Somatic Therapy FAQs

Trauma therapy in person in Wichita and online across Kansas

What Happens During Somatic Therapy?

You may have heard of somatic therapy and wondered: what exactly is it?! Most people are familiar with cognitive approaches to therapy – working on shifting your brain's thoughts, which can have a ripple effect on your symptoms in a broad range of ways. Somatic therapy is similar in that it approaches symptoms from a specific direction – only it's a focus on what your body is experiencing in the present moment. A cognitive approach to trauma is often referred to as a top-down (brain work that has a downstream impact on the body symptoms, as well) treatment, while a somatic approach to trauma is often called a bottom-up treatment (body-focused treatment that has an upstream impact on the brain’s thought patterns, as well). Some people with trauma find that a combination of both approaches is helpful - read more about that here. However, people tend to be more familiar with cognitive than somatic approaches, so let’s talk about what a somatic approach to therapy might look like!

Practically speaking, in a session of somatic therapy you may still be talking about your thoughts and feelings, but there will also regular or extended periods where you're asked to notice your body:

• what it feels like to have a chair supporting you while you remember something painful

• how your shoulders feel when you pay attention to them

• how it feels to alternate attention between a tense and a neutral part of your body.

“The body keeps the score” is a phrase more and more people have heard (it's also the title of an iconic book on trauma), and somatic therapy is a way of approaching where the trauma is manifesting in the body – then releasing it.

So much of the work in healing trauma begins with just paying attention to what is happening inside you!

Does Insurance Cover Somatic Therapy?

Not all types of somatic work are covered by insurance – yoga therapy may not be covered and an unlicensed provider won't be covered. But when practiced by a licensed mental health professional who is also paneled with your insurance, and when you have a mental health condition that insurance will cover therapy for: yes! Somatic therapy can be covered by insurance.

It can sometimes be challenging to find a somatic therapist who takes insurance and has openings for new clients, however, so don't be discouraged if it takes a bit of searching to find someone who's the right fit for you.

How to Choose A Somatic Therapist

Somatic therapy is becoming something of a buzzword these days, but it's a broad category that can cover a wide range of practices: Somatic Experiencing, Sensorimotor, Hakomi, Integral Somatic Psychology, and EMDR are just some of the emerging options. But all those words can frankly can feel like a lot of mumbo-jumbo for clients searching for relief from PTSD symptoms – how are you supposed to know what they mean and how they're different, much less how to choose between them?

So I suggest you start by looking for a somatic therapist that makes your nervous system feel safe enough to dig in. Someone who takes your insurance or fits your cash budget. Someone with appointment openings you can match with. There are many possible roads to healing, and if you've figured out you want somatic therapy next, start by looking for a therapist who provides one of these options without worrying about which variety is “best.”

Because I often tell clients that therapy is a series of experiments. On the micro level, somatic therapy is guided weekly experiments: What happens if you shift your posture a little bit? What happens if you notice the knot in your stomach? What happens if you look up and gaze far away out the window? But on the macro level, therapy is a bigger experiment to find the therapist and modality that are right for this step in your healing work. Sometimes you can be surprised by what progress happens when you try something new and different - sometimes an experiment pays off!

So if you have decided upon somatic therapy, ask questions about the training your provider has and if the vibe feels right, give it a try – experiment with something new and see what happens.

Places of tension, tightness, and reactivity can learn to gently sit with peace, stillness, and joy again

Which Is Better: EMDR or Somatic Therapy?

There are numerous types of treatments for PTSD; in my experience the best fit is highly individualized. It's not just about matching your need to the right therapy, but also about finding the therapist who feels right to you: the match of personalities and nervous systems that makes you feel safe enough to dig deep. No one is the right therapist for everyone. And in the same way, no type of therapy is the right treatment for everyone.

But if you’ve concluded that you need to bring a body-focused approach to trauma therapy next, EMDR and somatic therapy are two of the options most often mentioned online. They’re actually both a form of somatic work but often distinguished as separation options. So you may have heard about one or both and wondered how to know which is best for you!

There's not a simple, clear cut answer for this, and your mileage will definitely vary based on your clinician's training and what you feel ready for. I tend to focus more on somatic work when someone has a lot of trauma history – or I at least spend some time there before moving into EMDR work. For single incident trauma (medical trauma, accidents, bereavement, etc) a few sessions of EMDR can often be a quick resolution. Clients who like more structured work may prefer EMDR. Someone who's already done some talk therapy might want to switch gears and really focus on somatic work next.

If you know what you're looking for, look for a therapist with solid training in the work you want to do. Ask around for referrals of who has had a good experience with them, and then be willing to flex around your own developing needs as you progress through healing work. There are many roads to healing!

Elizabeth Peters, LMSW is a licensed therapist seeing clients in person in Wichita and online across Kansas. She provides EMDR and somatic therapy for adults who are overwhelmed by anxiety, trauma, painful relationships or spiritual harm.