Somatic Movement: A New Way to Release Trauma and Stress + Feel Amazing
When we suffer mentally, we also suffer physically. Years of rigorous studies and real-world experiences have proven it.
And while verbal reflection can be very helpful in processing emotions and traumatic experiences, it isn’t the complete picture of healing. (Plus, talking through your feelings can feel exhausting at times.) Only talking about feelings neglects the powerful mind-body connection.
Over time, unprocessed emotions can become trapped in your body, leading to a laundry list of chronic symptoms – both psychological and physical – even affecting the health of your skin.
Somatic movement is a unique holistic approach to processing emotions through intentional movement to restore homeostasis through the mind-body connection.
We can’t wait for you to experience all the benefits of this liberating and empowering practice. Somatic movement offers a unique opportunity to improve your health.
What Is Somatic Movement?
A quick Google search on somatic movement might leave you scratching your head. While there are many ways to define or think about somatic practices, let’s look at the common threads to understand better.
Technically, somatic movement is any bodily movement done with deep intention and awareness. From deep breathing to yoga and intentional stretching or vagus nerve stimulating movements, these can all be considered somatic movements.
Moving with awareness and intention helps you access – and then release – trapped traumas and emotions in an approachable and intuitive way.
Unprocessed Emotions: A Cry for Help
First, let’s discuss how emotions get “trapped” in the first place.
When you experience something painful, traumatic, or stressful, your body has an automatic protective response in the fight or flight state – tension. More specifically, this tension occurs in your body’s fascia, a thin layer of connective tissue between your body’s muscles and skin.
And understandably, the busyness of our lives makes it far too easy to bury feelings. You have to…
→ Get through the day
→ Meet work deadlines
→ Stay on top of responsibilities and commitments
→ Cultivate your friendships and relationships
…and somehow still save time for self-health practices and your family.
It’s often easier and less stressful (at least, in the moment) to push emotions away. And sometimes, it’s even necessary as a survival tactic. So don’t feel shame!
But without the emotional “release” necessary (aka fully processing your emotions) to release tension, it can build up over time. And since fascia is connected to almost every muscle, organ, and nerve in your body, this tension can have wide-reaching implications.
How your body manifests and stores trapped emotions look different for everyone, based on your environment and many other factors (some out of your control).
While this isn’t an exhaustive list, some of the most common symptoms of unprocessed emotions include:1,2,3,4
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Muscle tension (which can inhibit lymph flow)
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Extra weight (or the inability to lose weight)
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Chronic pain/bodily symptoms
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Nausea or vertigo
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Appetite change
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A fixation on endless scrolling or binging TV
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Anxiety and depression
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Gastrointestinal issues
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Cardiovascular concerns
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Neurological issues
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Musculoskeletal problems
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Premature aging + wrinkles
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Respiratory issues
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Dermatological disorders
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Urological problems
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Substance use disorders
Just like changes in your menstrual cycle can signal distress or dysregulation in your body these symptoms are a sign. They’re a cry for help – and it’s up to us to pay attention.
The Importance of Bodily Processing
More often than not, when we finally process emotions, it’s limited to mental processing, not physical. While the mental aspect is important, we’ve become so disconnected from our vital link between mind and body. They both crave your attention.
Emotions must be experienced.
Somatic movement is a full-stop reset in how we process our emotions. Somatic movement is about consciously choosing to move and considering how it makes you feel.
Tapping into and acknowledging emotions allows them to flow through (and out) of your body. This concept is key to a more regulated state of being.
At its root, somatic movement is a practice that can help you get “unstuck” by restoring connection between body and mind. And once you experience the freedom of processed emotions, the benefits multiply.
The Benefits of Somatic Movement
Somatic movement allows you to explore a new perspective on movement – and what it can do for your well-being. This type of movement is unique because it’s not about the “results” we often associate with movement and exercise.
And because there are no quantifiable results, you’re able to sit in the stillness and process more deeply.
The benefits of somatic movement include, but are not limited to:
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Regulating your nervous system + encouraging homeostasis
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Increasing your capacity to manage stress
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Slowing your breathing and heart rate
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Processing trauma and equipping you for future triggers
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Soothing stress-induced skin conditions
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Calming anxious thoughts and boosting mood4
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Better focus and a sharp mind
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Relieving chronic pain5
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Releasing muscle tension
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Improved posture, flexibility, and mobility
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Reducing inflammation (and lowering cortisol levels)6
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Releasing stress and restoring a sense of groundedness
Just as we can’t separate skin health from the rest of our health, our emotions are connected to our overall health. It’s easy to forget that everything we experience is also felt physically.
But how does somatic movement work to help us heal, exactly?
How Does Somatic Movement Work?
It might sound too good to be true. How could something as simple as awareness of your movements heal you in a way that nothing else can? Let’s look at how and why somatic movement is key for vibrant whole-person health.
→ Somatic movement is deeply internal.
Somatic movement incorporates a critical concept many of us overlook in our day-to-day lives: tuning inward and noticing what’s present below the surface. Tuning into your internal voice instead of external symptoms goes against our human instinct to lean away from uncomfortable emotions. It forces us to consider:
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How words, actions, and situations have made us feel
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What’s wounded us in the past
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How we’ve learned to deflect or protect ourselves
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How we’ve grown (or hope to grow)
→ Somatic movement heightens awareness + presence
As a slow and methodical practice, somatic movement teaches us to live more mindfully and to be present with ourselves – and others. While some somatic movements or exercises focus on form and muscle control, the biggest priority is always presence.
Awareness is a key factor in healing. Acknowledging what we feel and how we feel helps our body move through difficult emotions. Ever noticed how your body reacts physically in an emotionally heightened situation? You might begin to shake, notice your heart pounding, or feel weak in the knees. Somatic practices utilize bodily movement to work backward, stimulating the release of stored emotions.
→ Somatic movement uses vagus nerve stimulation to build vagal tone
Chronic stress (including the chronic stress caused by trauma and trapped emotions) can keep you in fight or flight mode. Many somatic movements and practices are intentionally designed to activate your vagus nerve, moving you into a more relaxed and restorative state of being: the “rest and digest” state.
As the longest cranial nerve in your body, the vagus nerve is believed to be the physical connection between body and mind. Sending gentle signs of safety through somatic movement helps restore homeostasis within your body and divert energy to healing.
A better vagal tone enables you to process and self-regulate more effectively. Somatic movements can even help form new, healthier neural pathways in your brain.
→ Somatic movement is about “experiencing” not “doing”
Somatic movement often involves experiencing movement patterns or repetitions and noticing the sensations that rise within your body.
Often, these are not movements you’d do in your daily life. As a result, your “muscle memory” is stretched with an unfamiliar sensation. This can help stimulate your body and mind to reconnect as you intentionally ponder the physical sensations and feelings.
Somatic movement is an explorative practice. It’s not a “formula” like a workout with a specific goal. It can shift depending on what your body needs. In other words, you can’t fail!
→ Somatic movement releases trapped emotions + stimulates endorphins
The movements can stimulate bodily “releases” that look different for everyone. It can present as:7
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Shaking/trembling
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Breathing changes
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Heart rate
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Facial expressions
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Nausea
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Tingling sensation
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Warmth
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Spontaneous emotions like laughing or crying
Shaking and trembling are often experienced as your body releases emotions (and probably what you’ve often seen on viral TikToks). It also happens with animals in the wild after traumatic events and after giving birth. Peter Levine, PhD, who developed a specific kind of somatic healing modality, described it this way:8
“It appears to be a way in which the physiological autonomic nervous system resets itself. Very often, this shaking and trembling can be so minute that you barely perceive it from the outside. And the client or the person experiencing it experiences it in a very subtle, non-threatening way. As a matter of fact, after a short period of time, they often experience it as being pleasurable.
Exactly what it is, we don't know, but again, I've talked to Stephen Porges, who is probably the preeminent psychophysiologist working with these kinds of nervous system states, and it does appear that this occurs as the autonomic nervous system shifts, particularly out of the shutdown states into the mobilization states and then into the social engagement states. So, it's something that goes on as the nervous system comes out of shock.”
Learning to be slow and notice what we FEEL brings us into a richer, more full life experience. Plus, somatic practices are shown to release “feel good” endorphins. So, when we don’t numb ourselves to emotions – it frees us mentally, emotionally, and physically.
→ Somatic movements empower us
When we process our emotions, we understand ourselves and others more deeply. Thus, it increases confidence, contentment, and satisfaction in life, lowering stress and feelings of unease.
Feeling emotions flow through you can be uncomfortable at first, but the release you feel at the end makes it so worth it.
So far, we’ve covered somatic movement and how this practice can benefit you intrinsically. Next, let’s explore somatic movement in action – and how you can get started.
Getting Started: Examples & Resources for Somatic Movement
Most experts agree that what makes something a somatic movement isn’t about a specific physical aspect. It’s about what you experience internally and the intention/awareness you bring into it. So, any movement or practice can be somatic if you do it to intentionally connect body and mind!
*A note on the term somatic exercise: There are many different “types” of somatic practice and specific protocols/approaches. “Somatic exercise” is often used interchangeably with “somatic movement,” but they all generally focus on the same goal – processing and releasing emotions.
Here are a few tangible ways to incorporate somatic movement into your routines:
→ Find a certified somatic professional to help guide you
Many qualified professionals understand the power of somatic movement and have trained extensively. A quick Google search can help!
→ Do it on your own at home with free (or paid) resources
There are a lot of different free resources available on YouTube and even somatic movement apps you can download to walk you through some practices.
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This book is a great resource for understanding somatic movement through some of the author’s own experiences and gives you beginner techniques to practice.
→ Do mundane tasks with more presence and awareness
Becoming more aware of your daily habits and movements can go a long way in regulating your nervous system and learning to process emotions as they come up. Make an effort to be present even in the smallest moments of your day, and see how it changes you.
→ Try some of these somatic movements or practices for 10 minutes each day.
You might think some of these feel silly or pointless – but it’s about how your body feels, not how it looks!
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Body scan – This practice involves closing your eyes and doing a “scan” of your body. Starting at your toes or the top of your head and slowly working through the body, you’re looking for sensations, feelings, tightness, or anything noteworthy. The acknowledgment of this alone is huge! Doing this regularly helps activate parasympathetic responses. It’s also a great way to prepare your body and mind before engaging in a more specific somatic movement.
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Dance – Dance can be an expression of how you feel inside. Ever just danced because you were so happy and felt like you had to let it out? Dance is a beautiful and personal way to release and express emotions, especially with inward awareness and connection to what you’re feeling in your body.
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Yoga, Tai Chi, Martial Arts, or Pilates – Exercises incorporating deep breathing, long stretches, holding poses, and focusing on internal feelings are often already somatic in nature. Many apps specialize in somatic techniques and movements if you are a beginner or want more guidance!
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Breathwork – Breathwork is shown to have a long list of health benefits physically, mentally, and emotionally. It can even take you into altered states of consciousness, proving the mind-body link. Connecting your breath to calming and conscious thoughts or patterns can help you unwind and release physical tension.
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Facial massage – We know mental health and skin health are related. So tapping into this through nourishing, calming facial massage facilitates a unique opportunity to tune inward. This is a great daily calming practice with a multitude of benefits. Even better if you have a trusted esthetician to help co-regulate your nervous system through touch.
*Tip: Check out this guided practice with our holistic esthetician!
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Vagal nerve neck stretch – There are a few variations of neck stretching that activate your vagal nerve, but here’s a specific one to try.
*Tip: We liked this resource for a few more somatic stretch ideas.
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Pandiculation – This refers to the automatic “stretch” we do upon waking. It’s stretching your muscles and then releasing (like a cat or dog doing a full-body stretch after a nap!). It’s built into our biology to help us reset muscle tension and communicate with our brain. It’s so innate that we even do it in the womb. But with sedentary lifestyles that cause us to build muscle tension more quickly than our ancestors, we can use it to reset and restore conscious voluntary control of muscles.9
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Butterfly tapping – this movement uses hands linked together by your thumbs in the shape of a butterfly over your chest. Gentle tapping with each hand in alternating rhythmic patterns activates your parasympathetic nervous system.
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Hip and psoas release – There are many variations of hip-releasing somatic movements. Relaxing and contracting these muscles in a repetitive swinging motion cues the body you’re not in danger. The gentle movements and stretches signal your body that it’s safe to release tension.
You can try so many somatic movements on your own – this is just a small sample of what’s available! And remember, somatic movement is more about the awareness and intention you pair with it. You can make pretty much any movement somatic with a little effort. ;)
Restoring Vital Connection Between Body and Mind
Somatic movements connect you to how emotions make your body feel. Understanding how and why your body responds to emotions helps you feel safe and seen, moving through emotions instead of letting them become stagnant and trapped.
Many people have experienced incredible relief through somatic movement. Maybe it’s the missing piece you didn’t know you needed. Start small, and see how the benefits begin to multiply in your heart and mind.
Let’s live in deeper connection with the one beautiful life we get to live.
XO
Sources:
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National Library of Medicine | The Link Between Chronic Stress and Accelerated Aging
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Somatopia | Reset Your Nervous System: Somatic Tools for Vagal Tone
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