Somatic healing

[LucyLou]

Hi guys, so I was pretty down about the whole therapy thing but I've woken up with a new perspective, kind of. Although I don't have people in real life, apart from my therapist...I have you guys and the support I've had on theese groups has been amazing and I can't thank you guys enough I haven't told Charlotte about these groups, I'm not sure why but I will mention it in last session because I know she's concerned about my support outside of therapy. Some have mentioned Somatic healing and I'd like to look more in to that but I don't really know where to start. It isn't something that Charlotte offers, changing therapist is an absolute no and I don't have the money to speak to another, alongside Charlotte...so I'd like to know where I start and how much of it I can do myself. There are Somatic yoga videos on YouTube, has anyone done those before and found it helpful? Just anything you guys can tell me about it all would be great. Thank you

 

[Freddyt]

So, my experience has been a combination of therapies including EMDR and Somatic.

I don't know all the criteria for moving to Somatic, but I know it has been used on some "sticky" stuff. Part of the deal with my trauma stuff was my eyes were bandaged - in effect I was blindfolded. So a lot of what remains is feelings, sensations, memories of hearing people talk about stuff - no faces, no voices remain all this time later.

How do I describe Somatic? Voodoo. I have never looked into the hows and why's of therapy for the reason that it builds expectations. That said somatic is me - on the couch my T talking and asking questions and bodily reactions - like last session, my feet shaking sort of on their own - had to do with running away - when in my trauma stuff I was off my (perfectly functional) feet for almost 2 months.

So it's like releasing energy that's been trapped since trauma. BUT, we use EMDR to get to where that stuff is trapped.

My stuff is pretty complex, so in most cases it opens a window on something else that seemed unimportant but was in some ways important. Like since last session, my cat sleeping by my feet restricting movement drives me crazy and deeply disturbs sleep. So whatever that means, we will likely talk about next session.

 

[Ed1905]

Hi guys, so I was pretty down about the whole therapy thing but I've woken up with a new perspective, kind of. Although I don't have people in real life, apart from my therapist...I have you guys and the support I've had on theese groups has been amazing and I can't thank you guys enough I haven't told Charlotte about these groups, I'm not sure why but I will mention it in last session because I know she's concerned about my support outside of therapy. Some have mentioned Somatic healing and I'd like to look more in to that but I don't really know where to start. It isn't something that Charlotte offers, changing therapist is an absolute no and I don't have the money to speak to another, alongside Charlotte...so I'd like to know where I start and how much of it I can do myself. There are Somatic yoga videos on YouTube, has anyone done those before and found it helpful? Just anything you guys can tell me about it all would be great. Thank you

These are my somatic symptoms;
The Somatic "Release"

The sensations in your chest, sides, and legs (the "knotting and twisting") are classic signs of somatic release. When the nervous system has been in a state of chronic stress or "fight-or-flight," the muscles hold onto immense tension. As your mind settles, the body finally feels safe enough to let that tension go, which often feels like burning, buzzing, or muscle fasciculations.



The Afternoon "Crash"

Your sensitivity after 1:00 PM and the feeling of being "pulled into the chair" suggest your allostatic load (the wear and tear on the body) is still very high. Your body is likely operating on a very limited "energy envelope."

• The weakness: This is your nervous system forcing a "freeze" or "shutdown" response because it has exhausted its current chemical resources for the day.
• The breath and burping: These are often related to the vagus nerve. Involuntary gasps and digestive shifts (burps/sneezing) are common signs of the autonomic nervous system trying to "reset" itself.