Exploring the Effectiveness of Body-Based Trauma Therapy for Healing

Trauma can really stick with us, not just in our heads but in our bodies too. It's like our physical selves hold onto the echoes of difficult times. Sometimes, just talking things through doesn't quite get to the root of it all. That's where body-based trauma therapy comes in. This approach helps us connect with our physical sensations and work through what's been held inside. It's about healing the whole person, mind and body, to find a more complete sense of peace.

Key Takeaways

• Trauma isn't just a memory; it's stored in the body and nervous system, affecting our physical responses.
• Body-based trauma therapy, like EMDR and somatic approaches, addresses these physical imprints for deeper healing.
• Somatic psychology helps reconnect with bodily sensations and regulate the nervous system, moving beyond just talking.
• EMDR therapy uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories, bridging logical and emotional parts.
• This integrated approach benefits various conditions, including complex trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and depression, by healing both mind and body.

Understanding How Trauma Resides in the Body

It's easy to think of trauma as just a bad memory, something that happened and is now in the past. But for many people, the effects of trauma stick around in ways that are much more physical than we might realize. When we go through something overwhelming, our bodies react. Think about that sudden jolt when you hear a loud noise, or how your stomach might churn when you're stressed. These are signals from your nervous system, which is designed to keep you safe.

The Body's Role in Storing Traumatic Echoes

When a traumatic event happens, especially if it's intense or happens repeatedly, our bodies can get stuck in a state of high alert. It's like the body's alarm system stays on, even when the danger has passed. This isn't about being weak or imagining things; it's a natural response to overwhelming stress. The energy from the body's survival instincts – like the urge to fight, flee, or freeze – might not have a chance to fully play out. When that happens, it can get held in the body, showing up as physical tension, aches, or a general feeling of unease. Our bodies really do keep a record of what we've been through.

Beyond Memories: Nervous System and Bodily Responses

Trauma isn't just about what you remember thinking or feeling emotionally. It's also about how your nervous system learned to react. This can lead to a whole host of physical symptoms that don't seem directly related to the original event. You might experience:

• Chronic muscle tension, especially in the neck, shoulders, or jaw.
• Digestive issues like stomachaches or irritable bowel syndrome.
• Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or frequent waking.
• A feeling of being constantly on edge or easily startled.
• Fatigue or a persistent lack of energy.

These physical responses are the body's way of trying to manage or protect itself from what it perceived as a threat, even if that threat is long gone.

The 'Window Of Tolerance' Explained

Think of your nervous system like a thermostat. It has a comfortable range where you can handle daily life, feel emotions, and think clearly. This is often called the 'Window of Tolerance.' When things are calm, you're right in the middle of it. But when stress or trauma hits, your system can get pushed out of this window.

• Hyperarousal: This is when you're too activated. It feels like your gas pedal is stuck. You might be anxious, restless, irritable, or have a racing heart. It's your body's 'fight or flight' response kicking in too much.
• Hypoarousal: This is when you're under-activated. It's like your brakes are slammed on. You might feel numb, disconnected, exhausted, or shut down. This is often the 'freeze' response.

Being stuck outside this window makes it hard to cope. Learning to recognize when you're moving towards the edges of your window, and how to gently bring yourself back to the middle, is a big part of healing.

The Power of Body-Based Trauma Therapy

Why Talking Alone Isn't Always Enough

For a long time, the go-to method for dealing with trauma was simply talking about it. You'd sit with a therapist, recount the events, and try to make sense of things logically. And sure, talking can be helpful. It can give you a way to process what happened and understand it better. But here's the thing: trauma isn't just a story in your head. It gets lodged in your body, too. Think about it – when you're scared, your heart races, your muscles tense up, you might feel sick to your stomach. These are physical reactions. If those reactions don't get a chance to fully resolve after a traumatic event, they can stick around. That's why, for many people, just talking doesn't quite cut it. The body's experience of the trauma needs to be addressed for real healing to happen. It's like trying to fix a car by only looking at the dashboard; you're missing what's going on under the hood.

Integrating Mind and Body for Comprehensive Healing

This is where body-based trauma therapy really shines. It acknowledges that you're not just a thinking brain; you're a whole person, mind and body connected. The idea is that by working with the body, you can access and release the stored tension and emotional energy that talking alone might not reach. It's about bringing awareness to physical sensations – maybe a tightness in your chest, a knot in your stomach, or a general feeling of unease. By gently noticing these sensations, without judgment, and learning to regulate your nervous system's responses, you can start to unwind the effects of trauma. This integrated approach helps you feel more present, grounded, and in control of your own system. It's about creating a more complete path to healing, one that honors both your mental and physical experiences. This kind of work can lead to a profound sense of wholeness and resilience.

The Effectiveness of Somatic Approaches

Somatic approaches, which are a big part of body-based therapy, have shown real promise in helping people heal from trauma. They work by tapping into the body's natural ability to process and release stress. Instead of just focusing on the narrative of what happened, these therapies pay attention to the physical feelings and responses that come with traumatic memories. Techniques like mindful body scans, gentle movement, and breathwork help you reconnect with your body and learn to manage overwhelming sensations. This can be especially helpful for complex trauma or when memories feel too intense to talk about directly. By working with the body's signals, you can gradually process difficult experiences and reduce symptoms like anxiety, flashbacks, and emotional numbness. It's a way to help your nervous system find its balance again, leading to a more settled and peaceful state. Many find that this approach offers a gentler yet powerful way to move through trauma, allowing for more complete integration of the experience.

Key Principles of Somatic Psychology

Somatic psychology gets that trauma isn't just something we think about; it's also something our bodies hold onto. When tough stuff happens, our nervous system can get stuck in overdrive, leading to all sorts of physical tension and emotional ups and downs. Somatic approaches help us tune back into our bodies and learn how to calm that system down.

Reconnecting with Bodily Sensations

This is all about paying attention to what's happening inside you, right now. It's not about judging what you feel, but just noticing. Think of it like learning a new language, but the language is your body's signals. We often live "from the neck up," totally disconnected from what our bodies are trying to tell us. Somatic therapy helps you build that connection back up. It's about asking, "What am I feeling in my body right now?" instead of just "What am I thinking?" This awareness is the first step to understanding how past experiences might be showing up physically. It's a gentle way to start listening to your body's wisdom, which can be incredibly helpful for healing trauma stored in the body.

Learning Natural Nervous System Regulation

Our nervous systems are designed to keep us safe. When we experience trauma, this system can get a bit haywire, flipping between being on high alert (fight-or-flight) or shutting down (freeze/fawn). Somatic psychology teaches us how to gently guide our nervous system back to a more balanced state, often called the "window of tolerance." This isn't about forcing yourself to be calm, but learning to notice when you're getting overwhelmed and having tools to bring yourself back. It's like learning to surf the waves of your emotions instead of being pulled under by them. This regulation is key to feeling safe enough to process difficult memories.

Completing Interrupted Survival Responses

Sometimes, when something traumatic happens, our natural urge to fight, flee, or freeze doesn't get to finish. That energy can get stuck, leading to ongoing physical and emotional symptoms. Somatic techniques help us safely complete these interrupted responses. It's not about re-experiencing the trauma, but about allowing the body to finish what it started in a controlled way. This can involve small movements or shifts in sensation that help release that pent-up energy. By allowing these responses to complete, your nervous system can finally return to a state of balance and rest.

EMDR Therapy and Its Somatic Integration

Sometimes, just talking about what happened doesn't quite cut it when you're dealing with trauma. That's where EMDR therapy really shines, especially when you mix it with body-focused techniques. EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a pretty amazing approach. It helps your brain process difficult memories without you having to go over every single painful detail again and again. Think of it like helping your brain sort through a messy filing cabinet. It doesn't erase the memory, but it takes away the intense emotional charge that makes it feel like it's happening right now.

EMDR's Approach to Reprocessing Memories

EMDR works on the idea that traumatic memories can get stuck. They don't get properly filed away, so they keep popping up and causing distress. The therapy uses something called bilateral stimulation. This usually involves following a therapist's finger with your eyes, or sometimes tapping or sounds. This back-and-forth stimulation helps both sides of your brain communicate, which is thought to help the brain reprocess those stuck memories. It's a way to help your brain do what it naturally wants to do: heal. This process helps to lessen the overwhelming power these memories hold over you. It's not about reliving the event, but about changing how your brain stores it, so you can think about it without feeling flooded with distress. Research shows EMDR is effective for PTSD, with studies demonstrating significant reductions in trauma symptoms following treatment. This evidence-based approach is a cornerstone of the healing work we do.

The Role of Bilateral Stimulation

Bilateral stimulation is the core mechanism in EMDR. It's the gentle back-and-forth movement, tapping, or sound that engages both hemispheres of your brain. This dual engagement is believed to help the brain process information more effectively, much like it does during REM sleep. When trauma happens, this natural processing can get disrupted. Bilateral stimulation helps to restart that process. It's not just about eye movements; it's about creating a balanced brain state that allows for the desensitization and reprocessing of distressing memories. This can feel surprisingly gentle yet powerful, and many clients report that things that once triggered intense reactions simply don't bother them the same way anymore.

Bridging the Gap Between Brain Regions

Trauma can sometimes create a disconnect between different parts of the brain, especially between the emotional centers and the more logical, thinking parts. EMDR, with its somatic integration, helps to bridge this gap. By addressing the physical sensations and emotional responses stored in the body, alongside the reprocessing of memories, it creates a more complete healing experience. This bottom-up approach, starting with the body's sensations, complements the top-down processing of thoughts and memories. It helps to integrate the experience, so it's no longer a raw, overwhelming event, but a memory that has been processed and understood within the context of your life. This integration leads to a renewed sense of confidence and safety in the world that you might not have felt in years. For clients seeking comprehensive trauma treatment, working with an EMDR and somatic therapist can be particularly powerful. This integrated approach addresses both the mental and physical aspects of trauma, creating a more complete path to healing.

Conditions Benefiting from Body-Based Trauma Therapy

It's really something how trauma can show up in so many different ways, affecting not just our minds but our bodies too. That's why therapies that focus on the body have become so important for healing. They help us work through stuff that talking alone just can't reach.

Complex and Developmental Trauma

When trauma happens over and over, or during really important times in our lives when we're growing up, it can really mess with how our nervous system works. It's like the body gets stuck in a survival mode that it can't get out of. Body-based therapies help by gently guiding the nervous system back to a more balanced state. They help release the physical tension and feelings that get locked in. This is super important for healing from deep, long-lasting trauma.

PTSD and Trauma-Related Symptoms

For folks dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the body often holds onto the stress and fear. Things like flashbacks, nightmares, and feeling constantly on edge are not just mental experiences; they have physical components too. Body-based approaches help to process these physical sensations and the nervous system's reactions. This can make a big difference in reducing the intensity of PTSD symptoms. It's about helping the body feel safe again, even when memories pop up. Research shows EMDR is effective for PTSD, with studies demonstrating significant reductions in trauma symptoms following treatment.

Anxiety, Depression, and Attachment Difficulties

Anxiety often comes with a lot of physical symptoms – racing heart, tight chest, restless energy. Depression can feel like a heavy weight in the body, or a sense of numbness. And when early relationships were shaky, it can make it hard to feel secure with others. Body-focused therapies can help by teaching us to notice these physical feelings without getting overwhelmed. We learn how to calm our nervous system down, which in turn helps with anxious thoughts and low moods. It also helps build a sense of inner safety, which is key for healthier connections with people. Couples are seeking deeper connection through therapeutic approaches like Internal Family Systems (IFS), which helps individuals understand their internal "parts" and their impact on relationships.

Addressing Dissociation and Disconnection

Sometimes, after trauma, people feel really disconnected from their bodies, like they're just floating through life. This is called dissociation. It's a way the mind protects itself when things get too intense. Body-based therapies can help bridge that gap. By gently bringing awareness back to physical sensations, we can start to feel more present and connected to ourselves. It's about slowly rebuilding that mind-body link so you feel more whole and grounded in your own skin.

The Body Scan Technique in Trauma Healing

Sometimes, when we're working through tough stuff from the past, especially trauma, it feels like things get stuck. We might be talking about something, and then suddenly, there's this weird tension in our shoulders, or our stomach feels all tight. That's where the body scan comes in. It's not just about what we're thinking; it's about what our body is holding onto.

Developing Self-Awareness of Bodily Sensations

Think of your body as a map of your experiences. Trauma can leave little signals, like knots in your muscles or a racing heart when you least expect it. The body scan is basically a way to learn to read that map. You're not trying to fix anything right away, just notice. Where do you feel it? Is it a tightness, a warmth, a coldness? Just observing these sensations without judgment is a big step. It helps you understand how your body reacts to stress or memories.

Here's a simple way to start noticing:

• Feet: Feel your feet on the ground. Notice any sensations there – pressure, temperature, tingling.
• Legs: Move your awareness up your legs. Are they heavy, light, tense?
• Torso: Pay attention to your stomach, chest, and back. Any tightness or ease?
• Arms and Hands: Notice the feeling in your arms and hands. Are they relaxed or clenched?
• Neck and Shoulders: This is a common spot for tension. Just observe what's there.
• Head and Face: Notice your jaw, forehead, and eyes. Are they relaxed or holding tension?

Releasing Stored Tension and Emotions

Once you start noticing where tension is held, the next part is about gently letting it go. It's not about forcing anything, but more like inviting the tension to soften. Sometimes, just acknowledging a sensation can start to shift it. You might notice that as you breathe into a tense area, it begins to loosen up a bit. This process helps release emotions that might have been trapped along with the physical tension. It’s like untying a knot that’s been there for a long time.

Integrating Body Awareness with EMDR

When we combine body scanning with something like EMDR, it can be really powerful. EMDR helps process the memories, and the body scan helps us deal with the physical side effects of those memories. So, during an EMDR session, if you start to feel a physical sensation related to the memory you're working on, you can use your body scan awareness. You notice the sensation, maybe breathe into it, and then let the EMDR's bilateral stimulation do its work. This dual approach helps ensure that both the mental and physical aspects of trauma are addressed, leading to a more complete healing. It’s about making sure the whole system, mind and body, gets a chance to heal.

Navigating the Healing Process

Healing from trauma isn't usually a straight line. It's more like a winding path, and sometimes you hit spots where things feel stuck. That's totally normal. The good news is that body-based therapies, especially when combined with something like EMDR, offer a structured way to move through these challenges.

The Initial Stabilization Phase

Before we even get to the really tough stuff, the first step is all about building a solid foundation. Think of it like making sure your house is sturdy before you start renovating. This phase is all about learning how to manage those overwhelming feelings and physical sensations that trauma can bring up. We focus on practical tools to help you feel more grounded and safe, even when things get intense. This might involve:

• Learning simple breathing exercises to calm your nervous system.
• Practicing grounding techniques to stay present in the moment.
• Identifying and building up your internal resources – things that make you feel safe and strong.
• Developing body awareness so you can notice early signs of distress.

This initial phase is key to making sure you have the support you need to handle deeper processing later on.

Processing Traumatic Memories with Integrated Techniques

Once you've got a good handle on stabilization, we can start gently working with those difficult memories. This is where the integration of EMDR and somatic techniques really shines. Instead of just talking about what happened, we're paying attention to how your body is responding. As EMDR helps to reprocess the memory, we'll notice any physical sensations that come up. This could be tension in your shoulders, a knot in your stomach, or something else entirely. The somatic part helps us to safely acknowledge these sensations, understand what they might mean, and allow your body to release them. It’s about letting your nervous system complete what it couldn't before, in a way that feels manageable.

Achieving More Complete Integration

What does "complete integration" even mean? It means that the traumatic memory no longer has the same overwhelming power over you. It's like the memory has been filed away properly, so you can recall it without being flooded with intense emotions or physical reactions. Your body feels more at ease, and you have a greater sense of control and safety in your daily life. This isn't about forgetting what happened, but about changing how your brain and body hold onto that experience. The goal is to feel more whole, more present, and more resilient, with a stronger connection to yourself and the world around you.

Enhancing Emotional Regulation Through Somatic Therapy

Sometimes, just talking about what happened doesn't quite cut it, right? That's where somatic therapy really shines. It's all about tuning into your body and what it's trying to tell you. Trauma and stress don't just live in our heads; they get stored in our physical selves, showing up as tension, aches, or just a general feeling of being 'off.' Somatic approaches help us gently notice these signals and work with them.

Focusing on Nervous System Regulation

Our nervous system is like the body's control panel for stress. When we're traumatized, it can get stuck in overdrive (fight-or-flight) or shut down (freeze). Somatic therapy teaches us how to bring it back to a more balanced state, often called the "window of tolerance." This isn't about forcing yourself to be calm, but rather learning to recognize when you're getting overwhelmed and having tools to gently guide yourself back. Think of it like learning to surf – you don't stop the waves, you learn to ride them. Techniques like deep breathing, mindful movement, and grounding exercises help us shift from feeling activated or numb to a more regulated state where healing can actually happen. It’s about building a felt sense of safety within yourself, which is a huge step in managing emotional responses.

Managing Emotional Responses with Body-Based Tools

So, how do we actually do this? Somatic therapy gives us practical ways to handle those big feelings. Instead of getting swept away by anxiety or anger, we learn to notice where we feel it in our bodies. Is it a tightness in your chest? A knot in your stomach? By paying attention to these physical sensations without judgment, we can start to understand them better. We can use simple practices like:

• Breathwork: Consciously changing your breath can directly influence your nervous system, signaling safety and calm.
• Grounding: Focusing on your senses – what you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch – anchors you in the present moment, away from overwhelming thoughts or feelings.
• Mindful Movement: Gentle, intentional movements can help release stored tension and allow stuck energy to move through your body.

These aren't just quick fixes; they're skills that build over time, giving you more agency over your emotional state.

Releasing Trauma Stored in the Body

Trauma often leaves behind physical residue. It's like a backpack full of heavy rocks you've been carrying around without even realizing it. Somatic therapy helps us unpack that backpack, one rock at a time. Through techniques like titration (processing difficult sensations in small doses) and pendulation (gently shifting between discomfort and comfort), we can gradually release the physical tension and emotional charge that trauma creates. This isn't about forcing yourself to feel something, but rather allowing your body to naturally complete stress responses that were interrupted. When that stored energy is released, it often brings a sense of lightness and freedom, making it easier to feel present and connected in your daily life.

Working Through Stuck Points in Therapy

Sometimes, even with the best intentions and techniques, therapy can hit a bit of a wall. You might feel like you're going over the same ground again and again, or perhaps a particular memory or sensation just won't budge. This is totally normal, and it's where specialized approaches really come into play. When we talk about "stuck points" in trauma therapy, it often means the nervous system is holding onto something so tightly that it's hard to move past it using standard methods alone. This is where somatic interventions become incredibly helpful.

Somatic Interventions for Intense Sensations

When processing trauma, especially with EMDR, you might encounter really strong physical feelings. It could be a sudden tightness in your chest, a wave of heat, or a feeling of being frozen. These aren't just random occurrences; they're often the body's way of signaling that it's holding onto something from the past. Somatic techniques help us work with these sensations directly, but in a way that doesn't overwhelm you. Think of it like gently turning down the volume on a loud alarm instead of trying to ignore it completely. We learn to notice these sensations without judgment, understanding that they are messages from your body trying to complete an unfinished process. This might involve focusing on the exact location of the sensation, its texture, or its temperature, and then using gentle, guided movements or breathwork to help the body release that stored energy.

Mindfulness and Grounding Techniques

When things feel intense or you start to feel disconnected, grounding is your best friend. It's all about bringing your awareness back to the present moment, to what's happening right now, rather than getting lost in the past or overwhelmed by future worries. Mindfulness is key here. It's about paying attention to your senses – what can you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch? Simple things like feeling your feet on the floor, noticing the texture of your clothes, or focusing on your breath can be incredibly powerful. These aren't just distractions; they're active tools that help your nervous system shift from a state of alarm to a more regulated, calm state. We might practice things like:

• The 5-4-3-2-1 Method: Identify 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
• Mindful Breathing: Focusing on the sensation of your breath entering and leaving your body, without trying to change it.
• Sensory Grounding: Holding a smooth stone, smelling a calming scent, or listening to a piece of music to anchor yourself in the present.

These techniques help create a safe container, allowing you to process difficult material without getting swept away by it.

Movement and Self-Awareness Practices

Our bodies are designed to move, and sometimes, trauma gets stuck because natural responses were interrupted. Somatic therapy often incorporates gentle movement to help complete these responses. This isn't about strenuous exercise; it's more about subtle shifts in posture, small gestures, or even just noticing the urge to move and allowing it to happen. For example, if a trauma response involved freezing, a gentle somatic intervention might involve encouraging a small, safe movement like shaking out your hands or shifting your weight. This helps signal to the nervous system that the danger has passed and that it's okay to release the tension. Developing self-awareness is also huge here. It's about learning to listen to your body's signals – the subtle cues that tell you when you're feeling safe, when you're starting to get overwhelmed, or when you need to pause. This practice builds a deeper connection with yourself, allowing you to respond to your own needs more effectively, both in and out of therapy.

The Neurobiological Shifts in EMDR Treatment

When trauma hits, it can really mess with how your brain works. It's like the brain's alarm system, the amygdala, gets stuck on high alert, and the part that sorts memories, the hippocampus, has trouble filing things away properly. This means that even though the bad stuff happened in the past, your brain can still feel like it's happening right now. It's a pretty overwhelming way to live.

EMDR therapy steps in to help fix this. It uses something called bilateral stimulation – think eye movements, tapping, or sounds that go back and forth. This seems to help the different parts of your brain talk to each other again. It's kind of like how your brain processes things during REM sleep. This process helps the amygdala calm down because the threat is gone, and it allows the hippocampus to correctly store the memory as something that happened in the past.

Here's a simplified look at what happens:

• Calming the Brain's Alarm System: The constant feeling of danger starts to fade as the amygdala learns that the threat has passed.
• Properly Filing Traumatic Memories: The hippocampus can now organize the memory, making it feel like a past event rather than a current crisis.
• Integrating Logic and Emotion: The thinking part of your brain (the prefrontal cortex) can connect with the emotional parts. This helps you understand what happened from a more balanced perspective, incorporating your current sense of safety and strength.

Essentially, EMDR helps your brain re-wire itself. The memories don't disappear, but they lose their power to overwhelm you. They become part of your story, but they no longer control your present. This shift in how your brain processes and stores these experiences is what leads to lasting healing.

Ever wondered what happens in your brain during EMDR therapy? It's fascinating! This type of therapy helps your brain process difficult memories, leading to real changes in how your mind works. Think of it like rewiring pathways to feel better. Want to learn more about these amazing brain shifts and how EMDR can help you heal? Visit our website today to discover the science behind it!

Moving Forward with Body-Based Healing

So, we've talked a lot about how trauma really sticks with us, not just in our heads but in our bodies too. It's like our nervous system gets stuck in overdrive or completely shuts down. But the good news is, there are ways to work through this. Therapies that focus on the body, like EMDR and somatic approaches, are showing us that we can actually help our bodies release that stored tension and find a sense of calm again. It’s not about just talking through things, but about helping the whole system – mind and body – heal. This kind of work can really make a difference in feeling more present and safe in your everyday life.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is body-based trauma therapy?

Body-based trauma therapy is a way to heal from difficult experiences by paying attention to how your body feels. Instead of just talking about what happened, this therapy helps you notice and work with the physical feelings and sensations that come with trauma. It's like your body remembers things too, and this therapy helps it let go of that stored stress.

Why is focusing on the body important for healing trauma?

When something traumatic happens, your body's alarm system can get stuck. This can lead to feeling tense, jumpy, or even shut down a lot. Talking alone might not reach these deep body responses. Body-based therapy helps calm that alarm system and release the physical tension, making healing feel more complete.

How does EMDR therapy connect with body-based approaches?

EMDR therapy uses gentle back-and-forth signals, like eye movements, to help your brain process difficult memories. When combined with body-based techniques, it helps you notice and release physical feelings that come up as you process those memories. This dual approach helps heal both your mind and your body.

What is the 'Window of Tolerance'?

Think of the 'Window of Tolerance' as your comfort zone for handling stress. When you're inside this window, you feel okay and can manage things. If you get too stressed or overwhelmed, you can move outside this window into feeling anxious and revved up (too much) or shut down and numb (too little). Body-based therapy helps you learn to stay within this window.

Can body-based therapy help with things other than PTSD?

Yes, absolutely! This type of therapy is great for many issues that come from tough life experiences. This includes ongoing worry (anxiety), feeling down a lot (depression), and problems with relationships or feeling close to others. It helps with feeling disconnected or numb too.

What's a 'Body Scan' in this kind of therapy?

A body scan is like a mindful check-in with your body. Your therapist guides you to notice different sensations in your body without judging them. This helps you become more aware of where you might be holding tension or stress, and then gently work to release it.

Does this mean I have to deeply relive my trauma?

Not usually. While you'll be working with memories and feelings, the goal is to process them in a way that feels manageable and safe. Body-based techniques and EMDR are designed to lessen the intense power of the memories, so you don't have to get completely overwhelmed.

How long does healing with body-based therapy take?

Healing is a personal journey, and everyone moves at their own pace. The process often starts with learning skills to feel safe and calm, then gently processing difficult memories. Your therapist will work with you to create a plan that feels right for you, focusing on steady progress rather than rushing.