What exactly is somatics?

Somatics seems to be a major buzzword in the wellness and health field these days. I personally did not learn about somatics until a year or so ago. There are many different definitions and ideas of what somatics is, but in the most general sense, somatics, or soma, means body. According to IWA, somatization is the name used when emotional distress is expressed by physical symptoms.

In the past, we have traditionally tried to relieve our emotional distress by talking through it, via the traditional methods of talk therapy, or mental health therapy. We have used our brains, our cognitions to make sense of how we are feeling. Somatics aims to bring in the body to the conversations. Somatics uses the mind-body connection to help us to survey our internal self and listen to signals from our body on pain, discomfort, or imbalance.

When I first learned about somatics as a tool to help with my physical symptoms, it felt like such a novel approach. Why would I want to zero in on my body and my physical symptoms and sensations when I was physically feeling unwell?

The more I learned about somatics, and the more I practiced it myself (first by working with a somatic coach), the more I was able to understand just how strong our mind-body connection was/is - and the more relief I was able to experience, in body, mind, and spirit. Through various somatic tools, I was able to release tension, sit with discomfort, experience more safety in my body, move energy around, and build resilience.

Through somatic work, I was also able to get neutral and even comfortable with various sensations in the body, leaning into them, listening to them, sitting with them, and trying to understand what they were trying to tell me. Most people tend to avoid their physical and emotional discomfort, and in doing so, the discomfort festers. It is my personal belief that healing can only occur when we can sit with, and alchemize the various sensations (and emotions) in our bodies.

Through my personal and client work, I have learned that oftentimes, emotional distress that is not felt, processed and released lingers in the body and shows up physically or in other ways that impacts a person’s physical, mental, and emotional health and wellbeing.

I researched various somatic certification programs before I made the decision to enroll in the IWA Integrative Somatic Certification program. I knew I wanted to deepen my understanding of somatics, and the IWA program provided me with such a strong foundation for learning about somatics. I consistently use the tools and techniques in my own life, and have seen such positive shifts in my wellbeing. In addition, after getting my certification, I felt confident enough to begin incorporating somatic work into my own dating/coaching/wellness business, and start helping clients in a deeper way.

I wholeheartedly believe the somatics certification program is a great investment for your own personal health, but also a great addition to your existing business/practice, whether you are a therapist, life coach, health coach, yoga instructor or any other professional that works with people.

For a more thorough review of my experiences with the program, I’d recommend going to this blog post.

And if you're curious to know more about somatics, and want to chat, feel free to DM or email me. I’d love to connect with you!

Nice to meet you!

Hi there! I’m Lisa and I am an Integrative Somatic Practitioner and Holistic Esthetician. I love supporting people on their healing journeys through somatic coaching/somatic work integrated with holistic somatic facials. I help people to get in a good energetic state and frequency so they can feel inspired, recharged, excited and motivated to take action in their lives and truly start creating and living their dream lives.

I have various programs to support you in your healing journey so that you can get relief from your symptoms, chronic pain, stress, overwhelm, trauma and other mental/emotional/physical issues holding you back from living your fullest life. My innovative approach of integrating somatic work into facial treatments is unique in this industry, and demonstrates my passion and commitment to offering holistic care to my clients.

I believe that you have the power to shift things physiologically (at the body level) to also get relief in the mind, heart, and spirit.