‘Somatics’ is not a woo-woo

For many reasons, we often live to some extent disconnected from our bodies, not being able to access the messages that our body (soma meaning ‘body’ coming from the Ancient Greek σῶμα) communicate to the ‘thinking mind’ all the time. Those reasons include individual experiences of trauma that we have survived. Traumatic experiences of systemic oppression on the basis of race, sex, physical and mental ability, hetero- and neuro-normativity and other factors, also make a deep imprint on us, hindering our capacity to connect with sensations in our bodies. This can make it difficult to engage in an authentic, embodied way to challenge oppression, both in our own hearts and minds, and in the world beyond us. 


Somatics invites us to remember the intuitive language, our birthright in which we as a species were once fluent — embracing our bodies as sites of perception, meaning and memory. It is a powerful tool to notice, begin to understand and act on those messages, nurturing an awareness of felt sensations in the body. Those sensations include physical sensations of touch, the heart beating, blood pulsing in our veins, the weight of our bones, vibrations, increasing or decreasing tension in our neck, head or shoulders… to name just a few.

Somatic work can go beyond individual healing. It involves noting, recognising, engaging with and tuning into the sensations and emotions in the body, just as much as noticing thoughts, to show up in the world in solidarity with other folks in a way that brings more authenticity and caring connection, and breaks the cycle of harm.

Somatics as a practice and a way of life has been at the heart of indigenous and ancient teachings for millennia, and has only recently been incorporated by and branded as ‘new’ by Western approaches.

When we engage in somatics-informed work, we need to remember and honour those who came before us, those whose experiences were silenced in the past, and we need to notice whose voices are present and whose absent in the current ‘boom’ on somatics.

Somatics is also a method and a theory of change. To lead a life or an organisation that is welcoming, curious about difference, and encourages a feeling of belonging, we first need to remember that we are at home in our own bodies. To be rooted in your body can truly be revolutionary, not just in how you feel about yourself, but in how you show up for the human and more-than-human world.

We need to feel at home in our bodies and notice our embodied but at times unconscious patterns of thinking and acting, often impacted by the systems of oppression we live in, such as racism, heteronormativity, ableism or sexism. Nurturing the capacities to slow down and feel grounded in our bodies helps us to engage in breaking the cycle which leads to othering and harm.