individuals to feel seen and heard for their authentic self. FSPM helps people tune into their bodily sensations - their felt sense - to better manage stress and trauma and support emotional regulation and resilience.
Hannah has helped individuals heal from trauma, anxiety, burnout, stress, and addiction.
Start Your Journey Here
In conclusion, Somatic Therapy goes beyond simply talking about your problems. Rather, it treats your body as well as your nervous system. If you are interested in EFT, then please book a discovery call here. Or if you are interested in working with Hannah, then view and book her services here
