What Actually Happens During a Somatic Therapy Session? What to Expect
So many people picture somatic therapy sessions full of convulsing, shaking, or shadowboxing invisible enemies — that’s not what actually happens. Here’s what a session with a trauma-informed somatic therapist really looks like.
The question I get all the time is this: “What actually happens during a somatic therapy session?”
So many people picture somatic therapy sessions full of convulsing, making strange sounds, or shadowboxing invisible enemies. I won’t say none of this has ever happened in my office (well, definitely not the exorcism-style convulsions) but this is not what somatic therapy is. It is not a trauma exorcism.
Many prospective clients have questions like: “Can I talk?” “What if I don’t know how to feel things in my body?” “Will my therapist make me do weird exercises?” “What if I don’t know what my trauma actually is?”
I hope this article answers all of these questions and makes somatic therapy feel more accessible and less intimidating. If you still have questions after reading, I’d love to help. Just email me at support@embodiedhealingkc.com!
You may have heard phrases like nervous system regulation, body awareness, trauma stored in the body, or Somatic Experiencing, but still have no idea what you’d actually experience walking into a somatic therapist’s office in Kansas City. Here’s what a session with me really looks like.
First: You’re Still Going to Talk in Somatic Therapy
I still need to get to know you! It’s helpful for our therapeutic relationship to chat, get to understand each other, and for me as your therapist to know what you’d like to get out of each session.
We’ll cover topics like your childhood, your trauma history, your symptoms, your relationships, your day-to-day functioning, your job, and what’s going on in your life between sessions.
It’s also helpful for you to be able to talk about what’s happening in your body as things progress in a somatic therapy session.
We Slow Things Down in Somatic Therapy Sessions
So much of somatic therapy is about noticing. In traditional talk therapy, there’s a lot of emphasis on what’s happening cognitively, which can lead people to move from topic to topic quickly. Sometimes this can reinforce unhelpful patterns in the nervous system, such as dissociation.
While we’re talking about something in session, I might ask questions like:
“What are you noticing right now?”
“Where do you feel that?”
“What happens as you talk about that?”
“Do you notice any change in temperature, sensation, pulse, or breathing?”
“Is it okay if we stay with that sensation for a moment?”
This isn’t about forcing anything to happen. It’s about cultivating curiosity.
We Pay Attention to the Body’s Sensations
Okay, but what does this actually mean?
Somatic therapy might involve noticing sensations such as:
Tightness
Pressure
Heat
Tingling
Heaviness
Numbness
Lack of sensation
Fidgeting
A sense of expansion or settling
Here’s the most important point I can make: you cannot do somatic therapy wrong. Somatic therapists will never make you feel weird, wrong, or mistaken because of a sensation you’re having or the way you describe it.
You Don’t Have to Recount Every Detail of Your Trauma
People are afraid of this and I actually discourage it early on in the somatic therapy process. We want to keep you within your window of tolerance, so you don’t reinforce an association between your traumatic experiences and feeling extremely activated.
We go slowly so we can honor when things start feeling too intense, and stop. This also gives you time to notice what’s actually happening in your body, so you can find where your self-protective responses live — something your nervous system genuinely benefits from having access to. More intense doesn’t mean more therapeutic.
Safety and choice are huge components of trauma therapy. Because so much trauma involves a lack of choice, or having your power taken from you, restoring that choice within the therapy space is an important corrective experience.
You cannot do somatic therapy wrong.
So what does this actually look like in a real session? Let’s walk through it.
What Does a Somatic Therapy Session Actually Look Like?
Here’s an example:
Imagine you’re telling me about a conflict with your partner. As you describe what happened, you notice your chest getting tight and your shoulders rising. Rather than immediately analyzing the argument, we might pause and notice what’s happening. We might explore what kinds of thoughts come up, what emotions those are connected to, and what experiences those are also connected to. We might begin to understand why this argument with your partner was so disturbing. It might also help you find some sort of self-protective response, like saying something you didn’t get to say, which helps you feel more calm.
This allows you to feel less activated by the argument while also learning more about yourself. It can also impact your relationship, because you can self-advocate better when you understand yourself better.
It doesn’t necessarily look dramatic. Sometimes the work is incredibly subtle.
Do Somatic Therapists Use Touch in Session?
The answer here is yes and no.
Some somatic therapists use touch when and where appropriate, and others don’t, either because they aren’t trained in trauma-informed touch, or because it doesn’t resonate with them as a modality. Neither means one therapist is more “qualified” to be a somatic trauma therapist than the other. They’re just different flavors of therapist, so to speak.
This also means that even if your therapist is trained in therapeutic touch, you’re never required to participate in it. The most important thing is your comfort and your consent.
Touch can be helpful for:
Those who have a hard time feeling into their own body
People who have a hard time settling
People with developmental trauma or attachment trauma
People who want extra support during their sessions
What If I Don’t Feel Anything During Somatic Therapy?
As many of my clients will tell you, I say this same thing over and over again in sessions: it is all data.
We all have the capacity to feel things in our body. If you’re having a hard time doing this, that’s genuinely useful information. Some reasons this might be happening include:
Uncertainty about the somatic therapy process
Dissociation due to trauma
Feeling emotionally numb after feeling the “same way all the time” and tuning it out
Your somatic therapist will never be frustrated with you or give up on you because they think you’re doing it wrong. There is no wrong way to do this work.
Ready to Try Somatic Therapy in Kansas City?
Have more questions about somatic therapy, or are you ready to work with a somatic therapist in Kansas City? I’d love to help. Reach out and let’s talk about what a session together might look like.
Start Your Trauma Healing Journey With Somatic Therapy
At Embodied Healing KC, our trauma-informed therapists guide you with compassion and skill, helping you safely process emotions and build resilience. If you are ready to start healing from trauma and would like some support, reach out! Trauma-informed therapist Lauren Bradley has immediate openings and is ready to help you on your journey.
Frequently Asked Questions About Somatic Therapy Sessions
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You’ll still talk and build a relationship with your therapist, but sessions also slow down to notice what’s happening in your body — sensations like tightness, heat, or bracing — rather than just discussing things cognitively.
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No. Somatic therapists intentionally avoid having clients recount every detail early on, to keep them within their window of tolerance rather than becoming overly activated.
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Some somatic therapists use trauma-informed touch and others don’t, depending on their training — neither is more qualified than the other. Even with a therapist trained in touch, it’s never required; your comfort and consent always come first.
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That’s valuable information, not a failure. It can point to uncertainty about the process, dissociation from trauma, or having tuned out sensation over time — your therapist won’t be frustrated with you.
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Yes. Talk therapy tends to focus on cognitive processing and can move quickly between topics; somatic therapy slows down to notice bodily sensations alongside the conversation.
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If you’re curious about the mind-body connection, want support processing trauma, or want to understand physical patterns tied to your emotions, somatic therapy can help — there’s no wrong way to do it.
Stevie Olson-Spiegel is a Licensed Therapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner located in Kansas City. She uses Somatic Experiencing as her main body-based trauma healing modality, as well as EMDR. As an Intuitive Eating Counselor, she uses these principles to help her clients challenge their relationship with their cultural misconceptions about their body and food.
Wondering what a somatic therapy session is really like? A Kansas City somatic therapist explains what actually happens — no exorcisms, just real healing.