What Is Somatic Psychology and How Does It Work?

Published on: 17 April 2018 Last Updated on: 08 October 2020
Somatic Psychology

Although it has been studied for centuries, somatic psychology continues to be a form of holistic, alternative therapy, with many people still doubting its efficiency. Nonetheless, this form of therapy has already proved to be very effective for a wide range of psychological disorders. At its core, somatic therapy focuses on the connection between the mind and the body, and it uses body-oriented activities as part of the healing process. More specifically, this type of therapy is based on the fact that a person’s emotions, feelings, beliefs, and thoughts had a strong impact on their physical well-being, while physical matters such as exercises, diet, and lifestyle also have a strong impact on a person’s emotional and mental state. Based on these principles, somatic therapy seeks to identify negative behaviors and habits and promote positive alternatives in order to bridge the connection between the mind and the body.

Understanding somatic psychology :

This area of psychology is very diverse, but its most popular branch is the psychotherapy approach. Somatic psychotherapists see the body and the mind as a single entity, which needs to be guided towards healing. This guiding process needs to happen on the terms of each individual patient, in a safe environment, and on account on their individual interpersonal connections.

This form of psychotherapy starts from the idea that the sensations experienced during traumatic events remain trapped in the body and continue to express themselves in time through various physical ways such as an improper posture, unnatural facial expressions, and even more severe expressions such as muscular pain. Obviously enough, conventional therapy such as talking, is an integrated part of the somatic therapy, since it is essential for each individual to openly talk about their emotions and thoughts to better understand their problems. However, somatic psychotherapists combine conventional therapy with holistic treatments such as dance, music or yoga. This holistic approach has the purpose of promoting positive behaviors and physical expressions, to speed up the mind’s healing process. Many people confuse somatic therapy with body therapy. While they use similar treatment techniques, body therapy is used for superficial issues like stress. On the other hand, somatic treatments can be used to heal even chronic mental health problems.

How it works :

First of all, it is important to know that somatic psychotherapists are trained to notice negative bodily expressions. This skill is very useful in quickly uncovering emotional problems that patients may be unwilling to talk about. Talk therapy is indeed the most efficient type of therapy, but it is a slow process, and it can take a long time for patients to learn to recognize and acknowledge their emotions. A somatic approach can speed up this process, and it can help therapists teach their patients how to be more aware of the way that their minds are expressing themselves through their bodies. After acknowledging their negative emotions, patients are taught to use various holistic therapies in order to relieve tension and other negative bodily expressions.

The most common holistic therapies used in somatic therapy are dance, breathing exercises, yoga, music, massages, grounding exercises, and posture exercises. However, any type of positive physical activity can be used as a treatment, as long as it encourages patients to reflect on their behaviors and emotions.

The first results of somatic therapy consist of a boosted sense of self-awareness, which usually leads to deeper connections with close people. Patients often find themselves having better control over their bodies, especially when interacting with other people. Lower stress levels and a better understanding of personal emotions and concerns are also among the first signs of the healing process.

This form of therapy can be used for any type of mental health problems, from minor issues like anxiety to severe issues like chronic depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and even borderline personality disorders.

As more and more studies prove the strong connection between the mind and the body, somatic psychology is expected to be an influential branch of psychology, and its applicability will surely expand in the following years.

Read Also :

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

View all posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

education |Content rally

Emotional Development: A crucial element to child

Emotion is an integral part of the psychological formation. It determines growth and development in any child that reinforce the overall progress and character formation of the child. Development of emotion constitutes the experiences of the child that transform the understanding from the nascent stage to adolescent. It also comprises of the child's understanding and development of aspects such as imagination and expressions. The changes in behavior and the approaches to life and learning are also factors related to the emotional development of children. Interaction plays a major role in emotional development of a child. The progress and change in behavior are only possible when the child interacts with the surroundings and society. The close circle of a child comprising of parents, family members, friends, and even teachers are important factors that reinforce emotional development. Isolation of a child hampers this growth and hence a child should be exposed to others in the society as far as possible. Cognitive and neural development of the child is linked to cultural and social influences. Emotional development and social development occur side by side. These two facets are interlinked and interdependent on each other. Social development can be ensured through increased interaction of a child with caregivers, parents and other people in their circle. The circle, one the other hand, should grow with the growth of the child and hence increasing interaction and communication with the society. The inception of emotion in a child has been a subject of long discussion and speculation. A number of reflexive behaviors such as crying and smiling occur at a much early age. Among these, crying can be considered as a strong emotional response of a child. Pleasure, fear, anger, and interest are some early emotional traits in children that initiates within six months of their birth. It is observed that most of the times negative emotions follow the development of positive emotions. The emotions such as pride and recognition develop at the later stages of the child's growth. The school and other social organizations play a crucial role in these. Children at any residential school are more exposed to social life that supports faster emotional development and hence maturity. At the early schools, age children develop a strong sense of independence. Another characteristic is the growth of defiance. The physical development of a child such as the capability to run and climb supports the emotional development at this age. They develop social skills to interact and the skill to understand others at school and other collective environments. Schools play a vital role in the emotional development of a child; hence, they are responsible to offer the environment that supports growth positively. Read More: Cheapest Drone For Your Children Free Summer Activities For Kids In North Wales Upcoming Educational Trends In 2017

READ MOREDetails
MCSA Certification Today

5 Reasons Why You Should Get Your MCSA Certification Today

Technology is ingrained in our lives whether we like it or not.  And, for those looking to get into the industry of Information Technology (IT), there are plenty of opportunities available for career advancement so long as you take a proactive approach. If you are currently in the field of IT, you are considered to have a highly-skilled profession.  This means it is crucial you stay ahead of technology trends, continue your education, and leverage the information that is available to IT professionals wanting to stay ahead of the competition. One such way to get ahead is to get your MCSA certification.  Designed to help those in information technology build upon their current skillset when it comes Windows Server 2008 and 2012, receiving your Windows Server 2016 credentials does more than qualify you for better jobs and a higher salary. 1. Networking Opportunities Becoming certified in an updated technology such as the new Windows Server 2016 places you amongst a specific group of experts.  This means anytime someone encounters a problem related to your expertise, your fellow IT professionals could summon you to help. In addition, you will be able to mingle with people that are experienced with your level of technology. They can introduce you to others in the field, help you advance your own success, and even work with you when you run into a challenging issue. 2. Maintain Credibility Earning an MCSA certification help you maintain your reputation as an IT professional that is serious about your career. It shows your employers that you want to progress in the field of technology, proves your dedication to your company, and can garner you additional support from your employer in the form of promotions, increased salaries, and more work. 3. Helps with Field Mastery Learning a new skill is not always achievable on the job.  In fact, experimenting with a newly released operating system, platform, or application while working for clients is risky. That’s why investing time and effort into learning a new skill by taking a course, where you actively learn from your mistakes (without causing harm), is not only less threatening to your career, it helps you remain focused and truly master what you are learning. 4. It May Be Required If you work for a well-established corporation that prides itself in the service it provides its clients, chances are they will require their IT staff to be up to date on all new certifications related to their specific field.  This includes the newest MCSA certification. If your employer requires you to get an MCSA certification, and you don’t proceed to obtain it, you risk losing your job. Not only does this mean you will stop receiving a regular paycheck, but you will quickly fall behind all other IT professionals.  So, even if you get another job that doesn’t require an updated certification, you will soon find yourself behind the competition. 5. It Makes You Feel Accomplished Even if you don’t need to become certified in the new Windows Server 2016, and learned thing such as installing and configuring the new Windows Server 2016, implementing Hyper-V, and configuring advanced networking features, if you take the time to master these new skills, you are going to feel proud.  This sense of accomplishment will boost productivity and make you a better IT professional in the long run. In the end, getting your MCSA certification is always going to help promote your services and garner you more money.  However, there is more to information technology than being rich. Read More: Ten Interview Tips That Might Surprise You: The Medical Edition Free Student Guide To Help You Achieve Exam Success 10 Tips To Memorize All Necessary Information Before Exams 7 Tips For Writing A Dissertation 10 Tips For Writing A Dissertation Are You Planning To Relocate To Canada? Upcoming Educational Trends In 2017 Top 6 U.S. Universities That Offer Health Science Course How To Get Low Cost Life Insurance For Seniors 4 Reasons Why Food Handling Training Is Important

READ MOREDetails
Maintaining a Relationship

What You Must Can Do To Maintaining a Relationship With Your Girl

Maintaining a relationship with your girlfriend or your wife is not easy and a relationship will always have its ups and downs. Although it is true that loving someone includes accepting all his or her flaws, but in reality, there are habits that can become annoying over time and can push your partner to wake up one day and realize he or she wants to get out of the relationship. Most couples encounter a few bumps along the road to a lasting relationship. When you feel that your relationship is on shaky grounds.  You must have a better chance of saving your troubled relationship and don't have to wait until it will crumble or fall apart before you take any appropriate actions. Sometimes when people start having a problem in their relationship, they only see a greater percentage of the problem in the other person. Take steps to save your relationship with your girlfriend, it is something you should be done, although no one can enumerate all the reasons why relationships fail. Here are some of the reasons and what you must can do to maintaining a relationship with your wife or girlfriend Understanding Your Girl This is one of the thousands of reasons while people are having relationship problems. Before you can walk or work with anybody, there must be a sense of understanding. Because you have refused to understand your wife. That is why it looks as if the issue you are having now would not be resolved. Mutual Trust Mutual Trust to have his or her own space, there are things and interests that you can do separately to grow as a person and there are things that you can do together to bond with each other. It is important to allow your spouse or partner to have his or her own space to do his or her own thing. Sensitive for Your Girl Feelings Men are often insensitive to a girl's feelings. Try to read between the lines or understand her body movements to understanding her feelings. Girls can have volatile moods; when these moments come, this should be the time that you would give her a good amount of understanding.  Give her space until she's ready to open up and listen to her response. Try to re-evaluate yourself. List down the good and bad things about you and try to change your negative habits to something productive and better. When You Have Make a Mistake Nobodies perfect, we all could not escape from mistake either on purpose or not. We all lie at one point with another. The important thing here is that we know how to apologize for the mistake in the first place. Unfortunately, it's not always easy to attain forgiveness, especially if you make a mistake about something big and serious. The apology The apology is her opportunity to tell you how you made her feel, and an opportunity for both of you to move forward. A genuine apology that shows real concern for the person you have wronged can help both people heal, but if the apology is not heartfelt it can cause even more anger. Listen attentively and take her thoughts on board. Get a Solutions If this is what you really want then the best way to get your girl back is, first of all, you need to apologize for your mistakes. Today with the development of the Internet, you can find many thousands of professional sites like; "Motivational-tips.com" or another similar site, on there you can find a lot of useful information, motivation, tips and tricks for those who are willing to change their life for the better! What is the best way to get your girl or wife back when you have made a mistake, or the ways how to apologize to a girl, like at motivational-tips.com or how to do that? Of course, it won't be easy. Admitting that you were wrong also shows her that you've got guts because it's not an easy thing to do. You regret hurting her and you wished you could take back what you did and have her back in your life. Remember this, the reason most guys fail when it comes to getting their girlfriend or wife back is that they have absolutely no idea what to do. Read More: How To Get What You Want At Work By Strategic Negotiation Resolutions To Help The Small Business Owners To Avoid Being Bankrupt

READ MOREDetails