Body based somatic therapy is a relatively newer concept gaining impetus in the field of psychology. Unlike other mind-body approaches such as mindfulness meditation, mind-body stress reduction (MBSR), and mindfulness and self-compassion (MSC), body based somatic therapy hasn’t hit the mainstream.
In simple terms, body based somatic therapy is a treatment focusing on the body and how emotions appear in the body. It posits that our body holds and expresses emotions, experiences, traumatic events or unresolved issues that are trapped inside in different manners. Since disturbing feelings often show up in the body in debilitating ways, body based somatic therapy aims to drain those emotions of their power, relieving pain and other manifestations of stress, such as disrupted sleep or an inability to concentrate. These types of emotions can stem from a variety of conditions and circumstances such as depression, complicated grief, anxiety and panic attacks, trust and intimacy issues, low self-esteem, PTSD, chronic stress, chronic pain among others.
While traditional talk therapy focuses on becoming aware of disturbing thoughts and behaviours and working towards changing them, body based somatic therapy is more about relieving tension in the body. It focuses on cultivating awareness of bodily sensations, and teaches people to feel safe in their bodies while exploring thoughts, emotions, and memories. As a growing wellness community, somatic experiencing in Hong Kong is increasingly being recognized for its ability to bridge emotional healing with physiological regulation.
Body Based Somatic Therapy: Types
Body based somatic therapy prioritizes embodied awareness i.e. how a client notices, identifies and responds to body sensations that emerge in a session and uses this awareness as a lever in the healing process. A body based somatic therapist helps people release damaging, pent-up emotions in their body by using various mind-body techniques.
Body Based Somatic Therapy: Somatic Experiencing
This form of body based somatic therapy focuses on healing the impact of trauma on the body. First developed by Peter Levine, it is based on the premise that despite being threatened, wild animals return to calm states after attacks through shaking, trembling, etc. to discharge their ‘charged’ energy. However, humans find it difficult to release this sort of energy and instead trap it into their bodies through contraction of muscles, racing heart or numbness in the extremities. Somatic Experiencing (SE) helps clients learn about these autonomic nervous system reactions so they can release the post-traumatic stress from their bodies. Rather than fully processing a trauma all at once, it teaches clients to pendulate—moving between states of activation and calm—to build regulation. This is why somatic experiencing in Hong Kong has become increasingly sought after among individuals dealing with chronic stress and trauma-related symptoms.
Body Based Somatic Therapy: Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP)
Founded by Diana Fosha, AEDP regards core emotions such as grief, anger, joy, excitement, fear and disgust as fundamentally healthy emotions that help guide us towards growth, transformation and healing when they are fully processed. However, many of us get hurt in relationships and experience unbearable aloneness along with overwhelming emotions. This is where AEDP therapists come in and help heal such attachment wounds by “undoing” the client’s loneliness in the session and helping them process these core emotional feelings in a new, safe and healthy way. This relational focus can be especially supportive in body based somatic therapy for anxiety in women, where emotional safety and co-regulation are often essential to healing. AEDP therapists view their relationship with the client as a primary vehicle in healing. They bring their felt experiences to sessions and share them with the client, helping clients feel more seen and heard. It is an entry way for clients to more easily drop into new and healing emotional experiences, which can result in immediate changes.
Body Based Somatic Therapy: Hakomi Therapy
This approach helps you notice body sensations and explore the body’s learned responses and emotional habits that shape how you feel, react, and relate, in a curious, compassionate, and nonjudgmental way. Developed by Ron Krutz, it is an experiential, body based somatic approach to self-discovery and healing. Through guided mindfulness, clients explore unconscious patterns, allowing for deep insight and transformation in a safe and nurturing space.
Body Based Somatic Therapy: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is a structured therapy that addresses specific traumatic memories and how they live in the brain. It directly targets a traumatic memory through “bilateral stimulation” to change the way this memory lives in the brain. Bilateral stimulation means moving your body in a rhythmic way that activates both sides of the brain–such as rapidly moving your eyes from left to right or alternating tapping your left and right knee–while focusing on a specific memory.
Body Based Somatic Therapy: Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
This form of body based somatic therapy tracks how our body holds specific patterns and habits from our early attachment relationships and past experiences. Pat Ogden specifically developed this body based somatic therapy to heal the impact of attachment trauma and how it gets stored in a person’s body, postures, and felt experience. It addresses how limiting cognitive beliefs (such as feeling unlovable) are experienced in the body and helps clients become aware of how embodying positive beliefs are felt in a different way.
Body Based Somatic Therapy Exercises
Body based somatic therapy exercises draw upon non-Western mind-body practices that emphasize the link between physical sensation and emotional and mental states.
Body Based Somatic Therapy Exercises: Grounding
Grounding exercises help you connect with the present moment. They’re an effective coping technique for people experiencing flashbacks, anxiety, or other trauma-related symptoms. A few grounding techniques are as follows:
- Moving your body: Move your body in a way that feels comfortable for you. It could be stretching, dancing, or even jumping. As you start to move your body, notice every part one by one – staring from your toes and moving right up to your head.
- Taking a walk: You could be taking a walk anywhere but the key is to focus on your steps. Think about the rhythm of your footsteps and how it feels to place one foot in front of the other.
- Keeping your hands under running water: As you do this, focus on how the temperature feels on your fingertips, palms, and the backs of your hands. Start with cold water and then switch to warm water after a minute or two. Notice how the sensations change when you switch from cool to warm water.
Body Based Somatic Therapy Exercises: Body Scan
Body scan involves mentally scanning your body from top to bottom to build awareness of physical sensations including discomfort, tension or areas of ease. To try a 3-minute body scan at home:
- Sit comfortably and take a deep breath in through your nose and release it through your mouth. As you do this, gently close your eyes.
- Start from your head and begin to scan down your body. Notice how each part feels – light or heavy, tense or relaxed, comfortable or uncomfortable. The idea is to just become aware rather than hanging anything.
- Let each breath support your attention and continue down through your shoulders, arms, chest, stomach, hips, legs and finally your feet.
- If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to wherever you left off.
Body Based Somatic Therapy Exercises: Breathing
Breathwork focuses on bringing sensory awareness to the throat, diaphragm, jaw, and shoulders as you breathe in and to the belly and chest as you exhale.
- Diaphragmatic Breathing: The idea is to breathe deeply through your belly by using your diaphragm. To try it, sit or lie down comfortably with one hand on your belly and the other on your chest. Inhale slowly through your nose, feeling your belly rise, then exhale gently through your mouth as your belly falls.
- 4-7-8 Breathing: In this simple technique, you inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds and exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds. If you find it difficult to hold your breath, start with what feels comfortable and gradually build up.
- Box Breathing: This technique involves steady breathing as you inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds and then hold again for 4 seconds. Imagine tracing a box with each cycle.
- Cyclic Sighing: Inhale through your nose, then take a second short inhale to completely fill your lungs. Exhale very slowly through your mouth, letting out an audible sigh. Repeat this for about 5 minutes everyday.
- Bumblebee Breath: This technique involves inhaling slowly and deeply and then exhaling with a gentle humming or buzzing sound. Focusing on an extended exhalation — making your exhale longer than your inhale — helps create a more soothing, relaxing effect.
Alternate Nostril Breathing: To do this, block your right nostril with your thumb and inhale through your left nostril. Then close your left nostril with a different finger as you release your thumb and exhale through your right nostril.
Body based somatic therapy offers a holistic approach to healing by addressing the connection between physical sensations, emotions, and lived experiences. By helping individuals feel safer and more regulated in their bodies, it creates lasting pathways toward resilience and emotional well-being. Its growing relevance highlights the importance of treating healing as both a mental and embodied process.
Photo Credits:
First image: Blueastro
References
Bachert, A. (2025). Try these somatic exercises to improve your mental health. Charlie Health. https://www.charliehealth.com/post/somatic-exercises-for-mental-health
Bloch-Atefi, A., & Smith, J. (2015). The effectiveness of body-oriented psychotherapy: A review of the literature. Psychotherapy and Counselling Journal of Australia, 3(1).
Headspace Editorial Team. (2025). Body scan meditation: tune in, let go, and relax fully. Headspace. https://www.headspace.com/meditation/body-scan
Hinge Health Learning Centre. (2025). Somatic Breathwork: 7 exercises to try. Hinge Health. https://www.hingehealth.com/resources/articles/somatic-breathwork/
Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2021). Somatic Full Practice #1: body scan [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYIRLhEaCgA
Klein, A. (2026). 5 kinds of somatic therapy. Somatic Therapy in NYC | Holistic Healing for Mind and Body. https://www.downtownsomatictherapy.com/article/5-kinds-of-somatic-therapies
Ron Kurtz Hakomi Educational Materials. (2026, March 27). Hakomi Method: Mindfulness & Somatic Therapy. https://hakomi.com/
Salamon, M. (2023). What is somatic therapy? Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-is-somatic-therapy-202307072951
Sakshi
About the author
Sakshi is a clinical psychologist with a deep passion for understanding human behavior, a strong drive for research, and a keen eye for psychological intricacies. Committed to continuous learning, she seeks to explore every facet of psychology, from theory to practice, to better support and empower individuals. With a curiosity that fuels her pursuit of knowledge, she strives to bridge the gap between research and real-world applications, making psychology more accessible and impactful.
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