London Ontario Somatic Therapy: Coming Home to Your Body
“I know it’s over, but I still feel on edge.”
“It’s like my body doesn’t believe I’m safe yet.”
“I feel disconnected from myself.”
Do you relate to any of these statements?
They speak to the reality that healing isn’t just a cognitive process.
This is something many of us know intuitively, but have never consciously framed it as such.
But when it comes to healing, the body is involved too.
And sometimes, it holds the most tender parts of our experience.
At The Witch’s Therapist, we offer spiritual therapy in London Ontario.
Among the various modalities offered at our clinic, our practitioners are trained in London Ontario somatic therapy.
Somatic therapy is an approach that gently brings the body back into the room.
It honours that our bodies are not separate from our stories, our emotions, or our relationships.
They carry memories, adaptations, and wisdom.
Often, this wisdom is unspoken, sometimes it’s unconscious, but it’s there nonetheless.
With the right support, our bodies also carry the potential for healing.
On today’s spiritual therapy blog, we’ll be exploring somatic therapy.
Won’t you join us?
What Is Somatic Therapy?
The word somatic comes from the Greek “somatikos” (σωματικός).
Loosely translated, it means “of the body”, “relating to the body”, or “bodily”.
So, somatic therapy is a type of therapy oriented toward the body.
It integrates traditional talk therapy with bodily awareness, mindfulness, movement, and nervous system regulation.
In many ways, modern medicine views the body and the mind as two separate aspects.
But somatic therapy recognizes the body is an integral part of the psyche.
The body holds sensations, memories, emotions, and knowledge from the past.
This affects your mind, of course, but also your body.
Rather than focusing solely on insight or analysis, somatic therapy invites us to slow down and listen to the more subtle layers of our experience.
How does a particular emotion live in the body?
Where does tension sit?
What sensations emerge when we speak certain truths?
What happens when we pause, breathe, and notice?
These small, embodied shifts often open pathways for deep change.
What Is the Purpose of Somatic Therapy?
Somatic therapy begins with listening.
Our bodies are built for movement.
It’s through this movement that we express a great deal of our inner and outer selves.
We process and integrate our experiences through our bodies.
This can affect how we move and navigate the world, which in turn can affect our mind.
As we listen to our bodies, we begin to connect with the language they speak.
Often, our bodies speak more honestly than our minds.
A racing heart.
Shallow breathing.
A tight, clenched jaw.
Each of these is a message your body wants to convey.
Somatic therapy invites us to pause and get curious about what our bodies are saying.
It’s as we learn to hear and respond, we connect with what our bodies need.
Does your chest feel heavy when you think about your job?
Does your stomach twist when you remember an old hurt?
Do you feel a wave of fear when you imagine saying no?
These sensations are guides.
They’re whispers from your body.
They carry the stories we’ve tucked away, the emotions we’ve avoided.
The purpose of somatic therapy, then, is to reconnect.
To bring mind and body back into dialogue.
To honour the body as a source of inherent wisdom.
It helps us move from being trapped in patterns of stress and fear to finding freedom, presence, and compassion.
And in that process, the body itself begins to soften, and heal.
Who Is Somatic Therapy Recommended For?
Somatic therapy is a therapeutic approach with many different benefits.
If you’ve experienced overwhelming life events, your body may have adapted by shutting down certain areas.
This can manifest itself in different ways.
You may feel a disconnect or a numbing from certain sensations.
You may also feel a certain tightness.
Regardless, the result can feel the same – a profound disconnect from ourselves.
This is, of course, a defense mechanism.
If we’ve experienced overwhelming events or chronic stress, especially early in life, our bodies adapt.
Trauma, in particular, is stored in the nervous system.
In his seminal work “The Body Keeps the Score”, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk further explores this.
The feelings we feel at the core of our traumas shape how we navigate the world.
What’s more, they reshape both our bodies and minds.
Even when we “know” we’re safe, our physiology might still be operating as if there’s danger.
If you’ve ever felt hypervigilant, collapsed, frozen, or anxious without a clear cause, this can be the root.
Somatic therapy helps gently re-pattern these automatic responses.
Through slow, attuned, body-centered work, we begin to build a sense of internal safety.
Over time, many people feel more grounded, emotionally regulated, and connected to themselves and others.
Broadly speaking, anyone who seeks this deeper connection to their inner self can benefit from somatic therapy.
More specifically, however, somatic therapy can be particularly helpful for those dealing with:
· Anxiety
· Grief
· Chronic pain
· Navigating the world with chronic illness or disabilities
· Post-traumatic stress disorder
What Does Somatic Therapy Feel Like?
Through somatic therapy, every session is shaped by your unique pace and experience.
Sometimes we work with your existing story, and sometimes we work with what lies underneath.
In general, however, somatic therapy can include some of the following elements:
1. Awareness of Body
If you’ve spent much of your life disconnected from your body, learning to reconnect can feel alien.
That’s why somatic therapy begins with gentle observations.
Your somatic therapist may recommend tuning into sensations, breath, posture, and subtle shifts in your body as you speak.
From there, we can build a vocabulary for your sensations.
2. Resourcing
Resourcing is a concept within somatic therapy.
Through resourcing, we begin to attune ourselves to feelings of security and safety.
This sensation will feel different from person to person, depending on experience.
For some, it may be difficult to connect with such feelings.
They may feel tiny, hidden, buried.
For others, they may be connected to a specific time, place, or experience.
As we begin to connect with this feeling, we create an anchor point to which you can return in times of stress.
3. Pendulation
Picture a pendulum on an old fashioned grandfather clock.
It tick-tocks back and forth, moving from one side to another.
Pendulation borrows from this idea, imagining the states of our nervous system as part of the natural flow of life.
It teaches us to gently move between comfort and discomfort, all the while building nervous system resilience.
4. Titration
Trauma is complex.
As a result, it may feel overwhelming to even begin exploring and processing it.
Through titration, we learn to break our experiences into smaller, more digestible pieces.
This way, we can prevent overwhelm and process our experiences more mindfully.
Book Your Appointment With The Witch’s Therapist Today
In this article, we’ve explored the benefits of somatic therapy for navigating the traumas of our past.
However, for some that language can feel like it doesn’t quite connect.
The truth is, everyone has experienced unpleasant or difficult events in their past.
You don’t need to relate with the idea of having “trauma” in order to benefit from somatic therapy
You only need a willingness to slow down and turn toward your body with curiosity and care.
In a culture that often rewards speed, overthinking, and disconnection, somatic therapy invites us to slow down.
To listen to the signals beneath the surface.
To return to ourselves gently, respectfully.
This work is quiet, often subtle, and sometimes surprising.
It invites the parts of you that were silenced, hidden, or exiled to return.
If you’re interested in exploring somatic therapy, The Witch’s Therapist is here to help.
Book your FREE 15-minute intro session with The Witch’s Therapist today.
The Witch's Therapist
609 William St, #101
London, Ontario
Canada
N6B 3G1
1-226-977-1660
► London Ontario Holistic Psychotherapy
The Witch's Therapist is located in London, Ontario and offers holistic psychotherapy therapy throughout London and surrounding areas.
