Jyothi sat quietly in the therapy room of an yoga studio', the scent of lavender filling the air. She had come for somatic therapy, a process that felt foreign yet strangely comforting. The therapist, a gentle woman named pushpa , invited her to close her eyes and focus on her breath.
“Feel the sensation in your body,” Pushpa encouraged. “Allow it to
guide you.”
Jyothi inhaled deeply, feeling a tightness in her chest. Memories of a
past trauma flooded her mind— "an accident that had left her feeling
broken and abandoned. But today, instead of retreating, she leaned into the
discomfort, breathing through the tension.
As Pushpa guided her through the session, Jyothi’s body began to
respond. She felt warmth radiate from her heart, a slow unraveling of the knots
of fear that had held her captive for so long. With each breath, she reassured
herself: I am safe now. I am here.
With small shifts in her body posture and movements, Jyothi visualized
the threads of her nervous system rewiring. She imagined vibrant colors flowing
through her, dissipating the shadows of past hurt. “I release the weight of my
trauma,” she whispered, feeling tears well up, but this time, they were tears
of liberation.
By the end of the session, Jyothi opened her eyes, a soft smile
breaking across her face. As she left the room, she felt lighter, as if the
chains of her past had transformed into wings. The journey to healing was just
beginning, but she knew she had taken a crucial step forward—one breath, one
sensation at a time.
Explore Somatic therapy for rewiring your nervous system and healing stored trauma...
Somatic Psychology is the best way to rewire your brain from toxic habits, heal old trauma, and restore your nervous system to optimal health.
Somatic Therapy has been eternalized as HATHA YOGA' by our ancient Maharshis.
Somatic therapy focuses on the mind-body connection, encouraging an awareness of bodily sensations and movements as vehicles for healing and personal growth.
Breathing Exercises (Pranayama) &Mindful Movement( The practice of asanas encourages awareness of bodily sensations) &Meditation and Mindfulness &Body Scan(visualization) Technique.
Yoga’s incorporation of breath work (pranayama), mindfulness, and physical postures (asanas) creates a holistic experience that activates the PNS(para symphathetic), promoting relaxation and recovery while simultaneously helping to regulate the SNS(symphathetic). This gentle yet powerful engagement with the body can help alleviate symptoms associated with stress, anxiety, and trauma. Somatic therapy focuses on the mind-body connection, encouraging an awareness of bodily sensations and movements as vehicles for healing and personal growth.
In recent times, Dr. Peter Levine,popularized it after studying wild animals in nature. He found that even though wild animals face dangerous situations, they don’t develop PTSD, anxiety or depression. On the other hand, Humans (and zoo animals) are the only mammals that develop long-term trauma.
After stress, animals undergo a natural healing process. They shake, tremble, or breathe deeply, which helps their bodies recover from stress and it's long term affects. If these stress hormones are left unprocessed, they lead to PTSD, depression, and anxiety in mammals.
Humans also have the same ability but, we’ve lost touch with how to do it:
We, as humans suppress this natural healing response due to societal norms and conditioning. As a result, this energy remains trapped in the body and over time manifests as distress and disease. Societal norms tell us to “suck it up” and move on, but science tells us otherwise...
It is a scientific fact that the hormones of stress eventually manifest into: • Heart Disease • Sleep disorder • Chronic Fatigue • Depression and Anxiety • Weakened immune system • And, a general lost sense of joy That's where somatic therapy comes in:
Somatic Therapy is a natural stress-releasing method that uses biology, neuroscience, and psychology to reset the nervous system of bottled-up stress. This allows the body to safely discharge the survival energy and complete the natural healing process as originally intended.
Watch me go through the somatic discharging exercise. You'll see my body in action, releasing tension through involuntary movements. This is the autonomic nervous system releasing stored stress from the body. Notice the smile at the end (it feels like bliss):
Somatic therapy focuses on the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which traditional talk therapy often falls short. The ANS plays a crucial role in how our bodies respond to stress, trauma, and emotional regulation. To fully heal from trauma, we need to learn how to effectively work with the ANS. That's where the shaking mechanism is unlocked.
When you engage your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest), your body can repair itself. In this state, your body: • Improves digestion • Lowers inflammation • Boosts immune function • Balances hormones • Regulates emotions.
Healing starts when your body feels safe.
Somatic therapy targets the limbic system—the emotional center of your brain that drives habitual stress responses. By promoting neuroplasticity, it rewires the brain's response to stress and anxiety:
A well-regulated limbic system leads to: • Resilience under pressure • Healthier emotional reactions • Greater emotional stability With somatic therapy, you’re not just managing stress—you’re rewiring how your brain responds to it.
Somatic therapy is a neuroscience-backed approach. It releases stress and trauma stored in the body by directly addressing the limbic system (stress response center). The result? A faster, deeper healing process that calms your nervous system and restores balance permanently. Just like the polar bear can overcome trauma, so can you.
These are the changes my clients consistently report after just a few weeks of Somatic therapy: • Improved sleep quality • Boosted energy & vitality • Healing from past trauma • Increased mental clarity and focus • Relief from chronic pain and tension • Enhanced emotional regulation and well-being.
one of the yoga turned psychiatrist expressed, "In my experience as a therapist: You can't heal years of anxiety, depression, and stress by thinking (or even talking) your way through it. The key lies in activating the autonomic nervous system, the body's natural healing mechanism. Somatic therapy is the best tool I've found, and it's free once you learn how to use it.
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