How Somatic Work Transformed My Life

Somatic work has completely changed my life, and I'd love to share with you some of the ways it has done that. So let's start out by taking a look at some of the issues I was facing in life before I found somatic work. This is not comprehensive, but just some of the main things.

My Life Before Somatic Work

Before discovering somatic work, I struggled in several profound ways:

1. Identifying and Naming Emotions: I couldn’t pinpoint or articulate my emotions. They felt overwhelming and disconnected from the events that caused them. Instead of being able to name particular emotions or understand them, I found myself perpetually saying I was "frustrated"--my all-encompassing term back then for any and all big feelings, since I didn't know how to process them.

   
   

2. Chronic Tension: My body was a constant ball of tension. While I wasn't complaining of tense muscles per se, the tension and rigidity would come out in other ways. There was a general inability to let loose physically. There was a massive difference between the flowy, artistic, creative person I felt like I was deep down inside and the locked-up person I was on the outside. One specific example is going to weddings where there would be dancing, where, despite growing up dancing my entire life, I felt unable to move freely and just have fun dancing with everyone else and was instead stiff and scared (even though I didn't understand why).

   
   

3. Overwhelmed by Stress: Life’s daily stressors left me feeling weathered and beaten down. I longed for a buffer, something to protect me or make me more resilient to stress, but didn’t know how to create one.

   
   

4. Heightened Sensitivities: I was hypersensitive to sound, prone to migraines, and had various other sensitivities.

   
   

5. Chronic Overwhelm: I lived in a constant state of overwhelm, always feeling like I was drowning in life’s demands.

   
   

6. Disconnected Relationships: My nervous system perceived differences between me and others as threats, making it hard to connect deeply with others or to navigate conflict. I couldn’t receive the nourishment and support my relationships offered.

   
   

My Life After Somatic Work

Somatic healing brought several transformative changes to my life:

1. Emotional Awareness: I can now identify and process my emotions, understanding their purpose and moving through them with care. When certain tasks demand my full attention and yet there is an emotional process happening within, I can gently hold my emotions and tend to them later once the task is complete and I have some space to be with what's showing up internally.

   
   

2. Tolerance for Ambiguity: I’ve developed resilience in not knowing or fully understanding something yet. Ambiguity no longer creates a frenzy within me.

   
   

3. Reduced Sensitivities: Migraines are rare, and stress-induced migraines are almost nonexistent. Food and sound sensitivities have nearly disappeared.

   
   

4. Increased Resilience: I no longer feel "traumatized" by everyday challenges. I’ve built the capacity to navigate life’s difficulties without feeling battered.

   
   

5. Boundary Setting: I’ve learned to set boundaries to protect my energy and my heart, which was a game-changer for my stress levels.

   
   

6. Deeper Connections: I’m now able to connect with others, approach differences with curiosity, and feel confident navigating disagreements. Relationships have become a source of nourishment and support instead of a source of stress.

me, finally feeling comfortable in my own skin

How Does Somatic Work Actually Work?

I like to compare somatic work to a desk full of files. If you imagine several files on top of the desk, representing my life events, circumstances, and stressors that I could name and talk about--that which I was cognizant of--talk therapy helped me sort through those files. It was useful, but at some point, my progress plateaued. I still felt overwhelmed by something I couldn’t put into words, something I couldn't name and talk about.

To stick with the desk and files analogy, somatic work gave me access to what felt like the “archive drawer” of the desk—the subconscious files stored in my body. Our bodies hold the unspoken and unknown, and somatic work unlocks this wealth of information.

I was finally starting to understand what all my body was holding onto--various events in life that my cognitive brain did not register as still threatening, and so they hadn't been on my radar. By addressing these hidden layers, I could renegotiate the survival energy my body had been holding onto. Instead of being trapped in fight-or-flight or freeze responses, my energy was freed to be present and enjoy life.

Conclusion

Somatic work has been a life-changing journey, helping me move past overwhelm, make a life for myself that I enjoy, feel comfortable in my own body, and connect with others in meaningful ways. If you’re curious about whether your body might be storing trauma or want to learn more about somatic healing, let’s explore this transformative practice together.