The Body Remembers - Somatic Therapy in Trauma Work

The Body Remembers - Somatic Therapy in Trauma Work

When we think about trauma, we think about memories - images, sounds, emotions that return against our will. But trauma lives not only in the mind. It also lives in the body. In chronic muscle tension that no massage can release. In shallow breathing that has lasted so long it seems normal. In a stomach that clenches at the sound of a certain tone of voice. In shoulders that involuntarily rise when someone comes too close. The body remembers what the mind tries to forget - and that is precisely what somatic therapy works with.

The title of this article references the groundbreaking book by Bessel van der Kolk, "The Body Keeps the Score," which revolutionized the way psychology understands trauma. Van der Kolk, a psychiatrist with over forty years of experience, demonstrated that trauma is stored not only in the mind but primarily in the body - and that effective therapy must account for this bodily dimension.

Why Does the Body "Store" Trauma?

The answer lies in the neurobiology of the stress response. When we encounter a threat, our nervous system automatically activates one of three responses: fight, flight, or freeze. These are not conscious decisions - they are autonomic reactions, governed by the brainstem and amygdala, far faster than any thought. Before you can think "this is dangerous," your body is already responding - the heart beats faster, muscles tense, breathing accelerates.

Under normal circumstances, the stress response has a beginning, a peak, and an end. A gazelle that has escaped from a lion trembles all over after a few minutes - this is the way its nervous system "discharges" the energy mobilized for flight. After trembling, the gazelle calmly returns to its herd. This natural cycle of discharge - mobilization, action, discharge, return to equilibrium - is built into the biology of every mammal.

In humans, this natural discharge cycle is often interrupted. Social norms tell us: "don't cry," "pull yourself together," "don't overreact." A child being harmed by a parent cannot fight or flee - the only available option is to freeze. A victim of sexual violence may "stiffen" - not because they are not defending themselves, but because their nervous system activated the most archaic defensive response. The energy mobilized for defense is not discharged - it becomes "trapped" in the body.

Peter Levine, creator of the Somatic Experiencing method, describes it this way: trauma is not the event itself - it is energy that could not be discharged and became trapped in the nervous system. This is why people after trauma experience physical symptoms that seemingly have no medical cause: chronic muscle tension, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, heart palpitations, numbness in the hands or feet, chronic fatigue, and sleep disturbances.

Polyvagal Theory - A New Understanding of the Nervous System

Polyvagal theory, developed by neurologist Stephen Porges, sheds additional light on how the nervous system responds to threat. Porges discovered that the vagus nerve - the longest cranial nerve, connecting the brain with the heart, lungs, stomach, and intestines - has two branches with different functions.

The ventral (front) branch is active when we feel safe - it enables social engagement, relaxation, and digestion. The dorsal (back) branch activates in situations of extreme threat - it causes "freezing," numbness, and dissociation. Between them operates the sympathetic system, responsible for fight and flight responses.

People after trauma are often stuck in a state of sympathetic dominance (chronic anxiety, hypervigilance) or dorsal vagal dominance (numbness, "shutting down," chronic fatigue). Somatic therapy helps the nervous system return to a state of regulation - to the activity of the ventral branch, which enables a sense of safety and connection with other people.

What Is Somatic Therapy?

Somatic therapy (from the Greek "soma" - body) is a therapeutic approach that incorporates the body into the trauma healing process. Rather than working exclusively with thoughts and emotions (as in classical psychotherapy), a somatic therapist helps the patient carefully observe and understand signals coming from the body - tensions, sensations, movement impulses - and allows them to naturally discharge.

The most important approaches in somatic therapy are:

Somatic Experiencing (SE) - a method developed by Peter Levine. It is based on gradual, gentle contact with bodily sensations related to trauma. An SE therapist does not lead the patient directly to the traumatic memory - instead, they work with the body, helping it complete unfinished defensive responses. The key principle of SE is "titration" - working in small doses to avoid re-overwhelm. Levine compares it to opening a bottle of carbonated drink - if you open it suddenly, the foam spills over; if you open it slowly, the gas escapes in a controlled way.

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy - a method created by Pat Ogden. It combines body work with traditional psychotherapy. The therapist observes the patient's body posture, gestures, muscle tensions, and micro-movements, treating them as a "window" into unconscious patterns of response to trauma. It is particularly effective in working with developmental (childhood) trauma.

Bessel van der Kolk's Approach - van der Kolk, author of the groundbreaking book "The Body Keeps the Score," combines a neurobiological approach with body practices such as yoga (particularly trauma-sensitive yoga), EMDR, and neurofeedback. His research has shown that yoga can be effective in reducing PTSD symptoms - particularly in individuals who do not respond to traditional talk therapy.

What Does a Somatic Therapy Session Look Like?

A somatic therapy session differs from what most people imagine "therapy" to be. The patient does not need to recount the traumatic event in detail. The therapist directs the patient's attention to sensations in the body: "What do you feel in your chest right now?" "Do you notice any tension in your shoulders?" "What happens with your breathing when you talk about this?"

The work proceeds slowly and gently. The therapist may ask the patient to notice a movement impulse ("I have the impression that your hand wants to push away - would you like to let it do that?") or to perform a small movement that the body "wants" to make. Sometimes it is a pushing away with the hands, stepping back, clenching a fist - movements that the body wanted to make at the moment of trauma but could not.

Sessions may also include breathing exercises (particularly diaphragmatic breathing, which activates the parasympathetic system), work with body posture, gentle movement exercises, or grounding techniques that help the patient feel safe in their body. Grounding may involve feeling the feet on the floor, holding a mug of warm tea, touching different textures - anything that helps the body "anchor" itself in the present.

The Window of Tolerance - Key to Somatic Work

The concept of the "window of tolerance," introduced by Dan Siegel, is fundamental in somatic therapy. The window of tolerance is the range of nervous system arousal within which a person can function normally - think, feel, and respond adequately.

People after trauma often have a very narrow window of tolerance. They easily fall into a state of hyperarousal - anxiety, panic, aggression, palpitations, shallow breathing, muscle tension - or into a state of hypoarousal - numbness, dissociation, "shutting down," feeling of emptiness, chronic fatigue, and absence of emotion.

The goal of somatic therapy is to gradually widen this window - so that the patient can experience a broader range of emotions and bodily sensations without falling into extreme states. This happens through repeated, safe experiences of regulation - the therapist helps the patient notice the moment when arousal rises and gently brings the nervous system back within the range of tolerance. Over time, the nervous system learns that it can return to balance - and the window widens.

Who Is Somatic Therapy For?

Somatic therapy is particularly valuable for individuals who:

• Experience physical symptoms of trauma - chronic tension, pain without a clear medical cause, breathing difficulties, gastrointestinal problems
• Experience dissociation - "leaving the body," feelings of derealization, emotional numbness
• "Know" about their trauma intellectually but feel that talking about it alone does not bring change - "I understand what happened, but nothing changes"
• Have a difficult relationship with their own body - avoiding contact with bodily sensations, not feeling their body, treating it as an enemy
• Have tried traditional talk therapy and feel they need something more
• Have experienced trauma that is difficult to verbalize - especially early childhood trauma, from before language development

The somatic approach is often combined with other methods - EMDR, cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, and EEG neurofeedback. At Sztuka Harmonii Psychological Center, our psychotraumatologists integrate elements of body work into their therapeutic sessions, adapting their approach to the needs of each patient.

The Body as Ally, Not Enemy

Many people after trauma have a difficult relationship with their own body. A body that stores tension, pain, and unpleasant sensations is often treated as a source of suffering - something to be ignored or "overcome." Some try to "escape" from the body through excessive intellectualization, others through substances or food. Somatic therapy reverses this perspective: the body is not the enemy - it is an ally in the healing process. Its reactions are not "exaggerated" or "irrational" - they are intelligent responses to experiences that once threatened survival.

Learning to listen to the body and trust its wisdom is one of the most profound changes that somatic therapy brings. Patients often say that for the first time in their lives they feel "at home" in their own body. That they breathe fully. That they can relax without alcohol. That they feel the boundaries of their body and can communicate them to others.

Support at Sztuka Harmonii Psychological Center

At Sztuka Harmonii Psychological Center in Gdansk, Malgorzata Kozlowska, MA and Aleksandra Ostrowska, MA work with trauma, integrating elements of the somatic approach, EMDR, and individual psychotherapy into their practice. Long-term psychotherapy support is also offered by Anna Lewicka, MA.

If you feel that your body carries tension that you cannot release - if you experience physical symptoms that doctors cannot explain - perhaps your body is trying to tell you something. A psychotraumatological consultation is a good first step. During the consultation, a specialist will assess your situation and propose the form of therapy best suited to your needs.

Call 732 059 980 and schedule an appointment. We see patients in person at four offices in Gdansk and Gdynia and online. The body remembers - but it can also learn to let go. All it needs is a chance.