What is Somatic Therapy? Counselling in BC

Somatic Therapy has become a buzzword on social media when referring to therapy that works with the body and the nervous system.

It is a diversion from other therapies like CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) that focuses on treatment through collecting logical evidence against unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours. "Despite society’s fixation on intellect and logic, focus on the body continues to grow in clinical practice" (Mortimore, 2021, p. 57).

When folks see the term somatic therapy, they may understand it to mean solely working with the body's sensations, but may not have a full understanding of what somatic therapy can include.

When working with the body, with some therapists, this can actually mean we are working with the right hemisphere (RH) of the brain. While we are always working with both hemispheres, the RH is where emotions are automatically generated and experienced as “true emotions” (Gainotti, 2005). Within the right hemisphere of the brain, there is more than just the body's sensations or felt sense including gestures, movements, images, metaphors and more.

"Through the RH, the therapeutic dyad has access to the unconscious, and is able to work with specific aspects of experience, including sensations, gestures, sensory motor movements, emotions, images, metaphor, and the symbolic or archetypal realm to process and metabolize material that can then be integrated into the client’s explicit narrative or knowing" (Mortimore, 2021, p. 57).

Working with the RH instead of just with the body's sensations allows us to work with a bigger canvas and may even take the pressure off if you feel like you don't connect with the sensations within your body. The RH is also where we have our imaginal, intuitive, playful side, which also gives us more room to process old material without being confined to the logic of working solely in the left hemisphere.

If you are liked this article, "What is Somatic Therapy? Counselling in BC" and are interested in working somatically and working more with the right hemisphere to support your ability to integrate past experiences, you can book a 15-minute phone consultation HERE.

References:

Gainotti, G. (2005). Emotions, unconscious processes, and the right hemisphere. Neuro-psychoanalysis, 7, 71–81.

Mortimore, L. (2021). Body as Portal: Bringing the Body into Practice. International Body Psychotherapy Journal, 20(2). https://www.ibpj.org/issues/articles/Lisa%20Mortimore%20-%20Body%20as%20Portal%20-%20Bringing%20the%20Body%20into%20Practice.pdf

Schore, A. N. (2014). The right brain is dominant in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy, 51(3), 388. https://yellowbrickprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/The-Right-Brain-Is-Dominant-in-Psychotherapy.pdf