Somatic Attachment Therapy: A Whole-Body Answer For Trauma

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Mental health care focuses primarily on the mind. In many ways, this makes sense since thoughts and feelings originate in the brain. However, human bodies are complex. Somatic attachment theory states that trauma may be stored in a person's cells, affecting their entire body, which means that brain-based treatments may not be sufficient. Somatic attachment therapy allows therapists to treat patients' entire selves. These are some ways that somatic attachment therapy can help you to recover from trauma:

1. Observe areas of detachment with your body.

People who are healthy have minds that are connected with their bodies. However, many people who have experienced trauma detach from their bodies as a coping mechanism. They may not notice simple things, such as when they feel pain, fatigue, or even hunger. The first step in somatic attachment therapy is noticing areas of disconnection with your body. By bringing your attention to the sensations in your stomach, chest, head, and limbs, you can better understand what your body is trying to tell you.

2. Focus on meeting real needs.

Some types of therapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, focus on helping people change their thoughts. However, changing your thoughts may not help to you relieve your anxiety if your body feels fundamentally unsafe. In order to find true freedom from anxiety, you must first ensure that your physical, emotional, and mental needs are met. Somatic attachment therapy can help you discover your needs and properly allocate your resources to meet them. Simple things, such as having enough food to eat and having a safe place to rest, can put your body at ease so your mind can begin to heal.

3. Change your thoughts and feelings through movement.

Talk therapy can be an effective way to help people understand their thoughts and feelings. However, when people feel stuck in their lives, simply talking about their emotions may not be enough to provide resolution. In some cases, physical movements can provide the relief that people seek. Moving your body in response to feelings of anxiety, sadness, and anger can help to release these emotions. Your therapist can guide you through intuitive movement exercises during your therapy sessions to facilitate this release.

4. Stay grounded.

Finally, during somatic attachment therapy, you will learn how to stay grounded in your body. Breathing deeply and observing your breath can remind you of your body's physicality whenever you feel scared or worried. Returning to your breath can help you remain grounded if you ever feel overwhelmed during therapy sessions.

For more information about somatic attachment therapy, contact a natural health care counseling service in your area.

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11 July 2022

Taking the Natural Road

There are many different forms of health care. There are many different ways to keep yourself healthy or to restore health. Natural health care is just one option. It happens to be the option we will discuss on this website. There are a lot of misconceptions about natural health care, so to be honest, we are pretty excited to post factual information and clear some of them up. Our readers tend to be people who are passionate about their own health and who want to take a more natural approach. However, we welcome anyone who is interested in reading what we have to say.