Somatic healing work is not only bottom up

Somatics is the new kid on the block, the darling of Instagram Reels and we often see talk therapy portrayed as old fashioned ineffective.

In your healing journey you are likely to need both and anything in between at some point.

It’s also important to realise that good somatic healing work is not only bottom up (body to mind approach). In Somatic Experiencing (SE), for instance, we incorporate meaning, thoughts and talk to the sessions. Not to mention lots of somatic psychoeducation.

Humans need words. We have a prefrontal cortex (logical brain) for a reason. So meaning-making is a important part of somatic interventions as well. It’s just so that we do it in a different way, through the body.

Verbal expression is important, bringing words into the sessions is what helps people connect the dots, normalising what’s happening in their physiology and lives.

Talking is good. Talking is important. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.