Somatic Therapy for Trauma in Minnesota

Trauma doesn't only live in memory; it lives in the body. Talk therapy alone can process the story of what happened while the nervous system remains stuck in patterns of activation or shutdown that words don't fully reach. Somatic therapy works directly with the body's physiological response to trauma, addressing what cognitive processing on its own sometimes can't. At Radiant Recovery & Counseling in Minnesota, we offer somatic approaches for clients who want to work with the body as an active part of trauma recovery, not just talk around it.

Signs Trauma Is Held in the Body

Chronic muscle tension, particularly in the jaw, shoulders, chest, or stomach, that doesn't resolve with stretching or massage alone

A persistent startle response or hypervigilance that feels automatic and separate from conscious thought

Feeling disconnected from your body, numb, or as though you're observing your life from a distance

Physical sensations, tightness, nausea, a racing heart, that arise in response to trauma reminders, seemingly disconnected from conscious memory

A sense of being stuck, where talk therapy has provided insight and understanding without producing a felt sense of relief

Freeze or shutdown responses in situations that call for calm engagement, without a clear sense of why

Our Somatic Approach to Trauma Treatment

Somatic Experiencing, a body-based approach that works with the nervous system's natural capacity to process and discharge stored traumatic activation

Polyvagal-informed practices that help you recognize and shift between states of activation, shutdown, and regulated calm

Titrated pacing, working with small, manageable increments of activation rather than re-immersing you in overwhelming material

Building interoceptive awareness, the ability to notice and interpret internal bodily sensations, which trauma often disrupts

Integration with talk therapy and EMDR when a combined approach best fits your specific trauma history