EMDR Is A Somatic Therapy
What is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic therapy is an umbrella term for therapy that emphasizes the connection between the body and the mind. Historically a lot of therapeutic approaches focused more on the mind with the body as an afterthought (e.g. psychoanalysis, CBT). With newer research, practice wisdom, and integration of some eastern cultural traditions (e.g. meditation), the therapy field has been significantly shifting to acknowledge the role our body plays in our day-to-day experience as well as our mental health and wellness. Somatic therapies often involve mindful practices of being aware and present with bodily sensations and utilize those are important information and avenues of healing.
Related to this, we’ve shifted how we feel about trauma. We now believe, and have research that supports this, that trauma is stored just as much in the body as the mind. This shows up for example with triggers where the body reacts just as much as the mind to whatever the trigger may be. For example, a war veteran that hears a loud noise might have a bodily reaction of panic, fear, increased heart rate, and an adrenaline spike. Over a longer period of time we also see links with chronic pain, muscle tension, fibromyalgia, and other things in people who have more significant trauma. The Adverse Childhood Experiences study looked at thousands of children and found links between trauma and these things later in life.
With somatic therapy, therapists and clients work to release the stored trauma and reactivity in the body. Common somatic therapies include Somatic Experiencing, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and mindfulness practices like trauma-informed yoga.
The Connection Between Trauma and the Body
Having a deeper understanding of how trauma is connected to the body will help your understanding of how EMDR is a somatic therapy. When we go through trauma our bodies often react with emotions and physical sensations, including the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses. Although helpful for the survival in the moment, they can get stuck. This leads to the previously mentioned ability to be triggered later in life as well as the chronic conditions. Basically, the body holds on to this trauma and we re-experience pieces of it later in life.
The Somatic Foundation of EMDR
EMDR is inherently somatic in nature, although it’s not often characterized that way. As part of the EMDR process we identify triggered feeling states and their associated memories. The triggered feeling states are the combination of thoughts/beliefs, emotions, and physical sensations. To flesh out the information in these triggered feeling states we utilize mindfulness and a check in with both the mind and the body, the same as other somatic therapies. Further, during processing in session we are utilizing mindfulness and “staying with” whatever is coming up. It is a present moment, felt sense, and somatic experience.
The Importance of Body Awareness
In somatic therapy, body awareness is fundamental to the healing process. The ability to recognize and stay with whatever is coming in the body helps release the trauma. This awareness can also be empowering as it gives clients more insight in to what their body is doing, the ability to cope more successfully with whatever is coming up since we can pick a more applicable coping mechanism (e.g. deep breathing because I realize I hyperventilate when a particular trigger comes up), as well as the ability to release the trauma that’s been stored for years.
All of this applies to EMDR and EMDR sessions. We are encouraging the present awareness of the triggers and the processing. We often frame this as energy, temperature, tightness, tension, or other reactions. We can even conceptualize these from a ‘parts’ lens like Internal Family Systems and see if they have a voice, message, or burden they’re carrying. By bringing these to the present awareness we can start to have a deeper understanding of how someone’s body has been affected by trauma both generally and with specific past trauma that we’re targeting.
For people who have experienced trauma, sometimes there’s a distancing, dissociation, or mistrust with their bodies. These sensations are often seen as problematic and we dislike them. Part of the somatic process is bringing awareness to these reactions and stored bodily sensations, honoring that they’re parts of us that have held the pain for us so we don’t have to hold it, and reconnecting with our body. We want to recognize the wisdom our body has. This can also help provide some valuable information in the present when we’re better able to connect and check in with our body. An example of this is “trust your gut”. The better connection we have to our “gut” the more discerning we can be about things. If we’re not connected to our body then we’re losing a ton of helpful information.
The Healing Power of Bilateral Stimulation
Another part of EMDR’s somatic foundation is the use of bilateral stimulation (BLS). This BLS actively engages the body such as through eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones. We’re not just going in our head and thinking things out, we’re actively engaging the body in various ways, all while coupling it with mindfulness. This awareness and activation is part of what helps our bodies release stuck trauma. For example, a client might feel a release of tension in their shoulders or a lightening of heaviness in their chest. These physical changes highlight the body’s role in storing and releasing trauma.
In somatic therapy, this kind of physical release is seen as essential for healing. Trauma can cause the nervous system to become dysregulated, leading to under or over activation. BLS in EMDR helps to reset the nervous system and get clients back to a place of balance.
Why EMDR’s Somatic Component Matters in Trauma Recovery
Hopefully the information so far has helped show the EMDR is a somatic therapy as well as part of why it’s beneficial to clients. Given that trauma is not just in the mind, but also in the body, EMDR’s ability to attend to both the mind and body places it in a wonderful place that makes it both cognitive and somatic.
Addressing the Root Cause of Physical Symptoms
To circle back around to the chronic body symptoms, a lot of trauma can manifest with these chronic conditions. Traditional talk therapies can be good at working with the mental or psychological part of trauma but lacking in their ability to release the stored bodily part. The continuation of physical pain, tensions, or other chronic conditions can be disappointing, frustrating and leave a lot of clients disenfranchised with therapy. This is where treatment options like EMDR can be beneficial.
By incorporating somatic/mindful awareness via EMDR clients can begin to also work on the root cause of the stored trauma in the nervous system. As clients work through and reprocess the traumatic memories with EMDR they also release the physical component. Although it’s not an instant fix, this can provide relief over time for some chronic conditions.
Better Emotional Regulation
As humans we benefit a lot from emotional regulation. This can be purposeful in the moment, such as counting to 10 when we’re angry and actively working on suppressing the anger so we don’t lash out. It can also be automatic in our nervous system. This becomes a lot harder with stored trauma and bigger reactions that don’t match the situation. By bringing awareness to somatic responses clients are better able to actively cope, but also by reprocessing and release the stored trauma it helps our nervous system automatically regulate better.
Supporting Long-Term Healing
The last piece I want to talk about is long-term healing. With some therapy the goal is to provide band-aids short term that can help a situation. Don’t get me wrong, this is helpful. But when we’re talking about long-term change we want to get to the root of what is causing the present day issues or discomfort. By attending to both the cognitive and somatic parts of the stored trauma EMDR facilitates long-term healing that doesn’t require constant band-aiding. Healing from trauma can bring about a deeper sense of self, well-being, and wholeness. It’s hard to get those when we’re constantly having to fight parts of us. As clients work through their trauma in EMDR, they often report better and more connected to their bodies, more able to stay present and mindful, and also more at peace when anything from the past does come up. For example, clients who experienced significant childhood trauma often struggle to think about their childhood at all without a strong mind and body reaction. Through processing the past trauma those clients can connect more with the positive or enjoyable parts of their childhood that previously were overshadowed by the trauma.
EMDR’s Unique Contribution to Somatic Therapy
By viewing EMDR through the lens of somatic therapy we get a better understanding and appreciation of how it operates and its unique contribution to trauma recovery. EMDR doesn’t just change how we think about or remember past trauma, it also helps release the stored bodily parts of it. This lets us heal the whole triggered feeling state – belief, emotions, and somatic experience.
This combination of processing the psychological and somatic piece can be life changing for clients. This therapeutic approach helps clients not only understanding themselves and their past better, but also the present moment. By integrating the mind and the body EMDR provides a comprehensive approach to healing.
As the trauma therapy field evolves, hopefully there will be a wider recognition of the deeply somatic components of EMDR. Regardless, we will continue to utilize EMDR effectively for past trauma, current triggers, and future happiness. Reach out today if you’re interested in finding somatic therapy in Nashville and talking more about the somatic underpinning of EMDR or if you want to set up a session.