The Role of the Body in Emotional Healing: Trusting Your Somatic Wisdom

When we think of emotional healing, we often focus on the mind, assuming that logic and reason hold the answers. However, there’s an essential part of the healing process that often gets overlooked: the wisdom of the body. In somatic therapy, we recognise that a significant amount of our emotional intelligence lives in the body, and that tapping into this wisdom is key to true healing.

The Disconnect Between Mind and Body

Have you ever been in a situation where your mind is telling you one thing, but your body is giving you a completely different signal? Maybe you’ve taken a job that seemed perfect on paper, but deep down, your body was saying, "No, this isn’t right." It’s easy to ignore those bodily signals, believing that the mind knows best. But often, when we disregard our body’s wisdom, we end up in situations that don’t serve us well.

I’ve been there myself. Years ago, I accepted a psychology job that ticked all the right boxes intellectually, but my body was strongly resisting. Needless to say, I ended up in a situation that wasn’t healthy for me, and it only confirmed that our bodies are a critical part of our decision-making process.

Why the Body Remembers Everything

One of the key insights from somatic therapy is that the body remembers everything we’ve experienced, even when our minds don’t. Researchers like Bessel van der Kolk and Peter Levine have shown that our bodies store emotional memories from past events, especially traumatic ones. This is why, when you encounter a situation that triggers these past experiences, your body reacts with sensations like anxiety, tightness, or discomfort, even if your mind can’t make sense of it.

For example, you might feel overwhelmed in crowds or social situations, and while your mind tells you everything is fine, your body signals distress. This could be a sign of unresolved emotions or trauma that your body hasn’t yet processed.

The Power of Somatic Therapy

Somatic therapy helps you understand what your body is trying to communicate. Sometimes, it’s a message about unhealed emotions from your past, and other times, your body is warning you about something in the present. Learning to distinguish between the two is key to emotional healing and resilience.

The body never lies, but the mind often creates stories and interpretations to make sense of discomfort. Instead of letting your mind spiral into assumptions, somatic work encourages you to focus on the sensations in your body. Is there tightness in your chest? A knot in your stomach? By tuning into these sensations, you can address the root cause of your emotions at the body level.

How the Body Heals Itself

The incredible thing about the body is that it knows how to heal itself, especially when it comes to emotional pain. When you allow yourself to stay connected to the sensations without trying to shut them down or "fix" them, your body can process and release the emotions. This process can be difficult because the mind always wants to take control and "solve" the problem. But with the guidance of a somatic therapist, you can learn to trust your body’s natural ability to heal.

Achieving Mind-Body Balance

By aligning your mind and body, you can create a life that feels deeply fulfilling. You’ll feel more grounded, confident, and comfortable in your own skin, and you’ll be able to process emotions instead of accumulating stress. In a world that often keeps us busy and disconnected from ourselves, somatic work offers a way to settle, land, and truly heal.

If this resonates with you, I invite you to reach out. Together, we can explore how somatic therapy can support your emotional healing and help you create a more balanced life.