In today's therapeutic world, there are hundreds of modalities, theories, and techniques. Wading through and choosing what is best for you might feel a bit overwhelming. The plethora of techniques and modalities is indicative of how different we are. What might work for me, might not work for you and vice versa. There are big gaps in the diversity of the mental health field. Research and the development of new treatment modalities are often funded by those with access to money. We need diverse treatment options for our diverse human population. You can see at least 30 different options when you search on Psychology Today. Traditional talk therapy has come a long way. While at one point talk therapy focused on pathology and behaviors only. Since then, talk therapy has seen many evolutions and iterations to bring us to this point.
This article will talk about the distinct differences between talk therapy and somatic therapy. Both Somatic Therapy and Talk therapy are necessary modalities in the psychotherapy field.
Traditional Talk Therapy
Talk therapy is one of the largest categories under the "psychotherapy" umbrella. Somatic Therapy has emerged in the last five decades in the United States. Both are vital, both serve similar purposes. In a way, both are vehicles that get you from point A to point B. They are different cars, with different engines, which use the driver in different ways.
Talk therapy may process cognitions, emotions, and behaviors. Talk therapy can delve into the world of attachment, parts of self, family of origin, and relationships. The vehicle is talking. The talk seeks to gain understanding to shift thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Interventions and treatment are localized around goals and changes the client wants to make.
Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapists use talk therapy too! Somatic therapy looks at cognitions, emotions, and behaviors. We also want to know about early attachment, family of origin, and relationships. We gather history and explore symptoms and goals like talk therapy. Yet, we also look at what is happening in the nervous system. In Somatic Experiencing, we often explore any underlying sensations, images, behaviors, affect (feelings), and meaning.
Somatic therapy explores and gathers information from the nervous system as we talk. We talk, pause and track sensations, talk, pause and track sensations. Within these cycles, we give the nervous system time to integrate and digest the material. Material might be from the past, present, or future. We support the nervous system to work through and complete incomplete protective sequences. Completing the fight, flight, and freeze response might be needed. We work on re-engaging the part of the nervous system that helps people connect. Returning and finding safe and healthy social engagement is often part of the somatic therapy process. Somatic therapy helps to process trauma.
Somatic Therapy is a whole-person model, where the body is included in the therapeutic process. This modality is also client-focused around symptoms and goals. The Nervous system is fundamental to the brain and all the body systems.
Talk therapy and Somatic Therapy similarities:
Focus on finding and resolving client goals and symptoms.
Talk about cognitions, emotions, behaviors, symptoms, relationships, social community, sexuality, and spirituality.
History gathering and exploration of symptoms.
Using talk to build rapport, gather information, and increase understanding and insight.
Meeting in-person and/or online/telehealth.
Any therapist might have specializations like sexual trauma, anxiety, LGBTQIA+, couples, or teens.
Both types of therapy can happen sitting, walking, or reclined.
Talk therapy and Somatic Therapy differences:
Somatic Therapy explores the sensations and movements in the body and nervous system.
Talk therapy focuses on mental and emotional issues through dialogue.
Somatic therapy explores the connection between the mind and body.
Somatic Therapy uses physical, mindfulness, and awareness techniques to address trauma and stress.
The goal of talk therapy might be insight and understanding. The goal of somatic therapy is coherence between mind and body.
Somatic Therapy inquires about gestures, sensations, tension, posture, instincts, reactions, and impulses.
Somatic therapy pauses the traditional talking to drop into the underlying experience.
What You Need to Know
Therapy is an incredibly beneficial tool with many options to choose from. Talk therapy and Somatic Therapy can have different focuses. Talk therapy helps people process emotions, cognitions, and behaviors through insight and understanding. Somatic therapy goes beneath the dialogue to explore underlying reactions and responses. Somatic therapy seeks to increase syncing up the mind and body. Somatic therapy includes healing attachment dynamics, increasing resilience, and healing stress or burnout. Talk therapy tends to talk through symptoms and apply behavioral interventions for resolution. Somatic therapy looks at underlying bodily reactions to gather data for resolution and healing.
How to Decide Whether Talk Therapy or Somatic Therapy is Right For Me?
Somatic therapy is a good fit for people who are curious about the mind-body connection. Somatic therapy is also a good fit for people who have done talk therapy and are wanting more depth. A somatic therapist is oriented towards non-judgment, curiosity, and increasing safety. Somatic therapists can specialize in different forms of trauma resolution and techniques. They use different strategies like Internal Family Systems, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Hypnotherapy. Somatic therapists can work with couples, relationships, teens, and adolescents. Somatic therapy can be coupled with Ketamine Assisted Therapy, EMDR, and sex therapy.
Anyone interested in therapy should consider trying somatic therapy as a valid contender. Taking time to discover what you want from therapy or what goals you have can help inform your choice.
Some questions to explore to discern what you need from therapy:
What aspects of my life need to be changed?
What am I experiencing that I haven't yet figured out how to change?
What are the symptoms I am experiencing?
Why do I want to try therapy?
Is my nervous system burnt out? Stuck in Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn? Or do I need support increasing resilience?
Do I have events in my past, present, or future that create emotional intensity or shutdown?
Six months from now all your problems are solved, how would you know the problems were solved? What would be different?
Somatic therapy and Traditional Talk therapy are connected. Somatic Therapy has roots in indigenous, ancestral, and Eastern concepts that connect the mind, body, and soul. Somatic therapy also appears in reaction to the disembodied psychotherapy models. Talk therapy has a long history of creating safety, compassion, and exploration. Talk therapy is vital to our mental health field and plays an integral role in creating change.
Both Somatic Therapy and Talk therapy support the healing process and both have a place in the mosaic of psychotherapy. If you are curious about therapy with a focus on the mind-body connection, the Compass Healing Project invites you to set up a discovery call with one of our somatic therapists. We are all trained in talk therapy, we just added a little glitter to our work to make it truly holistic. Somatic Therapy is a great option to explore and we'd love to see if we are a good fit for you.
Find Support in Managing Your Mental Health With Somatic Therapy in San Diego, CA and Golden, CO
Discover a deeper connection to your body and mind through somatic therapy, where healing goes beyond words. If you're seeking a more embodied approach to wellness, somatic therapy at Compass Healing Project can help you release stored tension and trauma. Take the first step towards a more balanced and fulfilling life.
To begin your path to wellness, follow these steps:
Reach Out and Fill out our New Client Inquiry Form to get started.
Schedule a discovery call with one of our specialized somatic therapists to discuss your needs and goals.
Find a deeper connection to your body and mind through somatic therapy.
Additional Counseling Services at Compass Healing Project
At Compass Healing Project, we provide a holistic approach to therapy, incorporating a variety of modalities to address a wide range of issues. Alongside our somatic therapy to help you deepen the connection between your mind and body, we offer EMDR, Clinical Sexology, hypnotherapy, ketamine-assisted therapy, and embodiment practices. These therapies are effective in treating anxiety, depression, PTSD, grief and loss, sexuality concerns, and relationship challenges. For more information and to get to know us better, visit our blog. Our Colorado and California clinics are staffed with caring therapists who specialize in trauma resolution, emotional healing, and integrative therapy. Ready to start your healing journey? Fill out our contact form, and we'll assist you in taking the first step towards a healthier, more connected life.
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