Have you ever had the sense that your body remembers things your mind would rather forget?
Many people come to therapy feeling like they’ve done all the “right” things, they’ve talked about the past, tried to understand their patterns, maybe even forgiven others, and yet something still feels stuck. They still get overwhelmed or shut down, feel numb or on edge, even when life seems “fine” on the surface.
This is where somatic work can be so powerful.
What Is Somatic Trauma Work?
“Somatic” simply means “of the body.” Somatic approaches to healing understand that trauma doesn’t live only in the mind; it lives in the body too.
When we experience trauma, especially if we weren’t able to fight or flee at the time, our body often holds on to that survival energy. We might not even notice it until years later, in the form of anxiety, chronic tension, digestive issues, or feeling disconnected from ourselves.
Somatic work is about gently tuning in to the body, learning its language, and allowing it to complete processes that were never fully expressed. It’s about helping the nervous system feel safe again, not just know it’s safe, but truly feel it.
Why the Body Matters in Trauma Healing
Our nervous system is wired to protect. When something threatening happens, we go into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn (pleasing the perpetrator) responses. These aren’t choices we make; they’re automatic. And if those protective responses unconsciously get stuck “on” long after the threat is over, we may feel trapped in patterns we don’t understand.
For a long time, I tried to think my way out of my responses. I thought if I just understood why I was reacting the way I was, I’d be able to change it. But my body had its own timeline, one that didn’t respond to logic or willpower.
It wasn’t until I started slowing down, noticing small sensations, the tightening in my chest, the buzzing in my arms, the hollowness in my belly, that something started to shift. Not dramatically, not all at once. But in gentle ripples. My body was telling me things my mind had long forgotten.
What Somatic Work Looks Like
Somatic therapy doesn’t mean diving headfirst into overwhelming emotions. It’s often the opposite; it’s slow, respectful, and rooted in safety.
Here are a few ways we might work somatically in trauma healing:
- Tracking sensations – Becoming aware of what’s happening inside: tension, warmth, cold, movement, stillness.
- Titration – Working with small bits of sensation or memory, so it’s not too much at once.
- Pendulation – Gently moving between activation (discomfort) and regulation (ease), building flexibility in the nervous system.
- Grounding and orienting – Using touch, breath, or awareness of the environment to feel more present.
- Movement or gesture – Allowing the body to express impulses that may have been suppressed, like pushing, reaching, or turning away.
One of the first somatic practices I ever learned was simply feeling my feet on the ground. It sounds simple, but at the time, I barely registered that I had a body. That small moment of grounding became a lifeline I could return to whenever I felt overwhelmed.
How Spiritual Healing and Reiki Can Support the Somatic Process
For some people, trauma can cause not just a disconnection from the body, but also a disconnection from a sense of meaning, spirit, or energy.
That’s why I sometimes bring in spiritual healing and Reiki as gentle companions to somatic therapy. These approaches can create a subtle but profound shift, often bypassing the analytical mind and working directly with the body’s energy field.
Reiki, for example, is a form of energy healing that supports deep relaxation, grounding, and emotional release. It often helps people come back into a relationship with their body in a non-verbal, deeply intuitive way. Even just lying still and receiving Reiki can allow tension to soften, breath to deepen, and a sense of inner safety to return.
Clients often say things like:
“I didn’t even realise how much I was holding until I felt it start to melt away.”
“It was like my body remembered something peaceful.”
Spiritual healing can support energetic realignment and help restore a sense of wholeness, especially when trauma has created fragmentation or a feeling of soul loss. It can be especially helpful for those who feel they’ve “lost themselves” or carry a sense of heaviness or grief they can’t explain.
When offered alongside somatic therapy, Reiki and spiritual healing can create an integrated path of body, mind, and spirit, allowing trauma to be released not only from muscles and nerves but from the deeper energy systems we all carry.
A Simple Grounding Exercise: “Feel Your Feet”
You can try this now or save it for a time when you’re feeling a little unsettled or overwhelmed. There’s no need to do it perfectly, just be with yourself gently.
- Pause.
Sit or stand somewhere safe and quiet, or as quiet as it can be right now. Let your eyes close or soften your gaze. - Feel your feet.
Bring your attention to your feet. Notice where they are. Are they on the floor? In shoes? Against something soft? - Notice sensations.
Can you feel warmth or coolness? Pressure? Tingling? Heaviness or lightness? You don’t need to change anything — just notice. - Press down slightly.
If it feels okay, gently press your feet into the ground. Feel the floor meeting you. Let yourself be supported. - Breathe.
Take a few slow, kind breaths. Imagine the breath moving all the way down to your feet, anchoring you. - Look around (optional).
If you’ve been inside yourself for a while, gently open your eyes and look around. Let your gaze rest on something pleasant or neutral.
You can come back to this any time. Over time, even this small act of connection can create a deeper sense of safety and presence in your body.
If your body has responded in ways you don’t understand, freezing, collapsing, panicking, it’s not because you’re weak or ‘bad’. It’s because you survived.
Somatic and spiritual healing aren’t about fixing you. They’re about helping your body remember what safety feels like, and your soul to remember that it belongs.
If this speaks to you, I’d love to hear from you.
I offer a gentle, body-aware and spirit-respecting approach to trauma therapy, one rooted in compassion, energy awareness, and the wisdom of your whole self.
Warmly,
Linda Bishopp
Psychotherapist (MBACP) | Spiritual Healer | Reiki Master
www.lindabishopp.co.uk | linda@lindabishopp.co.uk
Offering online and in-person sessions in the UK