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