What Are The Differences Between Normal Talk Therapy And Somatic Therapy?

Psychotherapy is a form of psychological treatment in which great emphasis is placed on providing a safe, non-judgmental relationship in which to explore issues pertaining to mental health and problems of daily life through talking. The Psychotherapeutic relationship provides specific theories and techniques embedded into methods of empathy and acceptance. It is designed to facilitate the appropriate inner psychological states so that people can grow and develop in ways which may not have been possible earlier in their lives. Psychotherapy is a method based upon talking about our pasts, and discovering how our present perceptions and behaviors are conditioned by our experiences in the past. Psychodynamic forms of therapy are dominantly about using talking and theoretically work by using verbal reflections to increase awareness thereby gradually helping to decrease symptoms. Cognitive Behavioral therapy works by changing people’s attitudes and behavior through focusing on the thoughts, images, beliefs and attitudes that are held, (a person’s menatl evaluations of there feelings), and how these processes relate to the way a person behaves, as a way of dealing with emotional problems. This is the most popular form of talk therapy.

While talk therapy can be very helpful with various types of psychological issues, most modern research on trauma suggests that talk therapy may actually make trauma symptoms worsen. The reason for this is that telling the story of trauma over and over again, as in the case of exposure therapy, for example, may tend to actually amplify the feelings associated with the stories of the past. In other words, every time I have to tell my therapist the story of the trauma, I am forced to relive the entire experience again. There is growing evidence showing that this process can reinforce the very symptoms we are seeking relief from.
Several studies support these concerns:

van der Kolk, B.A. (2014) in The Body Keeps the Score suggests that reliving traumatic memories during therapy can trigger heightened emotional responses and exacerbate trauma symptoms, particularly when the individual is not adequately prepared or supported.

Bisson, J.I., & Andrew, M. (2007) in their meta-analysis on trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) found that, in some cases, repeated exposure to traumatic memories can lead to a temporary worsening of symptoms in the short term, even though long-term benefits may eventually occur.

Schauer, M., Neuner, F., & Elbert, T. (2011) argue in Narrative Exposure Therapy: A Short-Term Intervention for Traumatic Stress Disorders that while storytelling-based therapy can be beneficial for some, others may experience a reactivation of trauma, leading to a deepening of symptoms, particularly when the narrative is repeatedly revisited without effective emotional regulation strategies.

Cloitre, M., et al. (2009) found in their study on PTSD treatment outcomes that for complex trauma cases, focusing solely on narrative approaches without integrating emotion regulation techniques can sometimes reinforce negative emotional states associated with traumatic memories.

Somatic Psychology is a unique approach within the broader field of psychotherapy, one that deeply values the connection between the mind and the body. The word "soma," from the Greek, means "the body in its living, breathing form." This form of therapy extends beyond traditional talk therapy by recognizing that our bodies play an important role in how we process thoughts and emotions. Somatic Psychotherapy is grounded in the belief that our mental, emotional, and physical experiences are interconnected, and that healing in one area can create positive changes in the others.

“The brain and the body are parts of a common interactive system. Any outside stimulus or input to the brain must first be registered by the sensory organ systems of the body, and the brain relies on the body to provide all information having to do with function in general, not just survival. What’s happening in the body continuously changes the brain. The flip side of this relationship is that the brain, in response, also directs and changes the body. Learning of a motor skill by the brain is dependent on the body’s ability to adapt and respond to feedback messages from the brain that direct the somatic musculature. The muscles of the viscera—the organs of the chest and abdomen—also operate through messages from the autonomic nervous system that are generated by the brain, while the sensory messages from these visceral organs inform the brain about one’s emotional well-being. The relative health of the brain depends on the health of the body, and vice versa. If trauma has adversely affected either one, you’ve got to find a means of healing that incorporates both brain and body. You can’t fix one without fixing the other”.

 -Dr. Robert Scaer; Author of The Body Bears the Burden: Trauma, Dissociation, and Disease.

Somatic Psychotherapy integrates the use of body-based methods with the practice of mindfulness. The method of Mindfulness is intimately connected to the work of somatic psychotherapy. Mindfulness is an ancient psychological practice that has recently been incorporated into modern therapeutic techniques. Mindfulness refers to a non-critical state of self-observation. It is a non-judgmental state of consciousness that allows a person to experience themselves in a new way. It allows conscious awareness to become separate from thoughts, feelings,and mental evaluations. Methods of Somatic Psychotherapy are difficult to explain or define as they are by their very nature, highly experiential. They are techniques involving the direct conscious experience of your own body in relationship to the traumatic events we are seeking to overcome and release.

The work of somatic psychology is guided by several philosophies and, more recently, by research in infant development, neurobiology, and attachment psychology. Most notably, somatic psychology as a method for treating trauma is based on the writings and research of:

Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score.
Dr. Stephen Porges, originator of the Polyvagal Theory.
Dr. Robert Scaer, author of The Body Bears the Burden: Trauma, Dissociation, and Disease.
Pat Ogden, author of Trauma and the Body.
Kathy Steele, Suzette Boon, and Onno van der Hart Ph.D., authors of Treating Trauma-Related Dissociation.
Dr. Judith Herman, author of Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence—from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror.

There are numerous other authors and researchers not listed here who have contributed to this field over the last 30 years, and we encourage you to explore this further on your own.

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