Somatic Therapy: The Key Techniques I Use to Help Clients Experience Breakthroughs

I. Introduction

Have you ever had that moment in therapy where you understand what’s happening—but still feel stuck in the same emotional patterns?

You know why you’re anxious. You can name the childhood wound. You’ve said it out loud. And yet… your body still tightens. Your chest still aches. You still freeze, fawn, or shut down when it really matters.

This is the moment where many of my clients realize:

Insight alone isn’t enough.

That’s when we turn to the body—where so much of our emotional life lives.

As a therapist with a Master’s degree in Somatic Psychotherapy, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside clients as they discover what’s possible when they begin to listen to, trust, and work with their bodies—not just their thoughts.

In this blog, I’ll share some of the most powerful somatic therapy techniques I use in my practice. These tools often lead to breakthroughs—not just intellectually, but in a deep, felt way. Whether you’re working through trauma, anxiety, self-doubt, or emotional numbness, somatic therapy can help you experience healing from the inside out.

If you're located in Colorado, I offer somatic therapy in Denver, where we work gently and intentionally with the body to unlock the healing that words alone can't always reach.

II. A Brief History of Somatic Therapy

So, what exactly is somatic therapy—and where does it come from?

The term “somatic” comes from the Greek word soma, meaning the living body in its wholeness. Unlike traditional talk therapy, which focuses primarily on thoughts and stories, somatic therapy brings attention to what’s happening physically—your breath, posture, muscle tension, nervous system patterns, and subtle sensations.

The roots of somatic therapy go back nearly a century. Pioneers like Wilhelm Reich and Alexander Lowen began exploring how emotional experiences were stored in the body. Later, clinicians like Peter Levine (creator of Somatic Experiencing) and Christine Caldwell (developer of the Movement Cycle and founder of the Somatic Counseling Program at Naropa University) expanded the field by integrating trauma science, movement therapy, and body awareness into psychotherapy.

Today, somatic therapy is grounded in both clinical experience and neuroscience. We now know that trauma—whether developmental, relational, or shock-based—lives not just in memory, but in the nervous system. When an overwhelming event occurs and can’t be fully processed, the body stores the charge—like unfinished fight, flight, or freeze energy. That’s why people often experience symptoms like chronic tension, numbness, shutdown, or emotional flooding long after the event is over.

Somatic therapy creates a space to complete those unfinished responses, release stuck energy, and develop a felt sense of safety and regulation. It’s not about forcing catharsis. It’s about building trust with your body—at a pace that feels right.

In my somatic therapy practice in Denver, I combine research-backed techniques with an intuitive, compassionate approach. I help clients reconnect with the innate wisdom of their bodies—because, often, that’s where the real breakthroughs begin.

III. Why Somatic Therapy Is So Powerful

You might be wondering, “Why the body? Why not just keep talking things through?”

It’s a great question—and one I hear often from clients who’ve already done a lot of deep, insightful work in traditional therapy. They know their patterns, can name their triggers, and even understand where it all began. And yet... the same emotional responses keep showing up.

That’s because healing isn’t just about what you know—it’s also about what your nervous system believes is safe.

This is what makes somatic therapy so powerful.

Somatic therapy works with the part of the brain that talk therapy can’t always reach—the subcortical brain that governs survival responses, emotional memory, and physical regulation. When something overwhelming happens and we don’t have the support or capacity to process it, the experience gets stored in the body as incomplete activation—often showing up as tension, numbness, reactivity, or shutdown.

You may notice this in yourself:

• Your throat tightens when you try to speak up

• Your chest aches when you feel abandoned or misunderstood

• You freeze or shut down in conflict, even when you want to stay engaged

• You intellectually know you're safe—but your body still says otherwise

Somatic therapy helps us get underneath the story to work directly with the felt sense of these patterns. By accessing sensation, movement, breath, and subtle instinctual responses, we invite the body to complete what was left unresolved. This creates new pathways for emotional regulation, connection, and resilience.

Clients often say things like:

“I didn’t even know that tension was there—until it released.”

“I feel like something just shifted inside me, even though I didn’t say much.”

“My body finally feels like it’s not bracing anymore.”

Unlike techniques that aim to fix or override symptoms, somatic therapy invites you to get curious about them—to listen. This is where transformation begins—not by doing more, but by relating differently to what your body is already trying to communicate.

In my practice offering somatic therapy in Denver, I create a safe and attuned space where your body doesn’t have to rush, perform, or explain itself. We slow down, we notice, and we honor the intelligence of your system. Because true healing isn’t forced—it’s allowed.

IV. Somatic Techniques I Use in My Practice

So how do we actually work with the body in somatic therapy? What happens in the room (or on the screen)?

Clients often come in unsure of what to expect. Some worry it’s going to feel “too out there” or overwhelming. But in reality, somatic therapy is deeply intuitive—because it meets you where you already are: in your body. We go at your pace, honor your boundaries, and listen for the subtle signals your system is always giving.

Here are some of the most powerful somatic techniques I use in my work with clients in somatic therapy in Denver—including why each one is effective, where it comes from, and how I facilitate it in session.

1. Somatic Oscillation

Origin: Rooted in somatic trauma therapy and nervous system regulation practices, this technique draws on principles from Somatic Experiencing and polyvagal theory.

What It Is: Somatic oscillation is the intentional movement between a sensation or emotion that feels challenging (activation) and one that feels neutral or resourcing (safety). This rhythmic "back and forth" helps your nervous system build resilience and capacity without overwhelm.

Why It’s Powerful: When we’re stuck in stress, trauma, or shutdown, the nervous system gets locked into rigidity. Oscillation introduces movement. It gently teaches your system, “You can touch into discomfort—and then come back to safety.” Over time, this reduces sensitivity to triggers and increases emotional range.

How I Facilitate It – Step-by-Step:

1. We identify a sensation or emotion that feels mildly uncomfortable but tolerable (e.g., tightness in your chest, a sense of pressure).

2. We find a resource—something neutral, soothing, or grounding (e.g., the feeling of your feet on the floor, your breath, a comforting image).

3. We go back and forth slowly. I guide you to bring attention to the discomfort, then to the resource, helping your system “pendulate” between the two.

4. As we continue, you notice what shifts. Often, there’s a softening, release, or new insight that emerges naturally.

This technique helps you stay with your experience—without getting flooded or stuck.

2. The Movement Cycle (Christine Caldwell)

Origin: Created by Dr. Christine Caldwell, founder of the Somatic Counseling Program at Naropa University. The Movement Cycle is a four-phase, body-based process of emotional expression and integration.

What It Is: A structured yet organic movement practice that helps clients move through emotions by following their body’s impulses in four stages: Awareness, Owning, Appreciation, and Action.

Why It’s Powerful: Emotions are not just feelings—they’re physiological energy that needs to move. When we suppress or intellectualize our emotions, they often show up as chronic tension, disconnection, or burnout. Movement gives emotions an outlet—so they can be fully expressed, felt, and completed.

How I Facilitate It – Step-by-Step:

1. Awareness: We begin by bringing attention to body sensations and emotional energy. I may ask, “What are you noticing in your body right now?” or invite you to scan from head to toe.

2. Owning: Once something is felt, we name it and validate it. This might sound like, “There’s sadness here,” or “I feel pressure in my chest.”

3. Appreciation: We explore what this sensation or emotion wants you to know. What’s its message? What is its value? Here we bring in curiosity, not judgment.

4. Action: We allow the body to move in whatever way it needs to express the emotion—this could be stretching, stomping, shaking, curling up, reaching out, or even staying still.

   
   

   

   
   

No prior movement experience is needed. In my somatic therapy Denver sessions, I guide this process with compassion and adaptability, always checking in to make sure it feels safe and empowering.

3. Self-Touch for Regulation and Connection

Origin: Informed by polyvagal theory, somatic attachment work, and trauma-informed body-based practices.

What It Is: Self-touch is the use of your own hands to offer physical comfort and containment—especially when external co-regulation isn’t available. It’s a subtle but deeply effective way of restoring a sense of safety in the body.

Why It’s Powerful: Touch is one of the earliest forms of emotional regulation in our lives. Safe, nurturing touch activates the parasympathetic nervous system, releasing oxytocin and down-regulating the stress response. For those who grew up with inconsistent or unavailable physical comfort, self-touch becomes a way to repair and reclaim that connection.

How I Facilitate It – Step-by-Step:

1. I may invite you to try placing one hand on your heart and the other on your belly, or wrapping your arms around yourself.

2. We notice together: What changes in your breath? In your mood? In your level of ease?

3. We explore what gestures feel natural for your body. This might include cradling your face, pressing into your legs, or simply placing hands on the ground.

4. Over time, I help you create a toolkit of self-touch practices that can be used for regulation outside of session—especially in moments of stress, loneliness, or overwhelm.

   
   

In somatic therapy sessions in Denver, I often integrate self-touch into grounding exercises or during processing moments where extra support is needed.

4. Noticing and Working with Instincts (Somatic Experiencing)

Origin: Developed by Dr. Peter Levine through the Somatic Experiencing® model of trauma resolution.

What It Is: This technique focuses on tracking the instinctual survival responses of the body—fight, flight, freeze, or fawn—and allowing those responses to complete, so the nervous system can come out of survival mode.

Why It’s Powerful: Trauma often results from incomplete survival responses. For example, if a child felt threatened but couldn’t run or speak up, the energy of “flight” or “fight” may have been suppressed—and remain stuck in the system decades later. Allowing that energy to complete brings a deep sense of relief, clarity, and empowerment.

How I Facilitate It – Step-by-Step:

1. We begin by tracking sensations and urges. I might ask, “If your body could move right now, what would it want to do?”

2. We get curious about subtle impulses—like the desire to push, pull away, stand, curl up, or flee.

   
   

   

   
   

3. I help you slowly explore the movement, sometimes even just in imagery or micro-movements, so the survival energy feels safe to express.

4. We pause and notice what shifts: Do you feel more grounded? More powerful? Is there a breath or emotion that wants to move through?

   
   

This is some of the deepest work I do in somatic therapy in Denver, and it’s often the work that leads to the greatest breakthroughs—because it helps people reconnect to their core life force and agency.

V. In Closing

If you’ve ever felt like your healing was stuck in your head—like you understand your patterns but can’t seem to shift them—know this:

There’s nothing wrong with you. Your body is simply protecting you in the only way it knows how.

What you need isn’t more pressure to “figure it out.”You need a safe space to slow down… feel… and listen.

That’s exactly what somatic therapy offers.

It’s not about fixing you. It’s about helping you come home to your body—your sensations, your wisdom, your truth.

Whether you’re healing trauma, navigating anxiety, rebuilding trust in yourself, or simply wanting to feel more alive and present, the somatic techniques I use are designed to support real, embodied breakthroughs.

Not through force—but through gentle, body-led exploration.

In my practice offering somatic therapy in Denver, I work with thoughtful, sensitive, and growth-oriented individuals who are ready to move beyond just talking and into experiencing. Together, we create a space where your body becomes an ally—not an obstacle—on the path to healing.

✨ Ready to explore what somatic therapy can unlock for you?

I’d be honored to support you. Reach out for a free consultation or to book a session—either in-person in Denver or virtually from wherever you are.

Your body already knows the way. Let’s listen together.

References

Caldwell, C. (1996). Getting Our Bodies Back: Recovery, Healing, and Transformation Through Body-Centered Psychotherapy. Shambhala Publications.

Levine, P. A. (2010). In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness. North Atlantic Books.

Levine, P. A. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books.

Ogden, P., Minton, K., & Pain, C. (2006). Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy. W. W. Norton & Company.

Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.

Rothschild, B. (2000). The Body Remembers: The Psychophysiology of Trauma and Trauma Treatment. W. W. Norton & Company.

Siegel, D. J. (2012). The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.

Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.

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Dennis Guyvan, a therapist in Denver, CO. He provides individual in-person/online therapy and life coaching in Denver, CO and online coaching worldwide . Schedule your free 30-minute therapy consultation with Dennis Guyvan.  

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