Bodily sensations are key in trauma integration

Trauma more often than not dissociate us. Taking us away from the body as a survival strategy.

This way we don’t have to feel the physical and emotional pain.
The body then becomes an unsafe place. The dissociation pattern builds up overtime. 

We don’t notice it. It’s a coping mechanism. 

It keeps us alive and going. But it also keeps us from feeling joy, gratitude and contentment. 

It keeps us disconnected from life. 

Sensation is the language of the reptilian brain, where survival responses are initiated. 

When trauma happens the higher brain, the part of the brain that thinks, plans and understands concepts, “switches off”. What is left is survival responses. 

That’s why in somatic integration sessions we aim to bring back the language of sensation. Helping the clients to slowly and safely get back into their bodies, investigating and feeling sensations that show up in each moment. 
This way we start to release “stuck” incomplete survival responses in the system. 

As the client starts to tolerate positive and negative sensations in the body the whole system starts to open up and reorganise. This is done gently, as not to overwhelm or retraumatize. 

Slowly, but surely we build more resilience in the nervous system, so that the layers of trauma can safely integrate.