Somatic Therapy

Rich Doyle, LCSW-C | Trained in The Body in Mind: Somato Symbolic Processing

Sometimes the body knows before we have words for it.

We don't experience life only through our thoughts. We also experience it through sensation, emotion, movement, tension, impulses, and the subtle ways our bodies respond from moment to moment.

Somatic therapy brings those experiences more fully into the therapeutic process.

Rather than relying only on talking about what is happening, we may slow down and become curious about what is happening in your body as we talk about it. A sensation may become more noticeable. An image or symbol may emerge. You may notice an impulse to move, pull away, reach forward, brace, soften, or take up more space. Sometimes a memory or emotion comes into awareness. Other times, simply noticing what is already there can offer new information.

My approach to somatic therapy is strongly informed by The Body in Mind: Somato Symbolic Processing (SSP), an experiential approach that uses direct body awareness, sensation, imagery, symbolism, movement, and expression to explore what may be happening beneath or alongside what is already consciously known.

The goal is not to interpret every sensation or assume that the body always has a hidden answer. It is to widen the conversation—to include information that may not be available through thinking and words alone, and to see what becomes possible when we listen more closely.

The body can offer another way in

We often try to understand ourselves by thinking—making sense of what happened, why we feel the way we do, or why a particular pattern keeps showing up. That understanding can be incredibly valuable. And sometimes, there is more to discover.

When we slow down and bring attention to the body, we may notice sensations, emotions, images, memories, or impulses that weren't immediately available through thought alone. Sometimes what appears is clear and meaningful. Other times, it may seem unexpected, strange, or difficult to put into words.

Rather than deciding what these experiences mean, we can pay attention to them and see what they reveal.

The body doesn't necessarily give us an answer. But it can give us more information to work with—and sometimes open a path we wouldn't have found through thinking alone.

What does somatic therapy look like?

There isn't one right way for somatic work to unfold.

We might begin with a sensation and notice what happens when you give it more attention. It may shift, intensify, soften, move, or connect with an emotion, memory, image, or symbol.

From there, we can interact with the experience rather than simply observe it. We might ask a sensation or image what it wants you to know, explore what happens when you respond to it, allow an impulse or movement to develop, or try an experiment and notice what changes.

Sometimes this process leads somewhere recognizable. Other times, something surprising takes shape. I won't interpret an image or sensation for you or assume we know what it means. We discover its meaning, if there is one, through your experience of it.

The work can be quiet and subtle or surprisingly active. What we do depends on what shows up and what feels right to explore.

Sometimes the body needs a different experience

Noticing what is happening in the body can reveal something important. But awareness isn't always where the work ends.

Sometimes what emerges points toward an experience that wasn't possible before.

There may be an impulse that had to be held back—to push away, run, reach out, speak, protect, or take up space. There may be a need for distance, support, connection, or a sense of having more choice. Or something that has felt fixed may begin to shift when we experiment with a different movement, posture, response, or way of relating to what is happening.

We can explore these possibilities together, slowly and with curiosity, paying attention to what happens as we do.

The purpose isn't to recreate the past or force a particular response. It's to give your brain and body an opportunity to encounter something different from what they have learned to expect.

Sometimes even a small difference—more choice, more space, more strength, more support—can become a meaningful new experience.

The body can help us discover not only what has been carried, but what might be possible now.

Somatic work doesn’t have to stand alone

Somato Symbolic Processing can be used as an approach in its own right, but its principles also influence the way I work more broadly.

I may weave somatic exploration into EMDR, Brainspotting, parts work, or other experiential approaches. We might pause to notice what happens in your body as you say something, follow an unexpected sensation or image, experiment with a movement or impulse, or simply give more attention to something that seems important before moving on.

How central the body becomes depends on what is happening in the moment and where the work seems to lead. At times, bodily experience may become the main pathway we follow. At others, it may offer information that deepens or shifts work already underway.

The point isn't to make every session a "somatic session." It's to expand what we can pay attention to and work with—not only thoughts and words, but sensations, images, emotions, impulses, movement, and the experiences that emerge between them.

The body becomes another way into the work—and another place where change can happen.

What can somatic therapy help with?

Somatic therapy is often associated with trauma, and it can be a powerful way to work with experiences that continue to shape how we feel, respond, and relate to the world.

But the work doesn't have to begin with a traumatic memory.

Somatic approaches can also help us explore emotions, relationships, beliefs, protective responses, and patterns that continue even when we understand them intellectually. Sometimes there isn't a clear story attached at all—you simply notice that something happens automatically.

Rather than needing to know exactly where a response came from before we can work with it, we can begin with what is happening now. From there, we can see what becomes possible.

Frequently asked questions about somatic therapy

  • That's okay. You don't need to be particularly body-aware or know how to describe what you're feeling before we begin.

    In fact, feeling disconnected from your body, having difficulty noticing sensations, or simply not knowing what you're supposed to notice can all be part of what we become curious about. There is no "right" way to experience your body, and we don't need to force anything to happen.

  • No. While somatic approaches can be helpful for processing trauma, they can also be used to explore emotions, relationships, beliefs, protective patterns, internal conflicts, and experiences that simply feel difficult to shift.

    We can begin with whatever is showing up rather than needing to identify a particular traumatic event.

  • Not necessarily. Somatic work can involve movement, but it doesn't have to.

    Sometimes an impulse to move emerges naturally and we may become curious about what happens if you follow it. We might also experiment with posture, distance, orientation, expression, or another physical experience. Anything we explore is an invitation, and you remain in control of what you do or don't want to try.

  • No. We don't need to immediately interpret or explain everything that emerges.

    An image, sensation, movement, or symbol may eventually connect to something meaningful, or its significance may remain unclear. Rather than deciding what it should mean, we can stay curious about the experience itself and notice what happens next.

  • Not necessarily. Sometimes talking about an experience is an important part of the work, and sometimes we can work with what you're noticing in the present without going deeply into the details of what happened.

    How much you share is always up to you. We can work with what feels accessible and useful while paying attention to what your system is showing us along the way.