Body as Medicine: Feeling to Heal
- Laura: Awakening the Goddess
- Oct 19, 2024
- 9 min read
Healing trauma is one of the most profound and necessary journeys we can take as human beings. Trauma doesn’t just leave scars on our minds—it imprints deeply into our bodies, brains and nervous systems, influencing how we live, love, and interact with the world.
For many of us, this can shows up as tension, pain, emotional dysregulation, emotional numbing, chronic avoidance, relationship difficulties, & endlessly repeating painful patterns in our lives ( against our desire ) - making it difficult to fully experience the fullness of our life and our potentials. This is incredibly painful and can lead to a lot of secondary pain and suffering. I.e Grief - because of all of the things we are not able to live, and for our unfulfilled potential, or for who we may have been. Or, avoiding to put ourselves in situations that might trigger that pain, and so on and so on.
Trauma can weave a sticky web that can leave us feeling trapped, and this is why it is so important to heal at the root core level.
Luckily, our own body and nervous system knows how to heal itself; it holds the keys to our transformation. By reconnecting with our physical sensations, we tap into our own medicine, one that leads us on a journey of deep self-recovery.
Sacred Somatic therapy offers a holistic approach to trauma healing that goes beyond talking and thinking. It focuses on connecting with our body sensations, using these as the sacred dooryways into our subconcious underworlds - to unlock the traps trauma has woven us into.
By building awareness of our physical sensations—like the tightness in our chest or the heaviness in our stomach—we begin to listen to the language of the body and decode what she has to say. This heightened awareness not only creates pathways for emotional release and nervous system regulation, but gives us the opportunity to process old core wounds and develop new ways of being in the world.
One of the most empowering aspects of somatic therapy is its focus on feeling to heal. By learning to feel the sensations tied to our pain, fear, and anxiety, we offer the body a chance to move through these emotions, alchemising & transforming them into strength, peace, liberation and inner - balance. This is how we rewire our nervous systems, shifting out of survival mode and into a state of wholeness.
What is Somatic Therapy?
I offer a unique form of Sacred Somatic Therapy that i offer in my 1-1 Somatic Coaching & Healing Sessions, and in my Awakening containers. Somatic therapy is a body-centered therapeutic approach that integrates mindfulness and the body’s physical sensations into the healing process. Rather than focusing solely on our thoughts and emotions, it encourages individuals to become aware of their bodies—tuning into subtle sensations, movement, and posture. Through this, we can access deeper stored memories, emotions, and trauma that the body has held onto, which traditional talk therapies might not reach.
The concept of "we feel to heal" is central to this process. Rather than intellectualising pain or trauma, somatic therapy invites us to experience the sensation in our body where it resides, gently allowing it to surface, be processed, and ultimately be released. It’s a process of slowing down, tuning in, and becoming present to the language of the body.
" Concepts or insights, whilst they may be insightful or revelatory, don't often lead to the deep nervous system & subconscious level healing that = true transformation & change "
How Trauma is Stored in the Body
Research has shown that trauma doesn't only affect the brain but is also deeply stored in the body via our nervous system. When we experience a traumatic event or ongoing circumstances that were incredibly difficult, especially one's that overwhelm our capacity to cope, the body's fight, flight, or freeze response is activated. These responses, while essential for our survival 'in the moment' that the trauma occurred, can cause trauma to become "stuck" in the body if not fully processed. This can be related to how much safety and support we had at the time of the trauma/ traumas.
For example - a child who was screamed at, or repeatedly rejected, by their mother may fare better if they had a father who stood up for them and intervened/ protected them, and then offered them a safe sanctuary of love, affirmation and security. This child's nervous system would likely be better able to process the trauma and re-regulate itself. Vs - the same child who had nobody, who wasn't protected and felt alone, scared and isolated. This child may more than likely stay in self-protective survial mode and internalise a lot of core inner woundings and beliefs about their self-worth, loveability and core identity, that they may continue to carry for the rest of their lives.
This unprocessed trauma can manifest in a variety of symptoms such as chronic pain, muscle tension, anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation and life challenges.
According to the renowned trauma expert Dr. Peter Levine, founder of Somatic Experiencing, trauma can become "trapped" in the body when we are unable to physically complete the fight-or-flight response. This is where somatic work becomes vital. By re-engaging with these physical sensations, we can allow the body to process and release what was previously locked away. As so much of our trauma is created in the context of relationship with other human beings, we heal through a safe relational container - where we are met, seen, held, validated, cared for, witnessed by another - this is one of the keys of the therapeutic relationship.
The Role of Body Awareness in Healing Trauma
Body awareness, or interoception, is the practice of becoming attuned to your internal bodily sensations. When we experience trauma we often disconnect from our bodies, numb and avoid to feel - as a way to survive. Learning to feel again is the way we begin to heal.
When we develop a deeper awareness of our body, we begin to notice areas of tension, discomfort, and even numbness—places where trauma may have taken hold. With mindful attention and compassionate curiosity, somatic therapy helps us "listen" to these sensations, opening up doorways into our subconcious where we have the possibility to go to do deep re-integration and healing work.
This awareness is not just about feeling discomfort; it’s about being lovingly present with it and offering it space to transform. Our bodies are incredibly intelligent and capable of self-healing when given the opportunity and the right set of circumstances. Somatic work offers that opportunity. And Saced Somatic work offers this deep sacred space of safety and honour to help guide you through this journey.
Through the somatic and inner-alchemy practices we can learn to reconnect with the body, helping to discharge the stored energy of trauma. Over time, this leads to greater emotional resilience, reduced stress, and a more balanced nervous system. The beauty of this work is that it also goes even deeper than this ( as you will read below ).
How Somatic Healing Rewires the Nervous System
As we know now - trauma can disrupt the autonomic nervous system, throwing it into a state of chronic dysregulation—either a hypervigilant state ( fight-or-flight ) or a shut-down state ( freeze ). This dysregulation contributes to emotional instability, anxiety, depression, and a general sense of being "out of sync" with the world.
Somatic therapy helps to reset this nervous system dysregulation by guiding us back into our bodies, teaching us how to come into the present moment, and releasing trauma stored in the tissues. By gently moving through these somatic experiences, the brain can begin the process of neuroplasticity—rewiring old trauma-based patterns into healthier, more adaptive ways of being.
Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to reorganize and form new neural connections, a process that somatic practices thoroughly support. When we practice somatic exercises regularly, we create new neural pathways that promote safety, presence, and connection rather than trauma-based survival strategies. This shift isn’t just a one-time healing event, but an ongoing process of growth and transformation. Just as if you were forging a new path in a forest, the more times you walk a new path - the wider and more defined it gets. It is the same with our neural pathways and creating lasting inner change :)
Compassion as a Path to Healing
An essential element of somatic healing is compassion—for ourselves and our bodies. Trauma often carries with it layers of self-blame, shame, or fear. By bringing compassion into the healing process, we create a safe space for those buried emotions to surface without judgment.
Compassion isn’t passive—it’s an active process of being present with what is difficult while also nurturing ourselves. In my own Sacred Somatic work, which blends somatic practices with IFS (Internal Family Systems), Gestalt therapy practices & ancient Goddess and sacred feminine healing arts, we honor the body as a wise and sacred vessel. Healing is not about forcing change but about offering loving attention to the body, allowing it to reveal its own path to wholeness.
About Sacred Somatic Coaching: Integrating Mind, Body, and Soul Work
The work I offer is a unique combination of both modern therapeutic techniques and ancient wisdom traditions. Alongside IFS and Gestalt practices, I incorporate non-duality tantric teachings, emotional release, energy practices, and mindfulness. This multi-layered approach integrates the best of Eastern and Western modalities, creating a true holistic healing journey. They have worked and continue to work for me, which is why i share them, and it is beautiful to witness the same in my clients.
For example, at certain parts of the healing journey when enough trauma has been processed - energy practices and kundalini activation ( KAE) help to awaken the body’s natural life force, guiding individuals into natural, psychedelic-like states of consciousness that reveal the interconnectedness of mind, body, soul and all of life. This is not about chasing peak experiences but about finding deep, embodied presence within yourself that relates to and integrates into your every day life. Life can be lived and experienced blissfully.
In essence, this work invites you to come home to your body and your life force—to reclaim again your true empowerment and awaken to the depths of your own being & consciousness.
How Somatic Therapy Empowers Lasting Transformation?
The journey of somatic healing is for those who are ready to fully commit to transforming their lives. It’s for those who are willing to explore the dark and uncomfortable places within, knowing that liberation comes through feeling and integrating what has been repressed or avoided.
This work isn’t just about temporary relief; it’s about deep, long-lasting change.
Somatic practices, and this ancient and sacred work - empowers individuals to continue their healing outside of sessions. With each practice, you are actively rewiring your nervous system, building new patterns of resilience, safety, and empowerment. It also gets to be FUN!! :-). Yes, healing can be painful, but that doesnt mean we can't also make aspects of it fun - it is also about your reclamation and liberation.
Ready to begin your journey?
A Journey Into Liberation With Love
This is deep work for those who are committed to transforming from within. Whether you are healing from trauma, desiring to heal patterns that are disrupting your potential in life and love, seeking to enhance your body awareness, awaken more life-force and pleasure, heal emotionally or simply wanting to connect more deeply with yourself, somatic therapy offers a sacred path toward your liberation. It is a journey that requires patience, self-compassion, and a willingness to feel what needs to be healed.
Through somatic therapy and the combination of sacred feminine arts, we offer the possibility of healing at every level—physical, emotional, mental, energetic, and spiritual. This work invites you to reconnect with your body and ultimately reclaim your true self.
YOUR body holds the medicine, and through somatic therapy, you can tap into its wisdom to heal, grow, and awaken.
Body as Medicine
So often spirituality, and other modalities, teach us about the allure of 'transcendence', of escaping from our bodies to another higher realm - where hopefully it's all better. Somatic therapy teaches us to befirend and root into the sacredness of having a body, and shows us that embodied life, here and now, is not just a vehicle for pain but also a powerful gateway to healing, bliss and transformation.
We go down and INTO our bodies to find - embodied liberation, rather than escaping from our bodies and bypassing our very real, messy and delightful human experiences. One has the flavour of ease and grace. The other often striving and repression. One is the Feminine way, the other a long outdated Masculisinsed way. It is time for our world, bodies and nervous systems to come back into balance - masculine and feminine.
"The feminine gives rise to a natural embodied trancendance without the need for striving. As we deepen into embodiment, we open into source (god)."
Through compassionate presence, body awareness, and somatic practices, we can unlock the body’s potential to heal trauma, rewire the nervous system, and lead us into greater freedom and self-awareness.
This journey is for the brave—the ones willing to feel in order to heal. If you are ready to transform and live a life of embodied liberation, somatic therapy offers a deeply transformative and sacred path. Let your body be the medicine.
Curious about starting your journey into healing core wounds and self-liberation, so that you get to be the YOU you were meant to be?
A lot of my Somatic Healing work is available ONLINE so you can do sessions from anywhere in the world :)
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