What is Somatic EMDR?
When might Somatic EMDR be especially recommended over traditional EMDR?
✅ Body Memories — physical sensations (pain, tightness, trembling) without clear verbal memories.
✅ Developmental Trauma — early life trauma (neglect, attachment wounds) where the nervous system got shaped over time, not just by one event.
✅ Chronic Health Conditions — like fibromyalgia, migraines, digestive issues linked to unresolved trauma.
✅ Easily Overwhelmed — intense emotions or body reactions that feel too big, too fast.
✅ No Clear Story — knowing you feel anxious, fearful, or "off," but not having clear memories to process.
✅ Need for Slow Pace — needing gentle, body-based tracking rather than diving deep into heavy memories right away.
Somatic EMDR, is a new therapeutic approach that combines two powerful therapy modalities:
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which helps people reprocess traumatic memories and resolve traumatization by stimulating bilateral brain activity (like side-to-side eye movements, tapping, or sounds).
Somatic Therapy, which focuses on the body's felt sense — meaning the sensations, tension, movements, and energy in the body — to help release trauma that's "stored" physically, not just cognitively.
When you combine them, Somatic EMDR helps a client not just think about a traumatic memory but feel and reprocess the body responses to it.
So how it looks in practice?
Before diving into heavy memories, a therapist might help the client build somatic resources (like grounding, noticing safety cues, or orienting in the present moment).
During reprocessing, instead of focusing solely on the memory, the client might track what's happening inside their body — for example, a tightness in the chest, a sense of heat, or a trembling.
The therapist may use bilateral stimulation while gently guiding the client to stay present with body sensations, allowing trauma energy stuck in the body to move and resolve.
Why it's important?
Trauma often bypasses words. The body holds reactions even when the mind "forgets."
Somatic EMDR brings healing to both mind and body.
How is somatic emdr different from traditional emdr?
Traditional EMDR Somatic EMDR
Main Focus: Primarily on cognitive memories: Focuses on both the cognitive memories and the
thoughts, images, beliefs, emotions linked body’s sensations and movements during to the trauma. processing.
Processing Style: Targets memories by Actively tracks what the body feels and does
activating them and using bilateral (tightness, shaking, numbness)
stimulation (like eye movements) to alongside memory processing.
process distress.
Client Awareness: Mostly asked about Client is also encouraged to notice
the memory, thoughts, emotions, and name bodily experiences:
and belief shifts. tension, breath changes, somatic impulses.
Goal: Reduce the distress and negative Release trapped trauma energy
beliefs linked to the trauma memory. in the body and restore nervous system
regulation, alongside cognitive healing.
Techniques Added: Follows 8 phases, May weave in grounding, titration, pendulation,
usually staying pretty structured. somatic resourcing, and more flexible tracking
of body experiences.
In Summary,
Traditional EMDR works a lot from the "neck up" (memory, emotions, cognition).
Somatic EMDR works from the "neck down, too" (nervous system, body sensations, instinctual survival responses).
Both can be very healing and effective— but with Somatic EMDR the process can be better paced, more body-centered, and more manageable to clients. It can be extra helpful for people whose trauma shows up physically (like chronic pain, dissociation, or deep anxiety without a clear "story"). Some clients feel safer with Somatic EMDR because it emphasizes going at the body’s pace and helps prevent overwhelm.
When might Somatic EMDR be especially recommended over traditional EMDR?
✅ Body Memories — physical sensations (pain, tightness, trembling) without clear verbal memories.
✅ Developmental Trauma — early life trauma (neglect, attachment wounds) where the nervous system got shaped over time, not just by one event.
✅ Chronic Health Conditions — like fibromyalgia, migraines, digestive issues linked to unresolved trauma.
✅ Easily Overwhelmed — intense emotions or body reactions that feel too big, too fast.
✅ No Clear Story — knowing you feel anxious, fearful, or "off," but not having clear memories to process.
✅ Need for Slow Pace — needing gentle, body-based tracking rather than diving deep into heavy memories right away.
