Why Talk Therapy Isn’t Always Enough: The Power of Somatic Healing

Many people come to therapy expecting to “talk their way through” emotional pain. And talk therapy—whether it’s cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), psychodynamic work, or interpersonal counseling—can be a transformative process. But sometimes, even after months or years of meaningful dialogue, clients still feel stuck. They understand why they feel anxious, numb, or overwhelmed, yet the felt sense of relief remains elusive.

This is where somatic therapy—particularly Somatic Experiencing® (SE)—can offer something deeply needed: a way to include the body in the healing process.

The Limitations of Talk Alone

Traditional talk therapy helps people build insight, develop coping tools, and reframe negative thought patterns. But for individuals who’ve experienced trauma—especially developmental or chronic trauma—insight alone may not be enough to shift long-held patterns.

This is because trauma isn’t stored only in the mind—it’s stored in the body. As Bessel van der Kolk, MD, notes in The Body Keeps the Score, traumatic experiences often bypass the verbal parts of the brain and become “imprinted” in the body’s physiology (van der Kolk, 2014). That means even after we’ve intellectually processed an experience, our nervous system might still be reacting as if the danger is present.

In short: we can’t think our way out of trauma responses.

What Is Somatic Experiencing?

Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a gentle, body-oriented therapy developed by Dr. Peter Levine. It’s designed to help clients release trauma that has become "stuck" in the nervous system. SE doesn’t require clients to retell or re-live traumatic events. Instead, it invites awareness of subtle body sensations, nervous system states, and impulses—creating space for incomplete survival responses (like fight, flight, or freeze) to be gently discharged.

Unlike more cognitively-driven approaches, SE works from the “bottom-up”: helping the body regulate first, which can then support emotional and mental clarity.

“Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.”
— Peter Levine, PhD

Why the Body Matters in Therapy

The body’s autonomic nervous system—responsible for heart rate, digestion, and our sense of safety—responds to threat long before we consciously register it. Chronic dysregulation in this system can lead to symptoms like:

• Chronic tension or pain

• Anxiety or panic

• Emotional numbing or shutdown

• Digestive issues

• Feeling “stuck” or unable to move forward

Somatic therapy helps clients tune into this inner landscape in a slow, titrated way, offering the body a chance to complete what it couldn’t at the time of the original event. This can lead to profound shifts—not just in how people feel emotionally, but how they sleep, digest, connect, and live.

In one study, individuals with PTSD who received body-oriented therapy showed significantly greater symptom reduction than those receiving talk therapy alone (Payne et al., 2015). The researchers concluded that somatic interventions may access trauma in ways verbal therapies cannot.

Combining Talk and Somatics: A Holistic Approach

In my work as a counsellor, I often weave together talk-based approaches like CBT and self-compassion with somatic tools drawn from SE. This allows us to work with both the story you carry and the felt sense that lives in your body.

Some clients begin with talking and gradually build capacity to explore their body’s signals. Others come in knowing that their body is trying to tell them something, but don’t know how to listen. Either way, our work is guided by safety, choice, and a deep respect for your pace.

Is Somatic Work Right for You?

If you’ve done talk therapy before and still find yourself looping in the same emotional patterns…
If you feel like you “know” a lot about your issues but can’t seem to feel better…
If your body is holding tension, numbness, or a sense of being stuck…

…then including somatic work in your healing journey might be the missing piece.

Ready to explore this path?
I work with clients in-person in South Delta, BC and virtually across the Lower Mainland. Feel free to reach out for a free consultation—I’d be honoured to support your healing journey.

References

• Levine, P. A. (2010). In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness. North Atlantic Books.

• Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.

• Payne, P., Levine, P. A., & Crane-Godreau, M. A. (2015). Somatic experiencing: Using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 93. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093