In this video, Phoenix L. Quetzal DeLeon, MA, AMFT, a somatic therapist at the Center for Mindful Psychotherapy, explains what somatic therapy is and demonstrates how it works differently from traditional talk therapy. Using a live example of working with anxiety, Phoenix shows how changing the state of the body can shift emotional experiences—offering clients more agency and choice in how they respond to difficult feelings.
Why Your Body Knows Things Your Mind Hasn’t Processed Yet—And How Therapy Can Help
Have you ever noticed that when you’re anxious, your chest tightens? Or that sadness feels heavy in your body? That anger creates heat and tension? Or that certain memories make your stomach drop, even before you’ve consciously processed what you’re remembering?
These aren’t just metaphors—they’re literal experiences of how our bodies hold, express, and communicate psychological information. And they point to a fundamental truth that Western psychology took decades to fully acknowledge: the body and mind aren’t separate entities. They’re one unified system constantly influencing each other.
This understanding is at the heart of somatic therapy—an approach that recognizes we can’t fully heal the mind without engaging the body, or address the body without attending to psychological experience.
What Makes Somatic Therapy Different?
Traditional talk therapy, often called “top-down” processing, works primarily through cognition—helping you understand your thoughts, identify patterns, develop insights, and reframe beliefs. This approach can be incredibly valuable and has helped millions of people.
But here’s what decades of research have revealed: Not all information is accessible through talking.
Trauma, for instance, is often stored in implicit memory—the parts of the brain that don’t use words or linear narratives. Early childhood experiences, pre-verbal trauma, and overwhelming events can all create imprints in the body that we feel but can’t necessarily articulate.
This is where somatic therapy’s “bottom-up” processing comes in.
Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up: Two Pathways to Healing
Top-Down Processing (Talk Therapy):
- Starts with thoughts and beliefs
- Uses verbal processing and insight
- Engages the prefrontal cortex (thinking brain)
- Excellent for developing understanding and perspective
- Can sometimes be limited when dealing with trauma or pre-verbal experiences
Bottom-Up Processing (Somatic Therapy):
- Starts with body sensations and movements
- Accesses information stored in implicit memory
- Engages the limbic system and nervous system directly
- Can reach experiences that don’t have words yet
- Particularly effective for trauma, anxiety, and stress held in the body
The most comprehensive healing often happens when both approaches work together—which is why many somatic therapists integrate both methods.
The Science Behind Somatic Therapy
The effectiveness of somatic approaches isn’t just anecdotal—it’s grounded in neuroscience and supported by growing research evidence.
The Polyvagal Theory Connection
Dr. Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory has revolutionized our understanding of how the nervous system responds to safety and threat. The vagus nerve—a major component of our parasympathetic nervous system—communicates bidirectionally between body and brain.
This means that changing our body state (through breath, movement, posture, or other somatic practices) can directly influence our emotional state and sense of safety. It’s not just about “mind over matter”—it’s about recognizing that the body has its own wisdom and communication system.
Trauma and the Body
Pioneering trauma researcher Dr. Bessel van der Kolk famously wrote “The Body Keeps the Score,” documenting how traumatic experiences are stored in the body even when the mind has difficulty accessing them verbally. (This book is regularly cited as among therapists’ favorite books.)
His research, along with work by Dr. Peter Levine (developer of Somatic Experiencing) and others, has demonstrated that trauma creates physiological patterns—changes in muscle tension, breathing, heart rate variability, and nervous system activation—that persist long after the traumatic event has ended.
These patterns can’t always be resolved through talking alone. The body needs to complete stress cycles, release held tension, and re-establish a sense of safety through direct somatic intervention.
The Neuroscience of Embodiment
Brain imaging studies have shown that when we pay attention to body sensations (a practice called interoception), we activate the insula—a brain region involved in self-awareness, emotion regulation, and decision-making.
Strengthening interoceptive awareness through somatic practices actually changes brain structure and function over time, improving our ability to:
- Recognize and name emotions (emotional granularity)
- Regulate emotional responses
- Make decisions aligned with our values
- Maintain present-moment awareness
- Sense safety and connection in relationships
What Does Somatic Therapy Look Like in Practice?
While Phoenix’s video demonstrates one example of somatic work with anxiety, the applications are much broader. Here are some common elements of somatic therapy:
Body Awareness and Tracking
Somatic therapists help clients develop the capacity to notice and describe body sensations without judgment. This might include:
- Where in your body do you feel this emotion?
- What’s the quality of that sensation? (tight, heavy, fluttery, hot, etc.)
- How does it change as we talk about this?
- What happens in your body when you think about that memory?
This practice of “tracking” builds the neural pathways for interoception and helps clients recognize their body’s signals earlier—before emotions become overwhelming.
Working with Breath
Breath is one of the most powerful and accessible tools for nervous system regulation. Unlike many autonomic functions, breathing is both automatic and voluntary—we can consciously change it.
Somatic therapists might explore:
- Natural breath patterns and where breath gets restricted
- Practices for deepening or slowing breath
- How different breathing patterns affect emotional states
- Using breath to stay present with difficult material
Movement and Gesture
Sometimes emotions want to move. Anger might want to push away. Grief might want to curl inward. Joy might want to expand and reach.
Somatic therapy creates space to explore these impulses through:
- Small movements or gestures
- Completing interrupted defensive responses
- Exploring what the body wants to do vs. what it’s been conditioned to do
- Using movement to discharge activation
Resourcing
A core somatic practice involves helping clients find and strengthen internal and external resources—experiences of safety, support, and positive embodied states. This might include:
- Remembering times when you felt strong, capable, or peaceful
- Grounding practices that bring you into present-moment awareness
- Exploring what helps your nervous system feel safe
- Building capacity to tolerate positive sensations (which can be surprisingly difficult for trauma survivors)
Working with Activation and Settling
Somatic therapists pay close attention to nervous system activation—noticing when clients become overwhelmed (hyperaroused) or shut down (hypoaroused)—and use techniques to help the nervous system find equilibrium.
This process, called “titration,” involves working with small, manageable amounts of activation rather than overwhelming the system, allowing for gradual integration and healing.
Who Benefits from Somatic Therapy?
While somatic approaches can support anyone interested in deepening their self-awareness and healing, they’re particularly valuable for:
- Trauma Survivors Especially those who have tried talk therapy but still feel “stuck” in their bodies or experience somatic symptoms like chronic pain, digestive issues, or dissociation.
- People with Anxiety Somatic therapy offers concrete, body-based tools for managing anxiety in real-time, rather than just understanding it cognitively.
- Individuals with Chronic Stress or Burnout Learning to read and respond to body signals before reaching crisis point. 2021 research published in Frontiers in Psychology suggests it is also good for people with chronic pain.
- Those Recovering from Eating Disorders Rebuilding a compassionate, connected relationship with the body after years of disconnection or control.
- People Who Feel Disconnected from Their Bodies Whether due to trauma, cultural conditioning, or other factors, somatic therapy can help rebuild that connection.
- Highly Sensitive People Who experience emotions intensely and benefit from tools to regulate and process sensory input.
- Anyone Who’s Tried Talk Therapy But Still Feels Something’s Missing Sometimes insight alone isn’t enough—the body needs direct attention and care.
The Body-Mind Unity: Why This Matters
Western culture has long operated under a Cartesian split—the idea that mind and body are separate entities, with the mind being superior and the body merely a vessel. This dualism has profound consequences:
- We dismiss body signals as “just stress” rather than important information
- We try to think our way out of problems that require embodied solutions
- We disconnect from our bodies through busyness, substances, or distraction
- We treat physical symptoms without addressing underlying emotional patterns
- We treat mental health issues without attending to the body
Somatic therapy challenges this split, recognizing what many non-Western healing traditions have always known: we are embodied beings, and healing must include the whole person.
What to Expect in Somatic Therapy Sessions
If you’re considering somatic therapy, here’s what you might experience:
Initial Sessions:
- Building safety and establishing therapeutic relationship
- Learning basic body awareness practices
- Exploring what brings you to therapy and what you hope to address
- Assessing how your concerns show up in your body
Ongoing Work:
- Developing capacity to notice and stay with body sensations
- Exploring patterns of holding, tension, or disconnection
- Working with specific experiences or symptoms somatically
- Building resources and nervous system regulation skills
- Integrating insights from both body and mind
Important Notes:
- You remain fully clothed throughout sessions
- Somatic therapy can be done entirely through verbal guidance (no touch required)
- You’re always in control of the pace and depth of exploration
- Sessions might include periods of silence as you tune into body awareness
- Some therapists incorporate gentle movement; others work primarily through attention and awareness
Phoenix’s Approach: Informed by Lived Experience
Phoenix brings a uniquely comprehensive background to their somatic therapy practice. With over 25 years of experience in teaching and bodywork—including certifications as a Certified Advanced Rolfer, Rolf Movement Practitioner, and Massage Therapist—Phoenix understands bodies from multiple perspectives.
This extensive bodywork background means Phoenix can:
- Recognize subtle patterns of holding and movement
- Understand structural and functional relationships in the body
- Offer precise, informed guidance in somatic exploration
- Bring deep knowledge of how bodies adapt and compensate
Phoenix’s therapeutic approach integrates somatic therapy with:
- Trauma-informed care
- Relational-cultural theory
- Liberation psychology and social justice frameworks
- Health at Every Size® principles
- Transpersonal and multicultural perspectives
Phoenix specializes in supporting adults and teens working through:
- Anxiety and stress-related concerns
- Trauma and PTSD recovery
- Eating disorders and body image issues
- Relationship challenges
- Effects of oppression and marginalization
- Cultural identity development
- Perfectionism and people-pleasing patterns
As someone who identifies as a woman of color, queer, mixed race, and recovered from disordered eating, Phoenix brings both professional expertise and lived understanding to their work—particularly with clients navigating intersectional identities and experiences of marginalization.
When Body and Mind Work Together: The Path Forward
The example Phoenix demonstrates in the video—noticing anxiety in the shoulders, chest, and belly, then exploring what happens when we shift posture and breath—is elegantly simple. Yet it illustrates something profound:
We have more agency than we often realize.
When we understand how our body and emotions influence each other, we gain access to multiple pathways for change. We’re not victims of our anxiety, depression, or trauma responses—we’re partners with our bodies in the healing process.
This doesn’t mean healing is easy or that somatic practices are a quick fix. Recovery from trauma, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, or other serious mental health concerns requires time, patience, professional support, and often multiple approaches.
But it does mean that you have more resources available than you might have known. Your body isn’t just carrying problems—it’s also carrying wisdom, resilience, and the capacity for healing.
Getting Started with Somatic Therapy
If you’re curious about whether somatic therapy might support your healing journey, consider these questions:
- Do you notice physical symptoms (tension, pain, digestive issues) that seem connected to stress or emotions?
- Have you tried talk therapy but still feel like something’s missing?
- Do you find it hard to name or describe your emotions?
- Do you experience dissociation or feeling disconnected from your body?
- Have you experienced trauma that feels “stuck” in your body?
- Are you interested in developing more body awareness and nervous system regulation skills?
If you answered yes to any of these, somatic therapy might offer valuable support.
Phoenix L. Quetzal DeLeon, MA, AMFT #129332 (supervised by Abigail Collins Thompson #94639), is a somatic therapist practicing from Santa Clara, California. With master’s training in counseling psychology with an emphasis in somatic psychotherapy, plus extensive experience as a Certified Advanced Rolfer, Rolf Movement Practitioner, and faculty member at the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute, Phoenix brings comprehensive knowledge of both psychological and physical embodiment to their therapeutic work.
Your body is already communicating with you. Somatic therapy helps you understand the language.