I talk about somatic therapy a lot. I integrate in my work work with clients, it’s part of our teacher training and it changed my life profoundly.

So today we’re going to answer the question:

What is somatic therapy, really?

Before we do, a little sidenote:

While breathwork and functional breathing make up a big part of my work, my approach brings together several more modalities in which I’m trained in:

• Somatic Experiencing
• Attachment wound healing
• IFS parts work
• Pain Reprocessing Therapy
• Depth Psychology

(I’m actually thinking about changing my brand Breathwork Alchemy to just my name soon, because what I do is way more multi-faceted than what the name implies.)

Your body doesn’t speak through words. It speaks through sensation and changes in your physiology.

At its core, somatic therapy is about relearning its language.

It’s about understanding how your emotions, unprocessed trauma and attachment wounding manifests physically.

We basically use our bodies as the vehicle to better understand our own experiences and needs.

It involves:

1. Tuning into your body’s signals and exploring the physical sensations, movements, and expressions that accompany emotions + stress responses.
2. Discharging buffered stress energies and closing incomplete stress cycles.

Somatic work helps you reconnect with your body, feel your emotions + process stored trauma.

Traditional therapy is limited because it barely addresses the root cause of pain, often only works with the thinking brain while ignoring the body.

Cognitive approaches have their place and are valuable in their own right, but they do not work on all levels of our wounding.

Somatic therapy goes deeper - to the survival brain.

It taps into your body’s intelligent healing system, allowing you to release trauma that’s stored below conscious awareness.

Here are some core principles of somatic therapy:

• Mind-Body Connection: ​
  Emotions and experiences influence physical sensations, and addressing both can heal you.
• Trauma and the Nervous System:
  Unprocessed trauma dysregulates the nervous system, leading to fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses. Somatic therapy helps restore balance.
• Awareness and Presence:
  Clients are guided to tune into bodily sensations, emotions, and movement patterns to gain insight into their internal state.

What does a session look like?

In a typical somatic therapy session, we usually start by settling and arriving, often with a somatic or breathing practice.

Then we focus on a specific situation, experience, part or symptom for exploration and set a clear intention.

Throughout the session, we talk and I ask questions, while incorporating curiosity about sensations and physical experiences, as well as the emotional, behavioral, and historical context.

We will often include grounding, orienting, and sensing practices. These techniques help you connect to your internal physical landscape and the present moment, fostering a sense of safety and calm. The sessions may also involve completing movements, vocalizations, and emotions that have not been fully processed.

The intention of our time together is to slow down and rather than get lost in stories, we look for what you are experiencing somatically.

It usually takes a couple sessions to get used to this kind of approach and establish shared language and skills.

Technically, this is both a top-down AND bottom-up approach (which I believe is the future of therapy).

Beyond these “regular” therapy / coaching sessions, it’s also useful to engage in purely bottom-up body-based modalities, such as Conscious Connected Breathing, Grinberg Therapy, Feldenkrais, Rolfing or Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE).

If you're interested to learn more about somatic therapy, here are a few book recommendations:

• "The Voice of the Body" by Alexander Lowen (one of the OGs in the field, this book includes lectures that he gave between 1962 and 1982. His work is outstanding AND it's a little dated when it comes to certain world views)
• "I an Unspoken Voice" by Peter Levine
• "Nurturing Resilience" by Kathy Kain and Stephen Terrell
• "The Body Bears The Burden" by Robert Scaer

Somatic therapy is truly revolutionizing the therapy world these days.

Talking and thinking about your issues only gets you so far. Eventually you hit a wall.

Somatic therapy is that next step deeper to bring about lasting transformation and healing.

Have you tried out somatic therapy? What’s been you experience?

Let me know your thoughts by replying to this email.

Big love,

Conni. 🐋

PS: While I’m currently fully booked until May, you can apply here to secure your spot for my 1-1 program.

Whenever you're ready, here is how I can support you further:

→ 🫁 Breathwork + Nervous System Foundations Course​

Learn how to regulate and rewire your nervous system. Access more calm, energy and focus by using the power of the breath. It will teach you how to properly and safely use the remote control (aka your breath) for your nervous system. Get it here. ​

→ 💨 Live Free Breathwork for Nervous System Regulation​

Join me each week for a live 20-minute breathwork and somatic practice focusing on nervous system regulation. 👉 Tuesdays 6pm London / 7pm Berlin / 1pm New York / 10am Los Angeles on my Instagram @breathwork.alchemy​

→ 🎓 9-Month / 400-Hour Intesoma Breathwork Teacher Training (🇩🇪🇨🇭🇦🇹)

If you are passionate about the breath and feel the calling to share it with the world, learn to become a breath coach and nervous system specialist. Applications for our 2024 training are open.

→ 👥 1:1 Inner Work Mentoring (4 months)

Heal old wounds, integrate unprocessed traumas and feel stored emotions that may have been holding you back from living the life you truly want. Together, we will get you out of your head and into your body.

I usually have a 2-3 months wait time, but you can apply anytime.

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Conni Biesalski

Nervous System Specialist
Breathwork Facilitator & Meditation Teacher
Somatic Trauma Practitioner (Somatic Experiencing©️ & NARM©️-informed)
Pain Reprocessing Therapy
Attachment Trauma Therapy
Founder Breathwork Alchemy​
Co-Founder Intesoma©️ Breathwork Teacher Training​

“Regulate your nervous system, process your emotions, and come home to your body.”