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About somatics in simple words
Somatics in Simple Terms The word "somatics" might sound a bit scientific and distant, but in reality, it’s about something very personal—it’s about you, your body, and how you experience it. Imagine you’ve had a stressful day. You sit down on the couch in the evening, but your shoulders are still tense, your breathing is shallow, and your jaw is slightly clenched. The day is over, yet your body hasn’t relaxed—it’s still holding onto stress. Or the opposite: you take a walk in the forest, inhale the fresh air, slow down. And suddenly, you notice—your body has relaxed on its own. Your breath is deeper, your chest feels lighter. That’s what somatics is—awareness of how your body experiences life along with you. Unlike traditional medicine or fitness, where something is done to the body (healing, training, correcting), somatics invites you to listen and notice. It’s not about forcing change, but about creating a dialogue with yourself.
What Does the Somatic Approach Offer? ✔️ It helps you listen to your body and understand its signals—not ignoring pain until it becomes unbearable, but noticing it early. ✔️ It reduces stress levels, preventing tension from building up in your muscles and nervous system. ✔️ It develops sensitivity and a deeper connection with yourself, which affects not just your body but also your emotions, relationships, and decisions. Somatics isn’t about complicated techniques. It’s about slowing down and feeling—How am I standing? How am I breathing? What’s happening with me right now? Simple things that change a lot. Do you notice how your body reacts to stress, joy, or fatigue? How it experiences life along with you?
Psychosomatics vs. Somatics: What’s the Difference? The words sound similar, but they mean different things! Let’s break it down in simple terms. Psychosomatics studies how stress, emotions, and mental states affect physical health. For example, when your stomach aches from worry or you get a headache from stress—that’s psychosomatics at work. It focuses on the question: "What in my mind is causing these physical symptoms?" Somatics, on the other hand, looks at things from the body’s perspective. It’s about noticing: "How does my body feel right now? Where is there tension? How am I moving and breathing?" Somatics helps improve well-being through mindful movement and body awareness. Key Differences: What they focus on: Psychosomatics: How emotions and stress can cause physical issues. Somatics: How body sensations connect to mental and emotional states. How they work: Psychosomatics: Finds the cause of physical symptoms in the mind. Somatics: Helps you tune into your body to release tension and feel better. Why does it matter? Understanding these differences helps you choose the right approach to self-care. Sometimes, exploring your emotions (psychosomatics) is helpful, while other times, you just need to slow down, feel your body, and let go of tension (somatics).
WHAT IS
SOMATICS?
Somatics is an approach to human development and learning through movement. Somatic sessions are based on principles of biomechanics, neurology, and neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to change as a result of experience. Using strategies of neuromuscular retraining, somatics helps individuals develop body awareness, improve posture, flexibility, and coordination, enhance athletic and artistic abilities, and support those dealing with stress, trauma, limited mobility, chronic pain, and muscle tension. The practice of body awareness is offered in both group and individual lesson formats.
What is personal trauma?
Personal (emotional) trauma is an individual's response to a lived experience that has left a deep imprint on their body, emotions, and mental state. Trauma can result from singular events (such as an accident or the loss of a loved one) or prolonged exposure to negative factors (like family stress or emotional and physical abuse). Trauma arises when an event overwhelms a person's ability to cope.
On a physical level, trauma often manifests as chronic muscle tension, disrupted breathing, and movement restrictions. The Feldenkrais Method and Hanna Somatics view the body as an integral part of our lived experience, offering movement practices and mindfulness techniques to help release the body and mind from the lingering effects of trauma.
How Does Trauma Harm an Individual? Trauma impacts all levels of a person’s being: physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual.
Physical Harm:
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Chronic tension and disruptions in body awareness.
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Movement restrictions that cause pain and discomfort.
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Impaired breathing and overall body tension.
Emotional Harm:
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Difficulty recognizing and expressing emotions.
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A predominance of “negative” emotions, such as anger, shame, and helplessness.
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Persistent feelings of anxiety or internal tension.
Mental Harm:
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Black-and-white thinking patterns.
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A distorted belief system about oneself and the world.
Social Harm:
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Challenges in forming close relationships.
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Feelings of isolation and difficulties in trusting others.
Spiritual Harm:
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Loss of trust in others and the world at large.
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A diminished sense of life purpose.
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Loss of a sense of wholeness and connection with oneself.
Somatic exercises based on the Feldenkrais Method, Hanna Somatics, and Somatic Experiencing offer gentle yet effective tools for restoring bodily integrity and harmony between the body and mind.
How Can Trauma Be Treated? Modern approaches to trauma treatment emphasize the importance of working with the body. Through embodied practices, individuals can restore mindfulness and "rewrite" traumatic experiences. Somatic exercises developed within the frameworks of Somatic Experiencing, Hanna Somatics, and the Feldenkrais Method are powerful tools for body-based healing. These body movement practices gently restore natural movement patterns, bringing back freedom and ease.
Here’s how they work:
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Release body tension. Gentle, mindful movements help muscles and the nervous system let go of chronic tension.
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Reconnect body and mind. Exercises restore the ability to experience the body as a unified whole.
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Rewrite traumatic experiences. Through conscious movement, individuals learn to respond to stress more harmoniously.
By combining these approaches in individual sessions, we create a safe and effective path to healing, helping you regain wholeness, balance, and a renewed sense of self.