Somatic Therapy: An Introduction.
Many people arrive here searching for somatic therapy — an approach to psychological wellbeing that places the body, not just the mind, at the centre of recovery.
Somatic approaches start from a simple and increasingly well-supported idea: our nervous system remembers experiences, especially overwhelming or traumatic ones, and these memories are often held in the body as much as in thoughts or words.
This page is not intended to sell a particular therapy or course. Instead, it aims to offer you a clear, grounded overview of somatic approaches, points you towards reliable sources, and helps you think about what may (and may not) be useful to explore further.
What do people usually mean by “somatic therapy”?
The term somatic therapy is used in many different ways. At its most sensible and evidence-aligned, it refers to approaches that help people:
- Regulate the autonomic nervous system.
- Reduce chronic threat, hyperarousal, or shutdown.
- Re-establish a sense of bodily safety.
- Use physical experience (movement, posture, breath, sensation) as part of psychological recovery.
Most reputable somatic approaches do not reject talking therapies. Rather, they complement them — especially when people find that insight alone hasn’t been enough to shift how they feel in their bodies.
Core ideas most somatic approaches share
Although the field can look confusing from the outside, most credible somatic approaches draw on a small number of shared principles.
1. The body and nervous system matter
Trauma, stress, and prolonged adversity affect heart rate, muscle tension, digestion, sleep, breathing, and immune function. Somatic approaches work directly with these systems rather than assuming change must begin with thoughts.
2. Safety comes before insight
When the nervous system is stuck in threat or shutdown, reflection and reasoning are often limited. Many somatic practices focus first on settling and stabilising the body, making psychological work possible again.
3. Regulation is learnable
People can learn skills that influence arousal and emotional intensity — through breathing, movement, rhythm, rest, and attention — rather than relying solely on willpower or insight.
Sensible, evidence-aligned somatic practices
If we strip somatic therapy back to its most robust elements, four areas stand out.
1. Breathing and vagal regulation
Certain breathing styles can stimulate the vagus nerve and support parasympathetic regulation. This is one of the clearest bridges between physiology and emotional wellbeing.
Practices here include:
- Deep diaphragmatic breathing.
- Simple breath awareness rather than forced techniques.
2. Movement and exercise
Regular movement helps regulate mood, sleep, stress hormones, and autonomic balance. In somatic work this is usually non-punitive enjoyable movement — walking, stretching, yoga, tai chi — rather than performance-driven exercise.
3. Sleep and circadian rhythm
Poor sleep keeps the nervous system in a state of threat. Many somatic approaches quietly assume that restoring sleep is foundational, even if it is not always labelled as “somatic”.
4. Nutrition and bodily care
Stable blood sugar, hydration, and regular meals all influence emotional regulation. This is rarely glamorous, but it matters.
Influential thinkers you may come across
If you explore somatic therapy, you will often encounter the following names. They are worth knowing — though, as with all thinkers, best read thoughtfully rather than uncritically.
Bessel van der Kolk
Author of The Body Keeps the Score, which helped popularise the idea that trauma is held in the body as well as the mind.
Stephen Porges
Developed Polyvagal Theory, which has influenced many somatic approaches (sometimes more cautiously in academia than in popular use).
Peter Levine
Founder of Somatic Experiencing, focusing on gradual discharge of threat responses through bodily awareness.
These figures have contributed important ideas, but it is worth noting that some concepts are better supported by evidence than others, and enthusiasm sometimes runs ahead of research.
A note of caution
As interest in somatic therapy has grown, so has variation in quality. Be cautious of approaches that:
- Promise rapid or universal healing.
- Reject psychological therapies altogether.
- Attribute all distress to trauma alone.
- Use complex language without clear mechanisms.
Good somatic work is usually simple, respectful, and slow — and fits alongside other psychological approaches rather than replacing them.
Learning more: sensible next steps
Many people explore somatic ideas informally before deciding whether to pursue therapy or training. Useful options include:
- Reputable books and talks by the authors above.
- Guided breathing and nervous-system regulation practices.
- Trauma-informed yoga or movement classes.
- Courses that integrate body-based regulation into established psychological frameworks.
Related APT courses you may find helpful
While APT does not currently offer a course titled Somatic Therapy, several of our courses cover overlapping ground in a structured, evidence-informed way:
- Trauma-Informed Practice – understanding how trauma affects the nervous system and behaviour.
- Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) – working with threat, soothing, and emotional regulation systems.
- Anxiety Management – including breathing, grounding, and physiological regulation strategies.
These courses are designed for professionals.
In summary
Somatic therapy is best understood not as a single technique, but as a way of taking the body seriously in psychological wellbeing.
When approached sensibly, it often comes back to familiar, human fundamentals:
- Breathing.
- Movement.
- Rest.
- Nourishment.
- Safety.
If you are curious, we suggest you explore thoughtfully, keep one foot on the ground, and favour approaches that integrate body and mind rather than setting them against each other.
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