Somatic Therapy in Casper, WY

What somatic therapy is

The word somatic comes from the Greek soma, meaning body. Somatic therapy helps you notice how stress, trauma and emotion are held physically, and gives that held energy a way to move and settle.

Instead of only talking about a problem, we pay attention to what happens in your body as you talk about it. A clenched jaw, shallow breathing or a sudden heaviness can point to experiences that insight alone has not reached.

Why the body holds on to stress

When something overwhelming happens, the nervous system does not always get to complete its natural stress response. That activation can linger in the body well after the event has passed. Over time it can show up as:

• Anxiety or panic attacks
• Ongoing muscle tension or pain
• Feeling stuck, numb or disconnected
• Strong emotional reactions
• Trouble relaxing or feeling safe, even at home

Polyvagal-informed work

Our somatic work is informed by Polyvagal Theory, which describes three broad states of the nervous system. In the safe and social state we feel calm and connected. In fight or flight we feel revved up, anxious or irritable. In shutdown we feel flat, foggy or far away.

Part of therapy is learning to recognize which state you are in, without judging it. From there, we practice small ways to move back toward safety and connection, so your system has more range and recovers faster after stress.

What a somatic session looks like in Casper, WY

Sessions are usually 60 minutes, weekly or every other week, at our office or by video. We talk, as in any therapy, and we also slow down to notice what is happening in your body. Depending on what you need, we may use:

• Body awareness: gently noticing where an emotion or memory shows up physically.
• Breathwork: using the breath to calm and steady the nervous system.
• Grounding: coming back to the present through your senses, such as the 5-4-3-2-1 practice.
• Movement or posture shifts: small changes that let tension release.
• Resourcing: building strengths and coping tools before going into harder material.

Somatic Integration and Processing and SomatoSymbolic Processing

Brandon has trained in two body-based methods, Somatic Integration and Processing (SIP) and SomatoSymbolic Processing. Both slow the work down so you can stay with a sensation, emotion or image long enough for it to shift, while staying connected to a sense of safety in the room.

You stay in charge of the pace. If something feels like too much, we pause, ground and return to resources. The aim is a body that feels a little safer to live in, not pushing through.

Somatic therapy with EMDR and mindfulness

We often combine somatic work with EMDR and mindfulness. EMDR already pays close attention to body sensations, and somatic skills make it easier to stay present while a memory is processed. Mindfulness, rooted in old contemplative traditions, builds the habit of noticing your experience without judging it.

Our broader framework is Interpersonal Neurobiology, which looks at how the brain, body and relationships shape each other. Somatic therapy is one way of putting that into practice.