Relearning to Feel Safe: Somatic Therapy Explains the Body-Mind Trauma Connection
- Rebecca Rinnert
- Sep 30, 2025
- 3 min read
Why Safety Can Feel Out of Reach After Trauma
You may know you’re safe—but still feel panic, tension, or numbness in your body. That disconnect isn’t a failure on your part. It’s the way trauma reshapes both the brain and the body.
As psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score, reminds us:
“Trauma is not just an event that took place in the past. It is also the imprint left by that experience on the mind, brain, and body.”
This is why trauma recovery isn’t only about talking through experiences. True healing often means reconnecting with the body and teaching it how to feel safe again.
What Is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic therapy is an embodied, holistic approach to trauma healing that integrates both body and mind. Unlike traditional talk therapy, it recognizes that unresolved trauma is often stored in the nervous system and shows up as:
Chronic tension or pain
Fight, flight, freeze, or fawn patterns
Anxiety or hypervigilance
Numbness or disconnection from emotions
Difficulties with trust and boundaries
Somatic therapy helps you:
Release protective tension held in the body
Reconnect with sensations in safe, manageable ways
Regulate the nervous system after survival states
Rebuild a sense of safety, presence, and connection
This isn’t about re-living trauma—it’s about teaching your body new pathways to safety.
The Science: The Body-Mind Trauma Connection
When we experience trauma, our nervous system goes into survival mode. This can leave us “stuck” in patterns of:
Hyperarousal (anxiety, panic, irritability, insomnia)
Hypoarousal (numbness, disconnection, fatigue, collapse)
According to Polyvagal Theory (Stephen Porges), trauma dysregulates the vagus nerve, which is central to our body’s safety system. Somatic therapy helps restore balance by gradually bringing the nervous system back into a window of tolerance, where healing can happen.
👉 Research supports somatic-based therapies (Somatic Experiencing, trauma-informed yoga, body awareness practices) as effective for reducing PTSD symptoms and improving quality of life.
Why Talk Therapy Isn’t Always Enough
Talk therapy can help us understand our story, but many survivors still feel “stuck” because the body hasn’t caught up.
Somatic therapy bridges the gap between:
What you know (“I’m safe now”)
What you feel (panic, fear, shutdown)
Experts like Bessel van der Kolk, Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing), and Pat Ogden (Sensorimotor Psychotherapy) all highlight the same truth: healing requires engaging the body as much as the mind.
Somatic Practices to Relearn Safety
Here are some gentle practices often used in somatic therapy. Try one now:
🌱 Mini Exercise: Grounding Through the Senses
Name 5 things you can see
4 things you can feel (your chair, your feet, your clothes)
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
This exercise helps anchor you in the present moment, reminding your body it is safe right now.
Other somatic tools include:
Tracking sensations: noticing tension or warmth in the body
Gentle shaking or movement: releasing survival energy
Breathwork: slow, regulated breathing to calm the nervous system
Boundary exercises: practicing “yes” and “no” in embodied ways
FAQs: Somatic Therapy & Trauma
Can somatic therapy help with PTSD?
Yes. Studies show that body-based therapies reduce PTSD symptoms and support long-term regulation.
Do I need to talk about my trauma in detail?
Not necessarily. Somatic therapy focuses on present sensations and nervous system regulation, not only retelling past events.
Can I do somatic therapy online?
Absolutely. Many somatic practices (grounding, awareness, guided movement) translate well to online sessions.
How quickly will I notice results?
Everyone’s healing journey is unique. Some feel shifts in a few sessions, while others need more time. Safety is built gently, at your own pace.
Relearning to Feel Safe Is Possible
Healing from trauma isn’t about erasing the past—it’s about giving your body and mind the tools to feel safe again.
As Bessel van der Kolk says: “The body keeps the score—but it can also learn new rhythms.”
With somatic therapy, you can:
✅ Release stored trauma
✅ Reconnect with your body
✅ Rebuild trust and presence
✅ Experience safety in daily life
✨ Next step for you:If talk therapy hasn’t felt like enough, consider exploring somatic therapy with a trauma-informed practitioner. Your body already carries incredible wisdom—and with the right support, it can also carry you back to safety.
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