Somatic Therapy in San Antonio, TX
Online Therapy for Individuals and Couples is also Available Throughout Texas or Florida
Would you like to strengthen the connection between your mind, body, and spirit to improve your wellbeing?
It may feel impossible now, but you can increase your understanding of how your body connects and responds to things around you. Somatic therapy is a type of therapy that relieves the effects of anxiety, stress or trauma on the body.
When something threatens us we have four choices: flight, fight, freeze or fawn. When we are unable to run or fight, we may go into a frozen state where we dissociate in an effort to protect ourselves. We literally “turn off” a part of our brain that decides, “this is too much”. The most misunderstood response is the fawn stage, where we respond to the threat by becoming more appealing. Our brain literally tells us “please them” and we work hard to merge our needs with the person creating trauma. This can lead to a fear of saying “no”, people pleasing behavior, and lack of boundaries in adulthood.
While these coping mechanism might have worked well as a child, it doesn’t work in adulthood. As the first step, learning how to calm the body will help calm the mind. Then we can think clearly.
What is Somatic Experiencing Therapy?
Mental and emotional health issues aren’t just “all in your head”. Your mind and body are deeply connected; so much so that the body holds onto stress, trauma, and tension even when everything seems “just fine”.
Somatic therapy can support exploring how your body expresses deeply painful experiences that can show up as reminders that are trapped inside, showing them to be unresolved when they pop up without warning.
Your body is an imprint of all of your collective experiences as a living and changing human being. Doesn’t it make sense that it may archive it?
“We are a hopeful species. Working with trauma is as much about remembering how we survived as it is about what is broken.”
― Bessel A. van der Kolk
Is Somatic Healing Right for Me?
Body, thoughts, and emotions come as a total package; so should your therapy, and Somatic Therapy is meant to treat your whole self!
Ask yourself:
Are you taking more care of more, others or yourself?
Do you need to set up boundaries but struggle with it?
Do you struggle managing some emotions?
Are you looking to individualize yourself and better understand you?
Would you like to live more mindfully in the present tense?
Do you need help letting go of trauma(s) and trauma responses?
Do you feel stuck, trapped or uninspired often?
Do you wonder if how you grew up is affecting you still?
Are you having difficulty handling stress, anxiety, or change?
Do you want to improve relationships with yourself and with others?
Is there a chronic or recurring pain that you suffer from?
Do you hate to cry, or hate conflict?
Did you answered YES to anything above?
Then Somatic Therapy can help you overcome:
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Complicated grief
Sexual dysfunction
Depression
Anxiety
Trust and intimacy issues
Self-esteem problems
Childhood Trauma
Aside from these challenges, anyone simply looking to gain a better understanding of themselves and their life experiences can benefit from learning mindfulness and grounding work through somatic therapy.
Does Somatic Healing work?
A 2017 study of the effects of somatic therapy on PTSD has pointed to its use in helping patients reduce the time they need to heal from the traumatic event. 63 patients were sorted randomly into three groups, and their recovery was examined through three evaluations. The first evaluation, held before treatment, showed no differences between the three groups.
When evaluated for a second and third time with the same group, held during and after treatment, showed that the groups who received the somatic therapy displayed reduced severity of PTSD symptoms and depression. These results are encouraging and provide evidence that somatic therapy can help people who are struggling.
With the combination of touch and talk we incorporate not just the thinking mind, but the subconscious, sense of self and the emotions within. This therapy is very collaborative, self realizing and self actualizing. Touch makes this a therapy you really feel.
Want to try Somatic Experiencing Therapy in San Antonio or Online Across TX and FL?
If you would like to do some research on your own you can start with activities listed here! It will allow you to try some within the comfort of your own home to see if it feels right for you. There are a lot of therapy methods out there, and it may not be the right one for you. However, I have seen the magic that happens for those who commit to an integrated approach of Somatic Therapy with traditional mind therapy methods such as ACT Therapy, CBT Therapy and others. It can be integrated to support your therapy
Contact me to discuss how Somatic Therapy can support connecting with your whole self!
Healing Intimacies provides somatic therapy in San Antonio, TX and serves the nearby communities of Helotes, Stone Oak, The Dominion, and Boerne. Online therapy is also available to all TX and FL residents.