How Somatic Therapy Helps You Finally Let Go
Your Body Has Receipts. Here Is How to Release Them.
Keeping it honest here.
You can analyze your childhood, name your attachment style, and quote half of therapy TikTok, yet still feel anxious the second someone raises their voice. Why? Because your body is out here running the show while your mind is casually trying to catch up.
Your body remembers every shutdown moment, every time you forced yourself to hold it together, every time you ignored your own needs because someone else needed you more. Talk therapy helps you understand the story. Somatic therapy helps you release the grip it still has on your nervous system.
If you are tired of knowing better but still reacting the same way, you are in the right place.
Below is a simple 5-step system that blends somatic healing, trauma theory, and nervous system regulation in a way that is doable and actually feels good in your body.
By the end of Step 5, you will feel more grounded, more connected, and less controlled by reactions you never consciously agreed to.
Step 1: Notice Your Body’s First Language
Before you can shift anything, you have to learn how your body speaks to you. Spoiler alert. It is not using words.
Your body communicates through sensations:
tight chest
knots in your stomach
tension in your shoulders
sudden urge to shut down
rapid heartbeat
numbness
buzzing or tingling
These are signals, not flaws.
How to start noticing:
Scan your body from head to toe and name what you feel
Ask, “Is this tension, emotion, or memory”
Pay attention to how your body reacts before your thoughts catch up
If your stomach drops every time someone says “We need to talk,” that is your body remembering something your mind has not fully processed.
What to look out for:
Most people skip this step and go straight to overthinking. That only increases anxiety. Step 1 is the foundation. Stay with it.
Step 2: Pause Before the Spiral Begins
This is the step where most people say, “I try, but it feels impossible.”
The brain wants to sprint. The body wants safety. They are rarely on the same page at first.
Here is why you pause.
Pausing interrupts the automatic survival response.
What to do:
Put both feet on the ground
Take one slow breath
Identify the emotion underneath the reaction
You may wonder, “Is one breath really going to help me”
Yes. Because it is not about the breath. It is about interrupting the pattern.
Tips for success:
Keep your pause tool simple
Pause even if it feels awkward
If you forget to pause, pause after. That still counts
What to look out for:
When I first learned this, I tried to outthink my anxiety. That never worked. You can not outsmart your nervous system. You have to work with it.
Step 3: Release What Your Body Is Holding
Now the good part.
This is where somatic healing actually starts shifting things inside you.
Choose any of these quick-release practices:
shake your hands or legs for 10 to 15 seconds
stretch your arms overhead and exhale deeply
place a hand on your heart and belly
take an audible sigh
rotate your neck gently
While doing this, notice what changes. Your shoulders may drop. Your breathing may deepen. Your mind may soften.
Why this step matters:
Your body needs movement to discharge the stress, fear, and pressure it has been storing for years.
Once the body releases, the mind can finally follow.
What to look out for:
It may feel awkward at first. That is normal. Your body will resist what is unfamiliar. Keep going anyway.
Step 4: Rewire the Story Your Body Learned
This is where talk therapy and somatic therapy join forces.
Once your body starts grounding, you can actually reframe your thoughts from a place of clarity rather than panic.
Here is what to do:
Name the old belief. “If I speak up, people will leave.”
Name where it came from. Childhood. Trauma. Past relationships. Stress.
Replace it with something grounded. “My needs matter and I deserve to be heard.”
Why this works:
Your body must feel safe before your mind can change the story.
Safety first. Insight second.
What to look out for:
Do not skip identifying the origin of the belief. It creates compassion, and compassion makes change possible.
Step 5: Build Your Daily Safety Ritual
This is your last step. Time to celebrate.
Healing requires consistency. Your nervous system does not respond to intensity. It responds to repetition.
Build a simple safety ritual:
pick one two-minute practice
pair it with something you already do
stick with it daily
Examples:
two grounding breaths before your shower
hand on heart before bed
stretching while your coffee brews
Tips for success:
small is sustainable
your body trusts you when you keep your promises
consistency builds safety
What to look out for:
When I started my ritual, I tried to do ten things at once. That lasted for two days. When I simplified, everything changed. My body began to trust me again.
BONUS TIP: Stop Judging Your Reactions
Judgment activates your stress response. Curiosity calms it.
Next time your body reacts, try saying,
“Thank you for trying to protect me.”
Your system will soften almost immediately.
Key Takeaways
You just learned how to release what your body has been holding and finally work with your nervous system instead of fighting it. Follow these steps to reduce anxiety, create internal safety, and stop living on high alert.
Knowing the steps is powerful. Practicing them is transformational.
Ready to take this work deeper
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Click here to schedule a free consultation and learn how somatic therapy, ART, and holistic healing can support you.
If you want nervous system support right now, download my Calm Body Kit. It is full of simple, soothing practices you can use to help your body feel safe again.
