WHAT IS SOMATIC BODYWORK? Understanding and Healing Somatic Trauma Symptoms
- 🍃The Body Sanctuary🍃
- Sep 20, 2024
- 8 min read
Unresolved trauma and emotional pain often manifest physically in our bodies, showing up as chronic pain, fatigue, digestive issues, or even serious illness and ultimatly - dis-ease. The connection between our mind and body runs deep, and trauma is not just an emotional or mental experience — it can be stored in the body via our nervous systems, leading to long-term health issues. Somatic Bodywork offers a powerful, trauma-informed approach to healing by addressing these imprints at the deepest levels.
If you've been asking yourself, What is somatic bodywork? or How do I know if I have somatic symptoms of trauma? this blog will provide clear answers.
We will explore how Somatic Bodywork Therapy differs from traditional massage & body therapies such as Physiotherapy, Chiropractory etc,
and how the somatic bodywork @ THE BODY SANCTUARY - Gozo is particularly unique and effective; the ways trauma is stored in the body, and how to recognize common somatic trauma symptoms. Plus, we’ll look at how society’s influence can disconnect us from our body’s wisdom and how somatic bodywork can help restore that connection.
We'll even look at what magical things can happen when we excavate enough trauma out of our bodies and heal and liberate the frozen energy stuck within us! :)
What Is Somatic Bodywork?
Somatic bodywork is a holistic therapy that bridges the mental, physical, emotional, and energetic aspects of healing. The word "somatic" comes from the Greek word for "body," and somatic bodywork focuses on how the body stores emotions, trauma, and stress. By working with the body’s sensations and using techniques like massage, myofascial release, breathwork, guided movement and authentic sounding, somatic bodywork helps release trapped emotions, restore the flow of life energy, and promote overall well-being.
Unlike traditional massage, which focuses primarily on muscle relaxation, somatic bodywork goes deeper. It addresses emotional and psychological patterns stored in the body’s tissues, fascia, and organs, working to release unresolved trauma and restore balance. Somatic bodywork therapy is particularly beneficial for individuals who have experienced long-term stress, trauma, or emotional distress and are seeking a deeper level of healing.
How Somatic Bodywork Differs from Massage
At first glance, somatic bodywork and massage may appear similar, but they serve very different purposes. While a massage focuses primarily on relieving physical tension and promoting relaxation, somatic bodywork digs into the emotional and energetic roots of that tension. For example, chronic back pain may not just be caused by poor posture; it could be linked to unprocessed emotional trauma; stress held in the body; or a deeper lifelong pattern of feeling unsupported in life. Somatic bodywork looks to identify and heal these deeper causes of physical discomfort, making the body a gateway to emotional and mental healing.
How Trauma Is Stored in the Body
When we experience trauma, our body’s nervous system responds with a "fight, flight, or freeze" reaction. If the trauma isn’t fully processed at the time, after a traumatic event or events have occurred, it can become stored in the body’s tissues, organs, and nervous system. Over time, this stored trauma can manifest as chronic pain, tension, fatigue, or even emotional imbalances.
Our bodies are incredibly intelligent and are always working hard to maintain balance, but when trauma is left unresolved, it takes a huge amount of our life energy to hold that repressed trauma AND still function optimally. This leads to a disruption in the flow of our energy and creates blockages. These blockages can eventually lead to physical and emotional symptoms as the body tries to communicate its distress and need for help.
The Soma: Connection Between Body, Emotions, and Self
Our body, or soma, is deeply connected to our essential Self. The sensations, emotions, and feelings we experience in our body are signals from our inner world, guiding us toward what we need to feel balanced, whole, and aligned. However, society often teaches us to ignore these signals. Whether it's from growing up in an environment that values productivity over rest, learning to suppress emotions to fit into family dynamics, or navigating the challenges of abusive or neglectful homes, many of us are conditioned to disconnect from our bodies.
Society is structured in a way that often forces us to override our body's natural cues. The need to “fit in” or survive in emotionally unsupportive environments causes us to suppress emotions like sadness, anger, or fear. Over time, this disconnection from our body leads to numbness — we stop listening to our body's signals.
When we continuously ignore or suppress what we feel at the emotional or energetic level, these unresolved issues begin to manifest physically. What starts as subtle tension or discomfort in the body can escalate into chronic pain, fatigue, digestive issues, or even serious illness. In essence, the body speaks louder when it feels it’s not being heard. If we continue to ignore these signals, the body may develop diseases as a call for help—a final attempt to get our attention.
Common Somatic Trauma Symptoms
You may be asking yourself, How do I know if I have somatic symptoms of trauma? Trauma can manifest in the body in various ways, and the symptoms are often subtle at first. Here are some common signs that your body may be holding onto unresolved trauma:
Gastrointestinal Disorders: Emotional trauma often manifests in the gut, leading to issues like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bloating, or stomach pain. The gut-brain connection is strong, and trauma can disrupt this balance, causing chronic digestive issues.
Body Pain: Unexplained aches and pains—whether in the back, arms, neck, or head—can be signs of trauma stored in the body. Chronic tension in the muscles, migraines, or joint pain can all be linked to unprocessed emotional trauma. Chronic pelvic pain can be an indicator of repressed trauma.
Cardiopulmonary Effects: Trauma can affect the heart and lungs, leading to symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness. These symptoms can often feel like anxiety or panic attacks and are related to a dysregulated nervous system.
Fatigue and Sleep Disturbances: Trauma is energetically exhausting, and over time, it can lead to chronic fatigue. Sleep disturbances, lack of energy, or difficulty resting may be signs that your body is holding onto unresolved emotional trauma.
Unexplainable Pain or Sensations: Sometimes unresolved trauma or traumatic memory can surface or show up in our bodies, before it does in our conscious minds. Similar to visual flashbacks, this a way of the unconcious making itself known in the concious. This can be very disturbing and unsettling, particularly when there are unexplained emotions or aversions attached to the sensations; the pain or sensations are dismissed by other healthcare providers as being 'nothing'; or if we sense but cannot fully grasp what it is related to.
The Wisdom of the Body
Our bodies carry deep wisdom. In fact, our physical bodies have been evolving for over 300 million years, shaped by the same forces that created the Earth itself. The body is a gentle and ingenious being, constantly working to protect us, heal us, and guide us toward what is best for us—even when we’re not consciously aware of it.
So often, we mistreat or ignore our bodies. We push them to the limits, ignore their calls for rest, and sometimes even hate or punish them for not looking or performing the way we want. But in reality, our bodies are not something to be conquered—they are our most profound allies in healing. By tuning into our body’s wisdom and learning to listen to its cues and its vast archives of wisdom, we can access deep healing and transformation.
When we start to truly listen to our bodies, we realize how much love and care they have for us. They don’t deserve to be hated, punished, or ignored—they deserve to be honored, nurtured, and loved. Our body is trying to help us heal and grow; it holds the key to accessing parts of ourselves that our mind can’t reach. Somatic bodywork is a practice that helps us reconnect with this wisdom and open the door to true healing.
The Healing Power of Somatic Bodywork
Somatic bodywork helps you rediscover your connection to your body’s wisdom. By using techniques such as gentle de-armoring, myofascial release, rocking, trigger points and marma points, biodynamic energy-work, guided movement, breathwork and sounding, it allows the body to release trapped emotions, unblock energy, and heal from trauma at a deeper level. The therapy taps into the body's innate healing intelligence, providing a holistic approach to mental, emotional, physical, and energetic wellness.
As we repair the re-regulate our nervous system, we heal the brain, and the body, bringing ourselves back into inner unity and balance at many levels of our being. Healing through the body can have profound impact on all different areas of our life that we might think are 'unrelated'. But the truth is we are one inter-connected system.
The Secret Sauce
One of the best kept secret's of Somatic Work, is that through our bodies we get to access sublime and altered states of conciousness. Once we clear enough of the old out of our systems, we free our bodies up for the free flow of sacred life-force energy to move through us fully, regenerate and replenish us. Just like a clogged up river, that once cleansed and flowing again, begins to glow with abundant life, bringing sparkle, nourishment, vitality and fertily all around itself. This is one of the mysterious reasons the greater body of my work is called 'Awakening the Goddess'. :-)
Chakra & Sacred Energy Activation: As we clear trapped energy and emotions from our body, we open pathways for sacred energy to flow more freely. This activation can feel like a surge of vitality or even ecstatic states of bliss, as we access higher states of consciousness and inner peace.
( You can find out more about specific - KUNDALINI GODDESS ACTIVATIONs - work and sessions ( similar to KAP or KAE ) on my website @ www.awakening-the-goddess.com. I do sessions both online and in GOZO.
IMPORTANT: I do recommend that if you have a history of trauma and haven't done much somatic integration work, that you book a few sessions of this prior. Not only will you get much more from your Kundalini Goddess Activation session, you will avoid potentially creating a healing crisis for yourself.).
If you'd like more info on this you can read THIS BLOG:
Somatic Bodywork at The Body Sanctuary in Gozo
If you're seeking Somatic Bodywork. The Body Sanctuary in Gozo is a healing space where you can begin your journey. Located close to the Gozo ferry, The Body Sanctuary offers in-person somatic bodywork and online coaching. Two years ago, I moved to Gozo with a calling to offer this powerful work in a land rich with ancient energy.
In addition to general somatic bodywork sessions, I offer specialised sessions, including:
Chi Nei Tsang ( focusing on abdominal organ clearing) and,
Somatic Womb Work ( for women to heal generational trauma and reconnect with their cycles ). These sessions provide deep healing for both body and spirit.
Embrace Your Healing Journey
Somatic bodywork offers a gentle, compassionate, and effective way to heal from trauma, reconnect with your body, and restore balance. Whether you're seeking relief from tension or ready to address deeper emotional wounds, this therapy can guide you toward wholeness, vitality, and peace.
I invite you to visit The Body Sanctuary in Gozo and begin your journey to healing. Your body holds the wisdom and power to help you heal, and somatic bodywork offers the tools to unlock this potential. You deserve to feel whole, connected, and at peace in your body and spirit.
You can find out more about my work @ www.awakening-the-goddess.com, or by sending us a WhatsApp message on the booking link above :) were happy to help answer any questions, and if you are not in Gozo, you can find out about how you can do this work online.
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