7 Somatic Healing Practices for Trauma Survivors (You Can Start Today)
Do you recognize the body as a doorway to healing?
If you have experienced trauma, you may already know it doesn’t just live in your memories, it lives in your body. That sense of being on edge, disconnected, frozen, or overwhelmed? It is not just in your head. It is in your nervous system.
This is where somatic healing comes in.
It speaks to the parts of you that words cannot always reach.
🧠 Why Talk Therapy Is NOT Always Enough
Talk therapy can be a lifeline, especially in the early stages of trauma recovery. It offers validation, insight, and a safe space to process experiences. For many, it opens the first door to understanding what happened and why.
But for others, especially those with complex PTSD, developmental trauma, or chronic stress patterns, insight alone does not bring full relief and can even activate the trauma points within the body.
This is because trauma is not just a story, it is a state.
It lives in your thoughts but also in your breath, muscles, posture, and nervous system. You might know you are safe, but your body still feels like the danger has not passed.
Here is what I hear from clients again and again:
“I’ve been in therapy for years… I can explain my trauma in detail, but I still feel stuck.”
“I know what happened. I just don’t know how to move forward.”
“I understand my patterns, but I keep repeating them.”
If that sounds familiar, please know: you are not broken and you are not alone. You may simply need a healing path that includes your body, not just your mind.
🌿 What Is Somatic Healing?
“Somatic” comes from the Greek word soma, meaning “the living body.” Somatic healing refers to body-centered practices that help regulate your nervous system and release stored trauma responses.
When we experience trauma, especially trauma that overwhelms us, the body often gets stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn survival states. Somatic practices offer a way to slowly, gently complete these responses and return to a sense of safety and presence.
Experts like Dr. Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) and Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score) have shown that trauma must be addressed through the body, not just talked about.
🔄 7 Somatic Healing Practices for Trauma Recovery
1. Grounding Through the Senses
Grounding helps bring you into the present moment by engaging your senses. It is especially helpful when you are feeling anxious or overwhelmed.
Try this:
Walk barefoot on the ground
Hold a textured object and notice every detail
Use the 5-4-3-2-1 technique: 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste
Grounding helps your body remember: I am here. I am safe.
2. Conscious Breathwork
Your breath is a direct pathway to your nervous system. By breathing slowly and intentionally, you signal to your body that it is afe to relax.
Try this:
Box Breathing: Inhale 4 – Hold 4 – Exhale 4 – Hold 4
4-7-8 Breathing: Inhale for 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8
Place a hand on your heart and belly, feeling the breath move
“The breath is the remote control of your nervous system.”
3. Tension and Release
Progressive muscle relaxation brings awareness to parts of the body that may be holding tension from trauma.
Try this:
Tense one muscle group at a time (shoulders, hands, legs) for 5–10 seconds, then release
Notice how it feels to let go
Great for grounding after stress or before sleep
4. Somatic Movement & Shaking
When animals survive a threat, they shake to discharge stress. Humans benefit from the same.
Try this:
Stand and gently shake your arms, legs, or full body
Let yourself stretch or move intuitively
Explore gentle practices like Qigong or trauma-informed yoga
Let your body move in the way it needed to when the trauma occurred.
5. Vagus Nerve Stimulation
The vagus nerve regulates your “rest and digest” system. Stimulating it can help shift you out of a trauma response.
Try this:
Hum, sing, or chant
Gargle water for 30 seconds
Splash your face with cold water or use a cool compress on the chest or neck
Stimulating the vagus nerve supports your body’s ability to self-regulate.
6. Self-Touch & Holding
Touch can be deeply healing when done with intention. For trauma survivors, self-touch is a powerful way to reclaim safety.
Try this:
Place one hand on your heart, one on your belly
Wrap your arms around yourself in a self-hug
Tap or gently press different areas of the body for comfort
This is somatic reparenting, a way to say, “I’m here for you now.”
7. Orienting & Visual Tracking
This simple practice helps deactivate the trauma response by allowing your brain to assess that there is no danger in your environment.
Try this:
Slowly look around the room
Let your eyes settle on something comforting (a plant, a picture, a color)
Breathe and notice how your body responds
This reminds your nervous system: the threat has passed.
🕊️ Start Small, Go Gently
You don’t have to do all of these practices at once. Healing happens through consistent, small actions over time. Pick one that feels safe and begin to explore it slowly. Your nervous system may need time to trust safety again and that’s okay.
Healing is not linear.
💬 What is Next?
Which of these somatic practices speaks to you right now? Have you tried any of them before? I’d love to hear your experience.
If you are feeling curious about where energy might still be held in your body, or if you are seeking deeper support on your healing path, I offer 1:1 energy reading sessions that explore these layers with care and intuition. There’s always space for you when you're ready.
Many blessings to you on your healing journey. May each breath bring you closer to peace and safety in your body.