Somatic Healing 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Feeling Safe in Your Body Again

While it may sound unfamiliar or even intimidating at first, somatic work is one of the most powerful (and under-discussed) tools we have to reconnect with ourselves, regulate our stress response, and finally feel at home in our bodies again.

In this post, I’ll break down what somatic healing actually is, how it works, why it’s so important—especially if you’re dealing with chronic health issues—and simple ways to begin integrating it into your daily life.

What Is Somatic Healing?

“Somatic” comes from the Greek word soma, meaning the body. Somatic healing focuses on your lived experience in the body—not just your thoughts about it. Rather than analyzing emotions or trauma only with the mind (like we often do in traditional talk therapy), somatic practices help us feel, process, and release emotions through the body.

Think of it as learning the language of your nervous system—so you can begin to understand what your body is trying to tell you, and finally give it what it needs.

Why This Matters: Symptoms Aren’t Always Just Physical

Many symptoms women experience—like bloating, fatigue, tension, hormonal swings, mood changes—are not just caused by what we eat or how we exercise, but also by how safe our body feels day to day.

When we’re chronically stressed, rushing, suppressing emotions, or stuck in a state of hypervigilance (even if we’re “functioning” well on the outside), our nervous system stays in fight, flight, or freeze mode. This can lead to:
• Disrupted digestion
• Hormonal imbalances
• Sleep issues
• Chronic pain or inflammation
• Feeling disconnected or numb
Healing isn’t just about doing more—it’s about creating internal safety.

A Quick Intro to Your Nervous System

Understanding the nervous system is key to understanding somatic healing. Here’s a simplified breakdown:
• Sympathetic nervous system: “Fight or flight.” This is your stress response. It’s helpful in short bursts, but harmful when it stays on.
• Parasympathetic nervous system: “Rest and digest.” This is where healing happens. It helps you regulate, recover, and feel safe.
• Freeze/fawn states: When the nervous system is overwhelmed, it can shut down or become overly focused on pleasing others for safety.

Somatic healing helps bring your body out of chronic stress and into a regulated, balanced state—so it can do what it was designed to do: thrive.

How I Found Somatic Work

My journey into somatic healing didn’t start in a therapy room—it started in a Pilates studio.

Pilates was my first glimpse into the mind-body connection. For the first time, I wasn’t just moving my body—I was in my body. I could feel the way my breath supported my core, how slowing down gave me more control, and how tuning in—even for an hour—left me feeling clearer and calmer. It was subtle, but something started to shift.

Still, I didn’t fully understand what was happening until years later when I began studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. That program changed the trajectory of my healing journey. It introduced me to the nervous system, to the idea that health isn’t just what you eat or how you move—it’s how safe your body feels on a daily basis. I started learning about trauma, somatic experiencing, and how chronic stress patterns can get stored in the body long after a triggering event is over.

It was like something clicked. Suddenly, so many of the things I’d battled—gut issues, hormonal imbalances, anxiety—weren’t just isolated physical problems. They were messages from a nervous system that had been stuck in survival mode for too long.

As I dove deeper into somatic work, I began incorporating tools like breathwork, grounding, and emotional processing into my own routine. I also became more open to alternative therapies, including psychedelic therapy, which further expanded my understanding of healing, integration, and presence.

The balance these practices have brought to my life is something that far transcends traditional ideas of health. Yes, I still believe deeply in the power of food and movement—but they’re only part of the puzzle. The deeper healing came when I stopped trying to control my body and instead learned how to listen to it.

Somatic healing gave me that gift. And now, it’s one of the most powerful tools I share with my clients.

What Somatic Practices Actually Look Like (Yes, You Can Start Today)

Somatic healing doesn’t have to feel abstract or overwhelming. These practices are simple, accessible ways to gently reconnect with your body, regulate your nervous system, and cultivate a sense of internal safety. Below are six foundational tools I use myself and often recommend to clients, each with a breakdown of what it is, when to use it, and how it helps regulate your nervous system.

1. Box Breathing (Also called Square Breathing): Regulating a Frazzled Nervous System
What it is:
A structured breathing technique that calms the nervous system by balancing oxygen and carbon dioxide levels while activating the parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) branch of your nervous system.
When to use it:
• During moments of overwhelm, panic, or anxiety
• Before bed to help you fall asleep
• Before an important event to ground yourself
• To transition from work mode to rest mode
How to do it:
• Inhale slowly through your nose for 4 counts
• Hold your breath for 4 counts
• Exhale slowly through your mouth for 4 seconds
• Hold again at the bottom for 4 counts
• Repeat for 4-8 rounds
Why it works:
Box breathing balances oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, stimulates your vagus nerve, and signals to your brain that it’s safe to relax. By slowing your heart rate and bringing awareness back to your body, box breathing gives your nervous system a steady, predictable rhythm to follow and helps interrupt stress cycles. Over time, it helps rewire a chronically dysregulated stress response.

2. Orienting: Reclaiming Safety Through Your Senses
What it is:
Orienting is the practice of using your sight, hearing, and other senses to connect with the present moment. It reminds your brain and body that you are safe—right here, right now.
When to use it:
• When you feel dissociated, anxious, spacey, or “on edge)
• After a stressful situation (an argument, traffic, a tense meeting)
• Before meals to activate your rest-and-digest mode
How to do it:
• Sit or stand in a comfortable space.
• Look around the room slowly and intentionally.
• Let your gaze rest on neutral or pleasant objects (plants, light, art, soft colors).
• Notice details: textures, shapes, light, shadow.
• Name 2-3 things you see that feel safe or grounding and notice any physical shifts (e.g., relaxed shoulders, slower breath).
• Optionally, place a hand on your chest or thighs and say silently, I’m here. I’m safe.
Why it works:
This calms your limbic system (your brain’s fear center) and brings your body out of a hypervigilant state .When your brain registers your surroundings as safe and non-threatening, it sends a signal to your body that it can relax. This can help shift you out of a chronic survival state. It’s especially helpful for people with trauma, anxiety, or chronic stress.

3. 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique: Anchoring to the Present Moment
What it is:
A sensory-based mindfulness tool to help shift attention from racing thoughts or spiraling anxiety back into your body and environment.
When to use it:
• During a panic or anxiety spike
• When you feel emotionally overwhelmed or dissociated
• After scrolling or screen time when you feel detached from your body
How to do it:
• 5 things you can see
• 4 things you can touch
• 3 things you can hear
• 2 things you can smell
• 1 thing you can taste (or one deep breath)
Why it works:
This practice grounds you in the here and now by engaging your sensory system. It calms the nervous system by anchoring your awareness in your body, not your thoughts.

4. Pre-Meal Regulation: Creating a Rest-and-Digest State
What it is:
A quick somatic reset before meals to help you shift into your parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) nervous system and improve digestion.
When to use it:
• Before any meal, especially if you’ve been rushing or stressed
• If you experience bloating, indigestion, or emotional eating
• To signal safety to your gut before nourishment
How to do it:
• Sit down and take 3–5 slow, deep belly breaths (inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth).
• Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest.
• Say silently: This food is safe. I’m safe to receive it.
• Begin eating slowly and mindfully.
Why it works:
Stress shuts down digestion. When you pause, breathe, and signal safety, you activate vagal tone and allow your gut to function optimally. You also become more attuned to hunger and fullness cues.

5. Somatic Journaling: Listening to Your Body’s Voice
What it is:
A body-based journaling practice that focuses on sensation rather than just thought. Instead of analyzing what happened, you explore how it feels in your body.
When to use it:
• When you feel emotionally stuck, numb, or overwhelmed
• To process after a difficult conversation or memory
• As part of a morning or evening ritual
How to do it:
• Sit quietly and ask: What am I feeling in my body right now?
• Scan from head to toe and describe the sensations (tightness, fluttering, heat, heaviness).
• Ask: If this sensation had a voice, what would it say? What does it need?
• Write freely without judgment.
Why it works:
This deepens your interoception (body awareness), helps release stored emotions, and fosters compassion for yourself. It shifts healing from intellectual to embodied.

6. Body Scan & Touch: Resetting After Stress or Screens
What it is:
A somatic “check-in” where you bring gentle attention to each part of your body, paired with physical touch or breath.
When to use it:
• At night to wind down
• Midday during a stress spike
• After overexposure to screens or stimuli
How to do it:
• Lie down or sit comfortably
• Bring awareness to your feet. Notice temperature, pressure, any sensation.
• Slowly move upward—legs, hips, belly, chest, shoulders, arms, face.
• At each area, breathe into it or rest a hand there for a moment.
• Finish by placing a hand on your heart or belly and taking 3 long exhales.
Why it works:
Physical touch and focused awareness bring you out of dissociation or overstimulation. This builds your capacity for presence and helps complete stress cycles gently.

You Don’t Have to Do Everything at Once
Pick one of these practices and commit to using it for just 2–3 minutes a day. Somatic healing isn’t about mastering techniques—it’s about consistently building trust and safety within your body.

Remember: your body isn’t the problem. It’s the portal to your healing.

Somatic Practices & Stress: When You Don’t Feel Stressed—But Your Body Says Otherwise

Sometimes stress isn’t loud.
It doesn’t always show up as panic attacks, racing thoughts, or meltdowns.
Sometimes it hides behind high-functioning routines, perfectionism, people-pleasing, emotional numbing, or a constant low-grade sense of urgency.

This is what I often call “silent stress”—and it’s extremely common in women.

You might not feel stressed, but:
• Your sleep is shallow or interrupted
• Your digestion is off, even when eating clean
• Your period is irregular or painful
• You feel tired and wired all day
• Your wearable (like an Oura ring or Whoop) shows elevated stress or low HRV

This happens when your nervous system is stuck in a dysregulated state, often from chronic or unprocessed stressors you’ve adapted to. In other words, it’s become your normal—but it’s not actually restful or safe for your body.

How Somatic Practices Help You Access the Unconscious

Somatic tools are powerful because they help you become aware of what’s happening beneath the surface—before it turns into full-blown burnout or illness. Here’s how:

Somatic Journaling Reveals Hidden Patterns
Try these prompts to connect with what might be driving your stress subconsciously:
Grounding Prompts
• What sensations am I feeling in my body right now?
• Where is there tension or tightness? Where feels open or soft?
• What emotion might be living in this tension?
• If my breath had a shape or color today, what would it be?
Emotional Awareness Prompts
• If this physical sensation had a voice, what would it say?
• What emotion might be living in this part of my body?
• What am I avoiding feeling or naming?
• What am I afraid to feel right now?
Pattern Exploration Prompts
• Where in my life do I feel like I have to “hold it all together”?
• What do I notice about my posture or breath when I’m stressed?
• What am I trying to control that’s actually safe to release?
Safety & Support Prompts
• What does my body need to feel safe today?
• When do I feel most regulated and grounded?
• What’s one way I can create more safety in my body this week?
You don’t have to answer all of them. Even one prompt, explored gently, can reveal something that’s been waiting to be seen and softened. Your body often knows what your mind hasn’t caught up to yet. The goal isn’t to analyze—just to listen.

Body Scans Expose Stored Tension
Many women hold unconscious tension in the jaw, pelvic floor, shoulders, or gut without even realizing it. A body scan can gently bring awareness to where you’re gripping—and help you soften, breathe, and release.
Try placing a hand on that area and saying, It’s safe to let go. You don’t need to know why it’s there to allow it to unwind.

Breathwork Reveals How You’re Holding Your Breath in Life
Shallow breathing is a stress response. By practicing slow, conscious breathing, you not only shift your physiology—you also often uncover buried emotion.
Sometimes a few rounds of breathwork are all it takes to release tears, soften resistance, or feel a sense of deep calm you didn’t know you were missing.

Conscious Release Starts with Awareness

The body is always speaking—most of us have just never been taught how to listen.

Somatic healing begins with awareness, not action. Before we can release stored stress, emotions, or patterns that keep us stuck, we have to notice they’re there. And in many cases, these patterns aren’t obvious. They live in the unconscious, the subtle, the automatic:
• The breath you unconsciously hold when you sit down to eat
• The jaw tension you don’t notice until your head starts aching
• The stomach knots that appear every time your phone dings
• The overwhelm you override with productivity or control

Awareness is the doorway.

Once you notice what you’re holding, you create space to choose something different. You shift from reacting automatically to responding intentionally.

This is what we call conscious release—not forcing the body to relax or trying to fix a “problem,” but offering your body the safety and permission to let go of what it no longer needs.

Releasing Isn’t Always Loud

Letting go doesn’t always look like a big emotional breakdown. It might look like:
• Taking a deep sigh for the first time all day
• Crying in the car with no clear reason
• Realizing your jaw has been clenched for hours
• Sitting still and finally feeling something you’ve been avoiding

These micro-moments of release matter. They add up. And when you meet them with curiosity over judgment, your body begins to trust you again. That’s where healing truly begins.

The Bottom Line: Start Small, Stay Curious

Somatic healing isn’t about “fixing” yourself—it’s about learning how to feel again. It’s about building a relationship with your body—one moment, one breath, one sensation at a time.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, disconnected, inflamed, or like something is “off” even though you can’t quite name it—start here.
Start by noticing.
Start by breathing.
Start by asking your body questions and actually listening to the answers, even if they come as whispers.

You don’t need to understand everything to begin. You just need a willingness to be present. Healing happens in the safety of that presence. And the more you show up for your body, the more your body will show up for you.

Your Next Step

If this post resonated with you, here’s how to take it further:

✅ Try one somatic practice from this post today—whether it’s journaling, breathwork, or simply pausing to scan your body. Pick one and notice how you feel before and after. Small shifts matter.

📝 Journal it out: Choose one of the prompts above and let your body speak. Let it be imperfect, messy, or quiet—it’s all welcome.

📲 Tell me how it goes! I’d love to hear your experience. DM me on Instagram or leave a comment with what came up for you.

🧠 Want support? I offer free consultations where we can explore how somatic healing, nutrition, and nervous system work can come together in your personal wellness plan. If you’re tired of guessing and ready to feel grounded, safe, and vibrant in your body—I’d be honored to guide you.

👉 Click here to book your free consult

You are not broken. You are not too sensitive.
You are simply healing—one layer at a time.
And I’m here to walk that path with you.