Somatic therapy can help with trauma recovery because it allows you to reconnect with your body and mind, releasing stress in the process. There are plenty of exercises you can learn and use at home to guide the process along. You’ll see the most benefits when you work with a professional and practice the exercises on your own time.
Below we’ve listed several of these Somatic therapy exercises for trauma recovery. You’ll want to memorize them to use whenever you need.
1. Grounding Tactics
First, you should learn some grounding exercises. Grounding is the process of focusing on the present. It keeps your mind from wandering back to traumatic events and can calm you during anxious moments. Many people also use grounding to step away from stress and reorient themselves.
There are several different grounding methods you can use. You should try a few and see which works best for you.
Here are some of the most popular grounding techniques you can use at home.
Running Water
Start by going to a sink and turn on cool water. Then, allow it to run over your hands, focusing on how it feels against your skin. Turn your attention from each part of your hand. You can switch to warm water and compare how it feels different from cold.
Keep focusing on the water for a few minutes until you start feeling calmer.
This grounding strategy uses the sense of touch to keep you present. If you feel your mind drifting, change the water’s temperature to bring your attention back to it.
Naming Five Things
Another popular technique is to take in your surroundings by turning it into a game. Start by listing off things around you that involve the five senses. These include:
- Something you can see.
- Something you can touch.
- Something you can smell.
- Something you can hear.
- Something you can taste.
This process makes you focus on your environment. Keep working your way through the list until you start feeling more secure.
Tensing and Relaxing
Lastly, you can try tensing and relaxing different areas of your body. Squeeze your hands together for a few seconds, taking in the sensation, and release. This process can help you let tension out of your body as well. For example, if your shoulders feel tight, tense them for a few seconds, then relax them as much as possible.
Many people also recommend focusing on your feet. You can do this anywhere, making it an essential technique to learn when attempting to heal from trauma.
Simply press your feet as hard as you can into the floor where you stand. Then, release the pressure and note the sensation. Keep doing this until you feel more calm and present.
2. Deep Breathing Exercises
Next, you should practice some deep breathing activities at home. There are plenty of ways to go about this. We’ll break down a general way to practice deep breathing, but you can adjust it in anyway that makes you feel more comfortable.
- Sit or lay down.
- Close your eyes.
- Start focusing on your breathing.
- Slow your breathing.
- Take each breath as deep as you can, filling your lungs.
- Exhale fully.
- Focus on how it feels as you inhale and exhale deeply.
This process helps calm your mind and body, bringing attention to your breathing. Hyperventilating is common with trauma, so more awareness on how your breath will help the healing process along.
3. Body Scanning Strategies
Body scanning can show you where stress is building up in your body, making it easier to let it go. You’ll learn more bodily awareness the more you practice this technique.
This technique is easy once you learn it. Here’s what you can do:
- Lay down comfortably.
- Close your eyes.
- Start with deep breathing exercises. Continue until you feel more relaxed and present.
- Start checking in with your body at your feet.
- Bring attention to your body working upward. Check for areas of tension and stress.
- Tense and relax those muscles.
- Observe the sensations in your body without judgment.
- Pay attention to how it feels to be present within your body and practice that awareness daily.
Body scanning is an outstanding mindfulness practice that lets you be gentle with yourself, making for great self-care. You’ll feel less stress and more in touch with your body. Body scanning is even suitable for improving your emotional regulation skills.
In short, it’s a tactic everyone interested in Somatic therapy should learn.
4. Practice Gentle Movements
Moving in ways that feel good will keep you in touch with your body and let you deal with pent-up stress. Tai Chi, Yoga, and Pilates are popular choices. They allow you to stretch and move your muscles while keeping you in the present. You can also use the movements you learn from these activities at any time.
However, you can also dance, run, swim, or move freely. Any movement that you like can work. You’ll feel more connected with your body and energized by the activity.
5. Express Yourself Creatively
Finally, you can practice expressing yourself in different ways. Start a journal and write down your thoughts and feelings. You can try poetry and short story writing too.
You might also feel more connected to visual arts. You can try digital art, painting, or sketching.
No matter how you enjoy expressing yourself, you should focus on your thoughts and feelings as you write or draw. The motions you make with your pen can connect your body and mind.
Try These Somatic Therapy Exercises
If you struggle with trauma, Somatic therapy might help you. You can try these at-home techniques to keep yourself grounded and relaxed. Flashbacks and anxiety are common problems for those with PTSD, so these types of techniques work well at bringing your attention back to your mind and body.
In conclusion, there are many Somatic therapy exercises to try at home. You’ll want to practice several until you find one that benefits you the most.
