Somatic Therapy : Integrating CBT & EMDR

What Is Somatic Therapy?

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The word somatic relates to the body. Somatic approaches recognise that our emotional experiences can involve physical responses as well as thoughts and feelings.

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For example, anxiety might involve:

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• Tightness in your chest or stomach

• Changes in breathing

• Muscle tension

• Feeling restless or unable to settle

• Feeling frozen or unable to respond

• Feeling disconnected or numb

• Increased awareness of possible threats

• A strong urge to escape or avoid a situation

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These reactions can sometimes occur very quickly, before you have had time to consciously think about what is happening.

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Somatic therapy can help you become more aware of these responses and develop ways of responding to them with greater understanding and choice.

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If anxiety is one of the main difficulties you are experiencing, you can also read more about CBT for anxiety and how therapy may help.

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Understanding the Nervous System

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Our nervous system is constantly responding to information from both inside and outside the body. When we perceive danger, the body can prepare us to respond. Our heart rate may increase, breathing may change and muscles may tense. These responses are useful when we genuinely need to protect ourselves. However, following prolonged stress or difficult experiences, some people notice that their threat system seems particularly sensitive.

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You may find yourself becoming overwhelmed by situations that other people appear able to manage easily. Alternatively, you might notice that you withdraw, shut down or disconnect when things become too much.

Somatic therapy can involve learning to recognise these changes earlier and exploring ways of helping yourself feel more grounded and able to remain present.

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What Does Somatic Therapy Involve?

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Somatic therapy doesn't mean ignoring your thoughts or spending an entire session focusing on your body.

Instead, we may gently notice what is happening physically while exploring your thoughts, emotions and experiences.

 

Depending on your individual needs, this might include:

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• Developing awareness of physical sensations

• Recognising early signs of becoming overwhelmed

• Exploring how emotions are experienced within the body

• Grounding techniques, such as the 54321 technique

• Breathing and movement exercises

• Developing awareness of patterns such as tension, freezing or shutting down

• Learning ways to regulate emotional and physical responses

• Exploring what helps you experience a greater sense of safety and stability

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There is no expectation that you should experience or express anything in a particular way. The work can be adapted to your individual needs and at a pace that feels manageable.

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Somatic Therapy and Trauma

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Difficult or traumatic experiences can sometimes leave people feeling as though their body continues to react even though the danger has passed. You may logically know that you are safe while experiencing strong physical reactions to certain situations, memories or reminders. This can be particularly confusing when you cannot immediately identify why you are reacting.

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Somatic work can help you develop a greater understanding of these responses without forcing you to immediately revisit distressing experiences in detail.

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If you have experienced trauma, you may also want to read about Trauma-Focused CBT and EMDR, two other approaches that can be used when working with traumatic memories and their ongoing effects.

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Integrating Somatic Therapy with CBT

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Somatic approaches and CBT can work well alongside each other because they focus on different parts of our experience.

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CBT helps us understand connections between:

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Thoughts → Emotions → Physical sensations → Behaviours

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Somatic work can bring additional attention to the physical sensations and nervous-system responses within this cycle.

For example, you might notice your chest tightening before you consciously recognise that you are becoming anxious. Becoming aware of this earlier can provide an opportunity to respond differently rather than automatically avoiding the situation or becoming overwhelmed. This can be particularly helpful when someone says:

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"I understand why I feel like this, but knowing it doesn't stop my body reacting."

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You can read more about how I use CBT therapy and how this approach may help with difficulties such as anxiety, worry and low mood.

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Can Somatic Therapy Help With Anxiety?

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Anxiety often has a significant physical component. People may experience a racing heart, dizziness, nausea, shaking, sweating, breathlessness or muscle tension. Understandably, these sensations can sometimes become frightening themselves.

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Somatic approaches can help you develop greater awareness of these sensations and how you respond to them.

Combined with CBT, this can help you understand the relationship between your physical sensations, anxious thoughts and behaviours such as avoidance or reassurance seeking. 

 

Somatic Therapy and OCD

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OCD can involve not only intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviours, but also intense physical feelings of anxiety, tension, urgency or a sense that something is “not right”. Somatic techniques can be integrated alongside CBT for OCD, helping you notice and make space for these physical sensations without automatically responding with compulsions or reassurance-seeking. This can complement evidence-based CBT approaches, including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).

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You can find out more about how I work with obsessive thoughts and compulsions on my OCD Therapy page.

 

Can Somatic Therapy Help With Trauma and PTSD?

 

Somatic approaches may also be incorporated into therapy for people who have experienced trauma.

Trauma can affect people in different ways. Some people experience intrusive memories or nightmares, while others notice anxiety, emotional numbness, irritability, avoidance or a persistent sense of being on alert.

 

Not everyone affected by trauma will develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Where PTSD is present, evidence-based psychological treatments such as Trauma-Focused CBT and EMDR may be considered. Somatic techniques can sometimes be incorporated alongside these approaches to support awareness and regulation.

 

Integrating Somatic Therapy with EMDR

 

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is an approach used to help people process distressing or traumatic memories. Somatic awareness can complement EMDR because memories are not always experienced only as thoughts or images. People may also notice physical sensations, emotions or urges associated with an experience.

Paying attention to these responses can form part of understanding how an experience continues to affect you in the present. You can read more about what treatment involves on my EMDR Therapy page.

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Is Somatic Therapy Right for Me?

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Somatic therapy may be worth exploring if you notice that your emotional difficulties have a strong physical component or if you often feel overwhelmed, tense, disconnected or unable to relax. It may also be helpful if you feel that you understand your difficulties intellectually but still find that your body reacts automatically.

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Therapy is individual, so we can discuss what you are experiencing and whether CBT, somatic approaches, trauma-focused therapy, EMDR or an integrated approach would be most appropriate.

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​Online Somatic Therapy

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I offer online therapy for adults, allowing you to attend sessions from your own private space. Somatic work can be adapted effectively to online sessions. We can work collaboratively, with you remaining in control of what you feel comfortable exploring.

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You can find out more about my professional background and therapeutic approach on my About Me page.

 

Find Out More

 

If anxiety, trauma or difficult past experiences are affecting your life, you don't have to know which type of therapy you need before getting in touch.

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We can discuss what you are experiencing and consider which approach may be most appropriate for you.

You can explore my CBT, Trauma-Focused CBT and EMDR pages for more information, or visit my Contact page to arrange a free 20-minute consultation.

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Information on this page is provided for general information and is not a substitute for individual psychological or medical advice.