The Body Remembers: Why Somatic Awareness Matters in Therapy
When we think about emotions, memories, or relationships, we often imagine them as things that live in the mind. Yet, every therapist knows that words sometimes fall short. I remember feeling that there was a ‘glass ceiling’ – we do the work of recognising patterns, addressing history and identifying different ways of being and yet clients would come to a plateu in their recovery. Clients would say “I get it, I understand why I feel and behave the way I do” (pointing to their heads), “but I still feel…” pointing to their bodies, as if unconsciously locating the dis-connect.
Clients may tell their story again and again but still feel stuck—because trauma, attachment patterns, and emotional memories aren’t just stored in thoughts. They are embodied and the body remembers what the mind forgets (it’s a fantastic survival/ coping system). Our nervous system holds imprints of overwhelm, our posture reflects our history, and our breath reveals how much space we feel allowed to take in the world. Emotions don’t just “happen” in the head; they arise in the body, shaping how we experience ourselves and others.
Why This Matters
Unresolved experiences from childhood—whether moments of disconnection, neglect, or trauma—can remain hidden in implicit memory. The nervous system adapts to keep us safe, but those adaptations may become rigid patterns that unconsciously direct our choices and relationships as adults. Attachment styles are one example: the way we learned to seek (or avoid) closeness as children continues to echo in our intimate connections, friendships, and even in therapy.
By learning to tune in to the body, we gain access to this unconscious material. Sensations, impulses, and subtle shifts in awareness can point us to memories and feelings that words alone cannot reach. This embodied information becomes a doorway—not only to insight, but to genuine change.
Why Somatic Work Is Transformative
When we bring awareness to the body, we move beyond analysis into presence. Clients discover that what once felt overwhelming can be held, felt, and integrated in new ways. As therapists, we learn to trust the wisdom of the body, creating space for transformation that is both gentle and profound, and does not require striving and efforting from us. This is why incorporating somatic work into my sessions with clients stopped me from burning out; it was no longer my mind working hard to change another’s mind – it became one system holding space for another’s to heal itself.
Somatic work offers a trans-diagnostic foundation for healing—supporting us in accessing core issues quickly, gently and powerfully, and in developing embodied attunement, so that we can meet ourselves and others with clarity, compassion, and depth.