The word somatic comes from the ancient Greek word soma, or living body. The field of somatic psychology focuses on the complex relationship between our bodies and our minds—and with the many ways that our bodies manifest and/or provide clues to our psychological histories, emotional responses, and interpersonal relationships. Somatic psychology practitioners recognize, for example, that previous traumatic experiences are often reflected in body language, posture, and expression and may lead to physical symptoms such as chronic pain or headaches, digestive or immune problems, hormonal disruptions, sexual issues, and other neurological or physical symptoms later in life. In that sense, somatic psychology practitioners believe that the body often “speaks” for us, even the painful memories we may have forgotten or wish we could.
Somatic psychology practitioners may use a combination of both traditional psychotherapy and various “body-focused” therapies such as breath, movement, body awareness, and nonverbal communication to help clients draw on the intelligence of their body in the process of personal growth and change. This holistic mind-body approach has been shown particularly effective for helping clients coping with post traumatic stress (PTSD) or other trauma, but it is also used successfully for more common mental and emotional challenges such as depression, anxiety, grief, relationship issues, and other life challenges.
Historically, many somatic psychotherapy approaches can be traced to Wilhelm Reich, a student and colleague of Freud who was the first to bring the body into psychoanalysis. Today, the field is characterized by a broad range of approaches that include Focusing, Hakomi, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Dance Movement Therapy, Rubenfeld Synergy Method, Somatic Experiencing, Bioenergetics, Integrative Body Psychotherapy and Body Mind Psychotherapy.
Somatic psychology has quickly gained mainstream acceptance, particularly as recent developments in neuroscience have validated and supported the fundamental connection between mind and body. Somatic psychology practitioners find work in a broad range of settings—from hospitals to community agencies to holistic healthcare clinics to private practice.
Our affiliate institution, Santa Barbara Graduate Institute, offers doctoral and master‘s degrees in this exciting field of study. To learn about those programs, click here to visit the main SBGI website.
