Understanding Somatic Practices: A Personal Journey

I remember when the word "somatic" first started hitting my feed a few years ago. Certain topics and concepts seemed promising … but I still couldn’t quite grasp what it meant.

My brain needs all the information before I can start putting it together and integrating it into my life. I need to drill it all the way down, ask all the questions, and inspect all the angles so my system feels ready to start experimenting, playing, and trying things out.

So, I offer this little brain dump for anyone looking for a lived-in example of how to integrate somatic practices. I just offer that this isn’t prescriptive. This is what has organically formulated for me and my life based on the somatic lineages I have studied and the support and medicine my lived experience has needed.

Starting the Journey with a Somatic Therapist

The first thing I tackled was working with a somatic therapist and coach to find ways back into my body. I had spent decades in my head, if not slightly outside of it because anxiety had settled in at such a young age. The first somatic practice offered to me by my therapist was arm sweeps. She explained it as a way to close a communication loop that my body had been activating for as long as I had been alive. I actually cried a bit in that moment because my unconscious framing of my relationship with my body instantly shifted from me against it to “Oh… you’re just trying to help me and communicate with me.” That was one of the first times I felt truly safe in my body.

I brought in arm sweeps both as responses to stress and anxiety activation and in moments of calm to help build connection outside of activation.

Building a Personal Practice

Finding a somatic therapist was a massive key to my journey, providing the structured, informative introduction I needed.

Once I had built up a personal practice (including checking in with my therapist and asking all the questions), I started doing my own research and following threads of curiosity. I began experimenting with other somatic approaches and practices. I started weaving them into moments of joy, stress, fear, threat, and moments where I would recognize I was bumping up against limiting beliefs stemming from previous traumas and PTSD.

Integrating Somatic Practices into Daily Life

For example, I noticed a tipping point of excitement and engagement that turned into flooding, overwhelm, and negative self-talk at work. This pattern was fast-tracking to burnout and shutdown. Something as simple as pulling in arm sweeps when I noticed excitement and engagement shifting into stress and overwhelm would dial me back a bit into more sustainable energy.

By recognizing that I was shifting into a stress activation and pulling in a practice, I was establishing an awareness of the state, recognizing that it wasn’t helpful, and supporting my system with a practice that promoted safety and regulation. It took a while, but with this practice, I was able to stay more grounded in situations where I was excited and assist myself in tapping into a deeper creative process.

Conclusion

Somatic practices are not a cure-all, but they have definitely become a potent resource that I weave into every aspect of my life. They have helped me build a deeper connection with my body, manage stress more effectively, and foster a greater sense of safety and regulation.

By sharing my experience, I hope to provide a lived-in example for anyone looking to integrate somatic practices into their own lives. Remember, this journey is deeply personal and unique to each individual. Explore, experiment, and find what resonates with you.