What is Somatic Self-Healing? A Beginner’s Guide
What is Somatic Self-Healing?
For many of us, healing has long been a mental process—understanding our thoughts, changing our behaviors, or trying to reframe our emotions. But sometimes, no matter how much we work through things cognitively, something still feels unresolved. That’s where somatic self-healing comes in: a practice that invites the body into the process of healing.
Somatic self-healing is about placing targeted attention and intention on the physical sensations of emotions in the body. This focused awareness allows us to move, release, or integrate what’s being held beneath the surface. It’s not about analyzing or thinking through our emotions but truly feeling them in the body.
Why Does the Body Hold the Key to Healing?
Unlike animals in the wild, humans tend to hold onto stress and trauma long after an event has passed. A gazelle, for example, might be chased by a predator but will instinctively shake off the stress and return to grazing. Humans, however, often tense up, push emotions aside, or build mental stories that keep the tension alive for weeks, months, or even years.
This is because emotional experiences are not just stored in our minds—they’re held in the body. Somatic self-healing helps us reconnect with these physical sensations, offering a pathway to release the tension and restore balance.
How Somatic Self-Healing Works
The practice begins by placing attention on the physical sensations in the body. For example, when an emotion arises, you might notice tightness in your chest, heaviness in your stomach, or constriction in your throat. Instead of analyzing the feeling or diving into the story that comes up in your mind, somatic self-healing invites you to simply observe it with curiosity and acceptance.
Imagine breathing into the sensation, observing the size and shape of where you can feel it in your body. Notice if the sensation seems to take on a color, temperature, or associated image. Be open to whatever pops into your mind, even if it doesn’t seem to make sense. For example, if you are focusing on tightness in your chest, you may see an image of a towel twisted up tightly, or a steaming red teapot… simply focus on any color or imagery that comes to mind while staying aware of the sensation in your body. This process of focusing on the physical sensation and how it represents itself subconsicously allows the emotion to move through you, giving the energy an opportunity to integrate and release.
The Benefits of Somatic Self-Healing
Clients who engage in somatic self-healing often experience:
Less Tension and Resistance: The body softens and feels more spacious as stored emotions are released.
Freedom from Old Patterns: As energy is released, old behavior patterns start to naturally dissolve, creating space for clarity and new possibilities.
Greater Self-Acceptance: Patterns born from trauma are eventually met with compassion rather than judgment.
This work isn’t about forcing change, it’s about creating the conditions for your body’s natural wisdom to take the lead.
A Simple Somatic Practice to Try
If you’re curious about somatic self-healing, start with a simple check-in:
Find a quiet space and sit comfortably.
Close your eyes and bring your awareness to your body.
Notice any sensations—tightness, heaviness, warmth, tingling, etc.
Focus on the sensation without judgment.
Become aware of any subconscious imagery that comes up, and focus on this as well as the sensation.
Breathe deeply into that part of your body, imagining your breath creating space and softness.
Over time, this daily practice can help you tune into the subtle signals your body is sending and begin releasing what’s no longer serving you.
Why Somatic Inner Work is Unique
Just a quick note that somatic therapy means different things to different people. Some approaches focus on movement, while others use touch. The work I teach is somatic inner work—a process of placing focused attention and intention on the sensations of emotions in the body. This precise, intentional practice allows deeply held emotional patterns to move, release, or integrate, supporting profound transformation.
Explore More
If you’ve tried other healing methods but still feel unresolved, somatic self-healing could be the missing piece. Explore my somatic sessions and other the free 5-Day Email Series to begin reconnecting with your body’s wisdom and creating lasting change.
