Do Somatic Exercises Heal Psychological Trauma?
Somatic Therapy San Francisco
You may have seen advertisements for somatic exercises that claim to heal trauma by targeting a specific area of the body. While it is true that trauma stores in the body, it may or may not work to target a certain part of the body without any idea of where your body is holding trauma. You may find some kind of release but without knowledge or insight of where your trauma is stored or how to process it. . .these exercises may prove futile.
Why would these exercises not work on trauma? Simply put, doing movement to release trauma based on a predetermined set of exercises lacks context. Context is needed to know which movements would be helpful. Context for releasing trauma is created by doing a psychological assessment and by doing movement assessment and observation. Since few people can analyze themselves accurately, finding a qualified therapist is key to starting to heal.
Luckily, different kinds of somatic therapy exist that can help you release psychological trauma. In particular, dance therapy is useful to help identify where trauma is stored in the body. With a skilled practitioner, you can release trauma and learn new ways of living in your body that help you to feel confident, calm, and connected to yourself!
Why Choose Somatic Therapy, specifically Dance Therapy, Over Somatic Exercises?
1) Dance therapists have years of training observing movement.
They go through master’s levels training (two years) and then do two more years after graduating with supervision in which they learn to observe movement for psychological themes.
2) They are taught to look for trauma in the way clients move and their movement patterns.
Based on the movement patterns and how a client moves, a dance therapist will have a good idea of where trauma might be stored in a client’s body. From there, the therapist can begin to unlock the trauma in the body.
3) Dance therapists are trained in movement interventions to help release trauma.
They are able to help facilitate release based on observing the individual in front of them and deciding exactly which interventions would work best. It wouldn’t make sense to use a movement intervention that focuses on the hips when the trauma is stored in the shoulders. . .so choosing the appropriate intervention is critical.
4) Dance therapists are trained to do psychology and verbal therapy
In addition to training in movement assessment and interventions, dance therapists learn how to do psychological assessments and learn verbal counseling interventions. It is important to know about psychology and how to speak to those who have experience trauma, not just how to analyze movement.
5) Dance therapists know how to use movement as a gateway to speech.
Dance therapists are experts at finding how to use movement to express and release trauma and then are skilled at processing the movement with the client afterwards. It is not enough to move, as somatic exercise would suggest. Making meaning of the movement and creating a story around it is crucial in letting go of trauma.
The above are reasons why a dance or somatic therapist could be more helpful in releasing trauma than somatic exercise. If you have questions about psychological trauma, dance therapy, or somatic therapy, please contact me at lisa@lisamanca.com.