This is a question I’m frequently asked, and a good one at that. If you have a personal trauma history, chances are good you’ve tried “talk therapy”—a common term for psychotherapy. Somewhere along the way you learned about somatics and how improves regulation in the nervous system. You feel like the trauma has become stuck in your body so the idea of a “body-based” approach resonates. But how is it different from the traditional therapy sessions you’ve tried before? Read on to find out.

What Is Psychotherapy?

There are many branches within the field of psychology and within those, hundreds of different kinds of therapies. It’s impossible within the scope of this blog entry to delineate the specific differences among them. Instead, I’ll give you a broad overview in general terms to highlight the way it distinguishes itself from somatics.

 

1. 1. Psychotherapy is a licensed profession

1. 1. It operates on the traditional medical model of health and illness

1. 1. It interprets manifestations of trauma as symptoms

1. 1. Trauma symptoms are a sign of mental illness

1. 1. Illness is a problem needs to be fixed (remedied/cured)

1. 1. Remedies and cures are called treatments

1. 1. To receive treatment, you must first get a diagnosis

1. 1. A diagnosis is procured through the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

1. 1. By and large, treatment involves a “mind over matter” approach. The more your mind understand your problems, the better your body will feel. Sometimes this is called a “top down” approach.

1. 1. The authority and hope for cure lies in the mental health care professional’s competence, expertise and training.

1. 1. The aim of psychotherapy is to improve mental health. The related areas of study are therefore the brain and mind.

1. 1. Psychotherapy tends to operate more objectively.

1. 1. Health insurance usually covers psychotherapy.

What Is Somatic Therapy?

Again, there are a myriad of somatic approaches so I will address the practice in generalities here as well. Also, keep in mind that in the state of Utah, there is no such thing as somatic “therapy” unless that term is being used as shorthand for somatic psychotherapy. Refer to my blog entry “What Is Somatic Therapy?” for more detailed information.

 

1. 1. Somatics is not a licensed profession

1. 1. It is considered the domain of complementary and alternative health care

1. 1. It does not interpret manifestations of trauma as symptoms. Instead, it views the nervous system as regulated or dysregulated.

1. 1. Because of that, it is not diagnostic. Rather than wanting to know “What’s wrong with you?”, a somatic perspective asks, “What happened to you?” The cause of dysregulation is recognized primarily as “nurture” versus “nature”.

1. 1. By and large, sessions are based on a “bottom up” approach: once the nervous system throughout the body is regulated, the mind will be more at ease.

1. 1. The emphasis in sessions is on your present-moment, embodied experience rather than your mental processes. In other words, “What are feeling about?” versus “What you are thinking about?”.

1. 1. The authority and ability reside in you as the client. You may need outside support on your path to regulation. But the innate, psychobiological intelligence already exists in the blueprint of your nervous system. Somatic approaches strengthen your access to that.

1. 1. Somatic approaches tend to focus on the mind and body. Somatics is viewed as more holistic than psychotherapy for that reason.

1. 1. Combined, the mind and body generate the experience of spirituality, emotionality, soulfulness, mentality, psychology, physical health and social engagement (relationships). Therefore, somatics covers these areas of your personal experience, as well.

1. 1. Somatics operates more subjectively. It utilizes protocol and standardized interventions (is at all) than psychotherapy. Your personal, present-moment experience is what’s of most value in a session.

1. 1. Health insurance may or may not cover somatic health depending on the licensure of your provider.

Summary

Psychotherapy is an objective, standardized form of treatment within the traditional medical model. It sees physical and mental manifestations of trauma as an illness needing a remedy or cure. Treatments are administered by a licensed mental health care professional using a “top down” approach. Health insurance usually covers psychotherapy.

Somatics is a subjective, holistic approach within the field of complementary and alternative health care. It does not require licensure for the professional. Its primary aim is to improve regulation in the nervous system and does not use a diagnostic model to achieve that. Somatics covers spirituality, emotionality, psychology, physical health, soulfulness as well as social engagement (relationships). Health insurance may or may not cover services depending on the licensure of the provider.