Our bodies are more than just vessels that carry us through life; they are storages of our past experiences, emotions, and unprocessed stress. Every tension in your shoulders, every tightness in your chest, and every deep sigh you take is your body communicating with you.
Many of us unconsciously hold onto stress, trauma, and emotional burdens in our bodies without realising it. Over time, this accumulated tension can lead to chronic pain, fatigue, anxiety, and even emotional numbness.
This is where somatic healing and somatic release come in—a body-based approach to emotional and physical well-being that allows us to listen to, process, and release what has been stored within us.
In this blog, we’ll explore:
✅ What somatic healing is and how it works
✅ Why emotions and trauma get stored in the body
✅ The science behind somatic release and nervous system regulation
✅ Simple somatic release techniques to help you let go
If you’ve been feeling stuck, tense, or emotionally drained, this guide will help you understand how to use somatic healing to create more ease, balance, and emotional freedom in your life.
What Is Somatic Healing? Understanding the Body-Mind Connection
Somatic healing is a holistic, body-centered therapy that focuses on the felt sense of the body to process emotions, relieve stress, and release stored trauma. The word “somatic” comes from the Greek word soma, meaning “body”, and somatic healing emphasises the idea that our bodies store experiences just as much as our minds do.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, which primarily engages the rational mind, somatic therapy helps individuals tune into physical sensations, breath, movement, and nervous system responses to facilitate deep healing.
Why Do Emotions & Trauma Get Stored in the Body?
When we experience emotional distress, our nervous system reacts instinctively. If we feel safe enough to process our emotions in the moment, our bodies naturally release them. However, when we feel overwhelmed, unsafe, or unable to process what is happening, the body stores the emotional charge instead.
This unprocessed stress can manifest as:
❌ Chronic muscle tension (tight shoulders, jaw clenching, stiff neck)
❌ Digestive issues, fatigue, or headaches
❌ Anxiety, panic attacks, or emotional numbness
❌ Feeling disconnected from the body
❌ Overactive fight-or-flight responses
Somatic release helps us unlock these stored emotions and experiences, allowing us to process and integrate them in a safe and gentle way.
The Science Behind Somatic Healing & Nervous System Regulation
Somatic healing is backed by research in neuroscience and trauma therapy, showing that the nervous system plays a key role in how we experience stress and emotions.
According to Dr. Peter Levine, founder of Somatic Experiencing, trauma is not just something that happens in the mind—it is a physiological response that gets stored in the body. When we go through a stressful or traumatic experience, our fight, flight, or freeze response activates.
If we are unable to complete this cycle—meaning we don’t shake off, cry, or discharge the energy—the body holds onto it. Over time, this stored energy creates tension, emotional imbalances, and even physical pain.
Somatic release techniques help us reset the nervous system, allowing the body to discharge what it has been holding onto, creating a sense of relief and balance.
Somatic Release Techniques to Let Go of Stored Tension
If you’re looking to release emotional and physical stress from your body, here are some simple yet powerful somatic healing techniques:
1. Grounding & Body Awareness
✅ Sit comfortably with your feet on the floor and notice the support beneath you.
✅ Pay attention to the sensations in your body—any tightness, warmth, tingling, or discomfort.
✅ Imagine your breath moving through those areas, softening them with each exhale.
Why it works: Grounding brings the nervous system into a state of safety, allowing stored tension to release naturally.
2. Somatic Breathwork for Emotional Release
✅ Inhale deeply through the nose, allowing the belly to expand.
✅ Exhale slowly through the mouth, sighing if it feels natural.
✅ Focus on the rhythm of your breath, letting go of control.
Why it works: Somatic breathwork helps reset the nervous system and create space for the body to release stored energy.
3. Shaking & Intuitive Movement
✅ Stand up and gently shake your arms, legs, and body for 1-2 minutes.
✅ Allow the movement to be loose and intuitive.
✅ Breathe deeply and let go of any tension that arises.
Why it works: Animals naturally shake off stress after intense experiences. This practice discharges stuck energy and resets the nervous system.
4. Somatic Touch & Self-Holding
✅ Place one hand on your heart and the other on your belly.
✅ Breathe deeply and feel the warmth of your hands.
✅ Repeat to yourself: “I am safe. I am here. I allow myself to release.”
Why it works: Gentle self-touch activates the parasympathetic nervous system, signaling to the body that it is safe to relax.
Who Can Benefit from Somatic Healing?
Somatic therapy is beneficial for anyone, but especially for those experiencing:
✔️ Chronic stress and burnout
✔️ Unresolved trauma or PTSD
✔️ Emotional numbness or dissociation
✔️ Anxiety, panic attacks, or nervous system dysregulation
✔️ Tension, migraines, or body pain with no clear cause
If you find yourself feeling stuck, tense, or disconnected, somatic release practices can help you reclaim balance, presence, and emotional freedom.
Experience Somatic Healing in Ireland & Online
If you’re ready to explore somatic healing on a deeper level, I offer 1-to-1 Somatic Therapy Sessions in Dublin, Naas, Newbridge, and online across Ireland and globally.
🌿 Learn more or book a session:
- Blissful Evolution: https://www.blissfulevolution.com
- Somatic Therapy Ireland: https://www.somatictherapyireland.com
Releasing stored stress and emotions is not about forcing change—it’s about creating space for healing. When we listen to the body, we allow it to do what it naturally knows how to do: let go, reset, and return to balance.
✨ Your body holds wisdom. Trust its process. ✨
