Somatic therapy recognizes that coronavirus disease 2019 is stored and expressed in the body — and that healing requires attention to bodily experience, not just thoughts.
The Somatic Perspective on Coronavirus Disease 2019
Traditional talk therapy addresses coronavirus disease 2019 primarily through cognition. Somatic approaches add the body's wisdom:
- Coronavirus Disease 2019 creates physical tension, postural patterns, and nervous system states that maintain it
- The body 'keeps the score' — especially when coronavirus disease 2019 has trauma origins
- Bottom-up (body to mind) processing can access material unavailable to cognitive approaches
Somatic Therapy Approaches for Coronavirus Disease 2019
Somatic Experiencing (SE): Developed by Peter Levine, tracks bodily sensations to resolve trauma and coronavirus disease 2019.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Integrates somatic techniques with attachment theory for coronavirus disease 2019.
EMDR: Uses bilateral stimulation to process traumatic memories contributing to coronavirus disease 2019.
Body-oriented CBT: Adds somatic awareness to standard cognitive-behavioral work.
When Somatic Therapy Is Especially Helpful for Coronavirus Disease 2019
Somatic approaches are particularly valuable when coronavirus disease 2019 has trauma origins, when talk therapy has plateaued, or when physical symptoms are prominent.