Building somatic trust is one of the most important aspects of trauma recovery. I mentioned it in my December issue of The Anxious Body and want to go into more detail about it here. I want to name some of the sensations of somatic trust, why it’s important, and how bodywork therapists help with trauma recovery.
Somatic trust is the deep felt sense that “right now, all things being equal, I am relatively safe” and your body is responding to that in parasympathetic, restful, “feeling-safe” ways.
What are some examples of those ways?
— an easier breath
— the easing of tension at the top of your shoulders
— softening around your eyes
— your belly gurgling and bubbling
When you catch notice of any of these happening, you know that you are experiencing a moment of somatic trust. Your body is saying, “Right now is ok.” Your interoception is registering that this space, this time, this thought, this person—all these things together—is one of safety.
If that happens, I hope you take a moment to mark it. These are somatic markers of safety and rest. Safety and rest are nourishing for your body at the deepest level. These moments are what feed your energy. These moments help you sustain, maintain and replenish.
In a recent workshop, Peter Levine, founder of Somatic Experiencing, talked about the importance of body therapists when working to repair the negative effects of trauma. The safe and guided awareness that is part of somatic therapy helps create new experiences in your body that replace the lingering experiences of trauma. In his opinion, adding somatic therapy to the work you do with clinicians and counselors is useful and of great help to healing and repairing that sense of somatic trust that is so essential to your well-being.
Do you have questions about somatic trust? Or somatic therapy?
Related posts
- You keep using that word (a definition of “somatic”)
- Reasons to include a bodywork therapist in your care plan
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