Somatic Therapy in Los Angeles

When your body is telling you something, do you listen? In the noise and bustle of Los Angeles, it is easy for your body’s messages to get drowned out. But remember - your body keeps score. It is a memory of your painful experiences that can become key to your healing, especially with trauma.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that nearly 70% will experience at least one traumatic event in their life. Healing from traumatic and painful experiences will require you to focus on the mind-body connection, and this is where somatic therapy comes in.

Somatic therapy is a body-oriented psychotherapy that targets physical responses and release to heal from trauma and other symptoms. It is different from other therapies that focus on your mind and cognition, as it combines the intricacy of the mind and body for emotional well-being.

Linda Whiteside, Clinical Supervisor at the NuView Treatment Center, says, “You may not have heard of somatic therapy as it is not as established as other mind-body healing methods like meditation or mindfulness, but we have observed that more than 25% of the clients at our Los Angeles facility experience 50% greater symptom reduction with somatic therapy.”

The key techniques used in somatic therapy are as follows:

• Raising Physical Awareness: You will learn to use mindfulness to direct your focus toward your bodily sensations. For instance, if you feel upset, you notice how your body reacts to your feeling upset.
• Descriptive Language: You use descriptive language to describe your body sensations, as it allows you to understand your emotions and even release pent-up tension effectively.
• Grounding: Grounding techniques allow you to connect your mind and body with the present while pulling your focus away from negative emotions and experiences.
• Resourcing: You use resourcing to find a sense of stability and security in your environment, mainly by recalling the comforting things in your life, like your loved ones. It allows you to foster connectedness as well.
• Titration: With titration, you safely experience smaller levels of distressing emotions that you can handle to release them from your body. It fosters resilience rather than denial or avoidance.
• Pendulation: Like with titration, you safely experience smaller levels of distress, but you pendulate between distress and non-distress here. It fosters resilience with comfort.
• Sequencing: Sequencing is when you release physical tension in the order of how you experience them – toward catharsis or release.
• Somatic Breathwork: You might be familiar with breathing in and breathing out. This goes beyond that; you practice deep breathing techniques to allow your mind and body to get more oxygen.
• Body Movement: You use body movements to release negative emotions and trauma. For instance, you get your body to act defensively as you allow the tension to flow from your body. You learn to connect with others while also establishing boundaries.
• Self-Regulation and Co-Regulation: You regulate your own emotions with a little help from your family and friends.

Modern Somatic Therapy Techniques

Somatic therapy has developed from a wide variety of techniques, and modern somatic therapy can be provided in the following ways:

• Somatic Experiencing: Somatic experiencing is when you become stuck in the “freeze” aspect of the fight, flight, or freeze response. These frozen parts will gain energy over time that you will need to release. The goal of somatic experiencing therapy is to redirect this pent-up energy to the productive aspects of your life.
• Hakomi Method: It is a powerful tool that uses somatic interventions and mindfulness to heal trauma, especially those that stem from developmental and attachment issues. The point of the Hakomi method is for you to focus on the “blueprints” of life that shape your present-day concerns.
• Sensorimotor Therapy: While sensorimotor therapy is based on the Hakomi method, it also combines the benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy and neuroscience. It is a body-centered therapy that allows you to release those traumatic experiences that are buried deep within the body, especially those that traditional therapy may fail to address.

Somatic therapy can help with a wide spectrum of mental health conditions, such as:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Complicated grief
• Anxiety and depressive symptoms
• Substance use disorders (SUDs)
• Everyday stressors.

Linda Whiteside says, “Somatic therapy may not be for everyone, but if you believe that your body experiences emotions just like how your mind does - this may be a right fit for you.”

Los Angeles treatment centers, like NuView, are increasingly targeting trauma-focused care. What this means is - given how common traumatic experiences are, trauma needs to be given consideration in treating SUDs and co-occurring mental health conditions. This is why therapists in Los Angeles are trained to recognize and be sensitive toward trauma, so that you can heal in a non-judgmental environment.

Somatic therapy is crucial to treating substance use and/or mental health conditions, as it is a trauma-focused therapy option that targets safe emotional processing so that you can experience whole-person healing - mind, body, and spirit.

Moreover, recovery options in Los Angeles are built around your life, rather than the other way around. This is why NuView offers somatic therapy both in-person and online. It is also integrated into our full continuum of outpatient care options so that you can experience its benefits even in combination with other therapeutic modalities.

If you think somatic therapy resonates with your needs and goals, do not hesitate to contact NuView today. Our therapists use their advanced training and experience in somatic therapy to tailor the experience to your needs and goals - so that you can heal from your mind, body, and spirit, toward lasting recovery.

Please call us at (323) 307-7997 to connect with somatic therapists in Los Angeles today!

1. How is somatic therapy different from other therapies?

Somatic therapy engages both your mind and body, while other therapies focus mostly on your mind to heal the mind, body, and spirit.

2. What are some of the most commonly used somatic therapy techniques?

Techniques like grounding, resourcing, titration, pendulation, and sequencing are some of the most commonly used somatic therapy techniques.

3. Is somatic therapy effective?

Yes, somatic therapy is a highly effective therapy with greater symptom severity reduction rates for trauma and related conditions.

4. Can somatic therapy be tailored to my needs and goals?

Yes, somatic therapy uses a wide variety of mind-body techniques that can be used to tailor the therapeutic experience to your needs and goals.

5. How much does somatic therapy cost?

Somatic therapy costs can vary depending on the length and treatment center, but it is covered by your insurance when integrated into broader recovery programs.