6 Questions I Ask As A Somatic Therapist
Have you ever wondered what a somatic therapy session is like? Are you unsure how it’s different from traditional talk therapy? As a somatic therapist, I hear these questions all the time! Somatic therapy is based on the belief that your body holds trauma. By using invitational language, therapists help you feel more empowered and access sensations in your body. These sensations are the pathway to your body healing from trauma. Below we will explore some common questions you might hear a somatic therapist ask and the goal of each question!
“Can we get curious about that?”
Curiosity is one of the most important elements of a somatic therapy session. When you are curious, you are not in a trauma response. You cannot smell the roses and run from a tiger. You don't have to be 100% curious! The goal is to try to be a little bit more curious about what you are experiencing.
When you're curious, you can explore your experience with less judgment. This helps you understand yourself better. According to somatic therapy, trauma is stored in the body. When bad things happen, it can stay in our bodies as feelings and sensations. Being curious can help us understand the wisdom our body holds. Curiosity helps us explore and understand what is happening inside. Staying curious in somatic therapy is like being a detective. It allows you to heal from trauma and feel better.
“In the past week, can you think of a time that you felt more like yourself?”
This is a version of Peter Levine's conflict free question. This invitation helps you reconnect with a version of yourself that you may have lost after a trauma. Trauma often leads you to feel disconnected from your authentic self. The impact of distressing experiences can overshadow your sense of identity. It can feel like you are no longer "yourself." Your mind tends to be flooded with memories of negative aspects of who you are now. Remembering a recent moment when you felt more in tune with who you are can help you be in touch with your resilience, strength, or joy. It encourages you to focus on your strengths and positive experiences. This can increase your sense of empowerment.
“What you be willing to become 1% more comfortable?”
When you have a history of trauma or PTSD, you may never feel comfortable. Flashbacks, nightmares, body aches and hypervigilance can overwhelm you. Trauma survivors work hard in order to reduce these symptoms and live a normal life. By becoming 1% more comfortable, you can take small, manageable steps towards healing. In your somatic therapy session, your therapist wants to support you in not working so hard all the time. Trauma healing can only occur with titration. Titration is the opposite of flooding. Imagine you are standing on the edge of a pool. The pool is a metaphor for your trauma. An example of flooding would be pushing you into the pool. An example of titration is dipping your baby toe into the pool, when you are ready. In somatic therapy, you will never be pushed into the pool.
Ultimately, the goal is to be respectful of your pace and empower you to take control of your healing. This question recognizes the power in making small shifts that feel achievable. It also recognizes that even a tiny improvement can be meaningful. It encourages you to explore the possibility of positive change, no matter how incremental it may be.
“What sensations are you noticing in your body?”
It is common in traditional talk therapy to be asked, "how does that make you feel?" In somatic therapy, we take a different approach. Although a somatic therapist never ignores how you feel, they are more interested in what is happening in your body. Sensations are the language of the body or nervous system. Checking in with your sensations can help you connect with your physical experience. When you've experienced trauma, your body often holds onto emotions and memories. By asking about sensations, you can start to pay attention to what your body is telling you. Examples of sensations are tension, warmth, tightness, or even a sense of lightness.
“Is your sensation pleasant, unpleasant or neutral?”
Identifying sensations in your body is not where somatic therapy ends. By noticing if a sensation is pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral, you can deepen your awareness of your physical experiences. Trauma can manifest in the body, often leading to various sensations. Sometimes these sensations are connected to distressing memories or emotions creating triggers. By categorizing sensations, you and your therapist can gain insight into the emotional charge linked to specific bodily experiences.
If you've experienced trauma, connecting with your body can be hard. You may frequently feel like every sensation you experience is negative. This question takes away the value judgment of good or bad, positive or negative from your body. It encourages you to explore the possibility that not everything in your body feels "bad."
“Is it okay if I pause you?”
As a somatic therapist, one of the hardest techniques I was taught to do was to interrupt! I never interrupt because I have something more important to say or I don't want to listen. I always ask for permission before I pause you. Asking for permission to pause allows you to have control over the pace of the session. Trauma survivors may experience heightened emotions or discomfort during discussions about their experiences. A pause provides an opportunity to regulate your nervous system. This means you are not flooded by your emotions, memories or trauma symptoms.
I like to invite a pause when I am interested in hearing your nervous system's story. In therapy, you frequently talk about your cognitive story. The cognitive story is the event(s) that happened to you. Your nervous system story is what is happening in your body as you tell the event. Are you feeling tense? Do you notice your leg is shaking? Does your heart start to beat faster? The goal of somatic therapy is to hear both the cognitive and nervous system stories.
Begin Somatic Therapy in Ann Arbor or Detroit, MI
Starting somatic therapy is like taking a brave step towards healing your whole self. Somatic therapy helps you understand how your thoughts and feelings are connected to your body. It's a chance to get to know yourself better and heal from trauma. With your somatic therapist, you’ll have a safe space to understand the link between your body and mind.
To begin Somatic therapy at Embodied Wellness, PLLC follow these steps:
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation for Somatic therapy today.
Make your first appointment with a Somatic therapist in Detroit, Michigan
Start healing from trauma today.
Other Online Therapy Services We Offer in Detroit & Throughout Michigan
At Embodied Wellness, PLLC we provide many services for both adults and teenagers through online therapy in Michigan. Some of specialities we offer include empath counseling, OCD treatment, anxiety treatment, depression treatment, trauma therapy, and PTSD treatment. We also have specialists in EMDR therapy and Spanish Therapist.
About the Author:
Sarah Rollins, LMSW, SEP is the founder of Embodied Wellness, PLLC, a group therapy practice providing online therapy in Michigan. She is passionate about expanding awareness of somatic therapy as way to treat and heal trauma. She incorporates other holistic treatments into her practice including EMDR and IFS.