Healing Trauma With Somatic Trauma Recovery
Soma means body. Trauma memory is stored in your body, the emotions, the thoughts, and the quick response to flee or fight. Because we can not talk our bodies out of being scared trauma recovery is most successful when it guides you into noticing the experience of emotions and physical pain in your body. Talk therapy has very limited results in helping a person recover from trauma. Trauma therapy must help a person notice the feelings in their body.
The Power of Somatic Trauma Therapy in Healing Trauma
Exercises that help a person notice the feelings that are triggered in their body from moment to moment are proven to be much more effective. Some somatic therapies like EMDR don’t even require a person to “tell their story” simpling feeling one’s way through a memory is enough.
In the famous trauma recovery book by Vessel Vanderkoff called “The Body Keeps The Score” he wrote:
“In order to change, people need to become aware of their sensations and the way that their bodies interact with the world around them. Physical self-awareness is the first step in releasing the tyranny of the past.”
Recovering From Trauma
If you or your teen are seeking to recover from a recent or past trauma it is very important that you seek a safe space with a trauma therapist who has training in Somatic Experiencing and weaves that into the trauma recovery process. Your options for somatic therapy are the following:
Somatic Experiencing Therapy
This looks much like talk therapy but the therapist will also teach you to notice the emotions in your body as you are discussing a difficult topic that has gotten you stuck. You will learn how to explore and be curious about difficult feelings that you would normally push away or move on past quickly. This process will provide you with deeper insight into yourself and an understanding of your choices as well as give you new options for responding to old painful experiences.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing is a form of therapy that helps a person recover from chronic fight, flight, or freeze responses to present-day triggers that remind their body of a past traumatic experience. This therapy uses the memory of emotions and their location in one’s body to help remember and reprocess difficult events.
Internal Family Systems
While this therapy is not a traditional somatic therapy it does guide a client to their body to help them remember and connect with parts of themselves.
The Journey of Trauma Therapy: Reclaiming Safety in Your Body
Trauma therapy is a very scary process that can take many counseling sessions and even many years. But it is possible! The core healing is in reclaiming a feeling of safety in your own body. For many people that simple experience of feeling safe to experience sensations in their body has been taken away from them. The recovery process is feeling the freedom to breathe and explore one’s memories and sensations without fear.
If you would like to explore further how Somatic therapy can help you recover from trauma you can reach out to us at Shade Tree Family Counseling for a free consultation.
Find Support in Healing From Trauma With Trauma Therapy in Salt Lake City, UT
If you are struggling with the lingering effects of past trauma, it’s time to take the first step toward healing. At Shade Tree Family Counseling, our specialized somatic trauma therapy is designed to help you reconnect with your body and reclaim a sense of safety. Start your journey to recovery by following these three simple steps:
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to see if Trauma Therapy is right for you
Begin meeting with a skilled trauma therapist
Start healing from your trauma
Other Services Offered at Shade Tree Family Counseling
At Shade Tree Family Counseling, we want to provide support for the whole family. So in addition to helping you heal from your trauma in Trauma Therapy, our team offers teen counseling for teens struggling to overcome depression, anxiety, family conflict, and more. We also provide Teen Group Therapy for teens looking for extra support from those their own age. For more about trauma therapy check out our blog!