Somatic Therapy, Mental Health, and Healing Trauma
“Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.” ~ Dr. Peter Levine
I watched Dr. Peter Levine’s rare somatic therapy demonstrations. You can watch them on YouTube at https://youtu.be/_0QVKXU2wMI It is amazing how intuitive, gentle, and compassionate his approach is. It is fascinating to see how much can be done to help heal trauma stored in the body without him knowing what the trauma is, and without the client talking about the trauma. He is exceptional at tracking nervous system functioning in the body and allowing client to develop this amazing body awareness. I am not saying that talking through trauma isn’t helpful for people. In my experience, it can feel truly healing to explore trauma and speak about it to an empathetic and trusted therapist. However, therapies that work with the body are able to do healing that can’t be done by talking alone.
Dr. Peter Levine developed somatic experiencing. According to a Psychology Today online article, Levine states that, “…we remain frozen in many parts of life as a reaction to a traumatic experience. These frozen parts of ourselves accumulate energy as they should, but expend it in ways that are counterproductive to a healthy life, such as through stress and anxiety. The goal of somatic experiencing is to redirect this energy in healthier directions” (n.d.).
The article goes on to state that, “ Through developing awareness of the mind-body connection and using specific interventions, somatic therapy helps to release the tension, anger, frustration, and other emotions that remain in a patient’s body from these past negative experiences. The goal is to help free the patient from what is preventing them from fully engaging in their lives” (Psychology Today, n.d.).
In a 2017 study, “Somatic Experiencing for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Outcome Study,” the participants receiving somatic experiencing therapy, had a statistically significant reduction is PTSD symptoms, including depression (Brom, et al., 2017).
In his fascinating book, “Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma,” Peter Levine writes, “Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence. Not only can trauma be healed, but with appropriate guidance and support, it can be transformative. Trauma has the potential to be one of the most significant forces for psychological, social, and spiritual awakening and evolution” (1997, p. 2).
What Levine is getting at is that healing trauma has larger implications for how we relate to others, our communities, and this planet.
I have experienced important healing from somatic therapy. It was only last year, when my body had all these distressing sensations that I couldn’t explain, did I really get a sense of the power of somatic therapy. My head had pins and needles, headaches, and pulsing sensations that conventional medicine couldn’t explain. I tried massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic. Stress was a huge factor, resulting from deep muscle tension from the muscles at the top of my neck. I have been working with a physiotherapist on this. But there was something else: my body had been crying out for relief – my brain had had enough stress.
It’s hard to describe the use of somatic experiencing in my therapy. It is subtle. Basically, I close my eyes, and my therapist asks about what I feel in my body. I describe sensations. Sometimes there is tingling, flushing, tightness, or pain. I would compare this to other parts of my body that felt still and calm. I allowed for these sensations to guide any movement needed. Sometimes I would also have images or insights that would arise from paying attention to these sensations. What was transformative was that the sensations that were so distressing in my brain became a path to understanding. I wanted to feel what my body was telling me instead of having it go away. After my sessions, I would just sit in awareness of the activation and let it tell me what it needed. I found the sensations themselves changed from feeling like overarousal (i.e. sensations that came from extreme stress) to sensations that were releasing tension.
I take a pause now at my computer. I feel my shoulders are tight. I feel the sensations start in my head. I feel some flushing down the shoulders. My right foot has pins and needles. I start to move in ways that feel good. My body is releasing stored tension through sensation and is guiding me on how to release stress and tension.
A great resource for Somatic Experiencing is Peter Levine’s book, Healing Trauma, a self-guided program for working with your nervous system and healing trauma. It comes with an accompanied CD so you can listen to the exercises.
Looking at the research of art therapy combined with somatic therapy, you get a sense that the combination is a powerful approach to working with trauma. Daniel Patrick’s dissertation, titled “Somatic Experiencing and Expressive Arts Therapy to Support Autonomic Regulation in Trauma Treatment with Adults: A Literature Review,” examines strategies that both therapies have in common that help a client with nervous system regulation (2021).
The Art Therapy Resource website states that, “Art therapy is a natural fit for the process of somatic therapy as it seeks to explore the non-verbal experiences that we have. Physical sensations can often present as an image that can be expressed through art therapy” (n.d.).
The blog post, “Unleashing Your Inner Artist: Exploring Somatic Art Therapy” explains what Somatic Art Therapy is: “ It’s about tapping into your inner landscape, giving voice to the unspoken, and fostering a more profound connection with yourself. This therapeutic approach acknowledges the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit, recognizing that our physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts are deeply intertwined. Through creative expression, we can begin to unravel the complexities of our inner world and embark on a journey of healing and transformation.” (Zlatan, 2024). There are three aspects of somatic art therapy: awareness of bodily sensations, exploration of emotional expression and cultivating a deeper understanding of your inner life (Zlatan, 2024). Somatic art therapy has the potential for healing through regulating, expression, and developing insight.
Okay, are you ready to dive into making some art?🎨
Therapeutic Arts Activity
I am using one of Emily Sharp’s Guided Art Therapy Card Deck activities, called “Sensational Me” (2023). If you are feeling very distressed emotionally or have very uncomfortable or painful sensations in your body, I recommend you skip this activity. Dropping into the body without a skilled practitioner to guide you and help you regulate can cause more distress. Perhaps doing a guided meditation might be a more gentle alternative.
Instructions
Here are the steps Sharp outlines (2023):
- Sketch a drawing of a person’s body on watercolour or mixed media paper.
- Ask yourself – How do I feel in my body? What sensations are coming up? How/where can I represent them visually?
- Paint the body to show where and how you feel these sensations. Use colours, shape and texture to represent these sensations.
Materials Needed
- Pens
- Mixed media or watercolor paper
- Acrylic paints or watercolours
Once you’ve completed this activity, here are some questions as guidelines for your personal explorations:
1. What predominant sensations emerged? Describe them.
2. What feelings are you experiencing in your body?
3. How did you feel after this art directive?
4. What is one thing – a movement, an action of self-care – that you can do for your body right now?
As soon as I dropped into my body sensations, I started to feel sensations. I felt tightness in my upper mid-back which I painted black. I felt a flushing feeling in my head which I painted blue which reminds me of water and calmness. I had a bit of fluttering in my eyes, so I used yellow. This is just nervous system activation from being busy. I used green for most of my body because most of my body felt relaxed and quiet. Finally, I used red on my right lower abdomen because I had a cramp. It’s amazing what I noticed. I then made a mental note to do some yoga for the tight spot and to relax any nervous system dysregulation before bed with a grounding activity. I have struggled with being in my body. The more I leave space in my life to pay attention and respond, the more I am able to strengthen the mind-body connection.
❤️❤️❤️ With care and kindness, Meegan
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Sources
Brom D, Stokar Y, Lawi C, Nuriel-Porat V, Ziv Y, Lerner K, Ross G. Somatic Experiencing for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Outcome Study. J Trauma Stress. 2017 Jun;30(3):304-312. doi: 10.1002/jts.22189. Epub 2017 Jun 6. PMID: 28585761; PMCID: PMC5518443.
Levine, Peter A. (2008). Healing Trauma. Sounds True: Boulder, Colorado.
Levine, Peter A and Frederick, A. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books: Berkeley, California.
Patrick, D. (2021). Somatic Experiencing and Expressive Arts Therapy to Support Somatic Experiencing and Expressive Arts Therapy to Support Autonomic Regulation in Trauma Treatment with Adults: A Literature Review. [Expressive Therapies Capstone Thesis, Lesley University]. Somatic Experiencing and Expressive Arts Therapy to Support Autonomic Regulation in Trauma Treatment with Adults: A Literature Review
Psychology Today. (n.d.). Somatic Therapy. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapy-types/somatic-therapy
Sharp, E. (2023). Guided Art Therapy Card Deck. Zeitgeist: New York.
Zlatan. (2024). Unleashing Your Inner Artist: Exploring Somatic Art Therapy. Unleashing Your Inner Artist: Exploring Somatic Art Therapy – Online Art workshops
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