What is somatic awakening?
Updated: Sep 27
What does somatic awakening feel like in the body?
Somatic awakening is the gradual process of becoming more aware of the sensations, emotions and memories held in the body. Rather than trying to think our way out of stress and old patterns, it invites the body to become an active part of how we heal and grow.
Many of us carry tension, stress and unresolved emotion in our bodies without realising it. We get on with life, we function and we look after others, yet somewhere inside there is a tightness, a numbness or a constant hum of anxiety that never quite settles. Working with a somatic therapist can support this process of listening to the body again, so that you are not doing it alone or guessing what comes next.
What is somatic awakening?
Somatic awakening describes the moment, and then the gradual process, of beginning to notice what the body has been carrying. Traditional talk therapy focuses mainly on thoughts and feelings, whereas somatic work also brings attention to how the body has adapted to stress and experience over time. When we go through trauma, chronic stress, burnout or early relational wounding, the body often holds on to those experiences as tension, pain, collapse or numbness, and you might notice a tight jaw, a knotted stomach, a heavy chest or a sense of being checked out and distant from yourself.
Somatic awakening invites you to meet these patterns with curiosity rather than judgement. This might begin with becoming aware of subtle sensations such as tightness, warmth or tingling, and gradually allowing the emotions connected to them to surface in manageable ways. Gentle movement and breath can support your nervous system along the way, and over time you may come to understand how your thoughts, emotions and bodily states influence one another. As the body begins to soften what it has been holding, many people notice greater emotional resilience and a stronger sense of feeling safe, connected and alive.
This idea of awakening the body's own intelligence runs through the work of psychotherapist Risa Kaparo, whose book Awakening Somatic Intelligence describes an approach she calls Somatic Learning. Combining mindfulness, breath and gentle movement, it grew out of her own recovery from chronic pain, and it reflects how often this work begins with someone listening to their own body when nothing else has helped.
Research into body-based approaches is growing too. A 2021 review of studies on Somatic Experiencing, published in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, found early evidence that this approach can ease trauma-related symptoms and support wellbeing, with clients and practitioners highlighting a focus on resources and the careful use of touch as important parts of what helps. The researchers note that more rigorous studies are still needed, although the findings so far are encouraging.
What does a somatic therapist actually do?
A somatic therapist offers a relational, grounded space in which to explore this process. The focus rests on building enough safety and regulation for the body to soften in its own time, rather than pushing for big breakthroughs.
In practice, this means creating a steady, respectful environment where it feels possible to notice what is happening inside, and gently helping you track and describe sensations without analysis or self-criticism. A somatic therapist may use breath, grounding, imagery or small movements to help your nervous system return towards steadiness, and will explore with you how bodily patterns relate to your history, relationships and current life. Just as importantly, the work supports you in carrying this awareness into everyday situations, so that change continues beyond the therapy room. Throughout, the aim is to help your system find more choice and connection over time, and release or catharsis is never forced.
How do I work with somatic awakening?
Somatic awakening is at the heart of how I work. My approach is rooted in over 25 years of experience across trauma, mental health and substance misuse, and it draws on integrative somatic therapy, NeuroAffective Touch® and non-dual contemplative wisdom. I bring therapy and spirituality into conversation, supporting people who are navigating trauma, neurodivergence, awakening and psychospiritual challenges.
For many people this process is also deeply spiritual, even if they would not use that word. You might be questioning old identities, feeling inner shifts you cannot quite name or sensing that life is asking something more honest of you. In our sessions we honour both the nervous system and these deeper questions of meaning, without steering you towards any particular belief or path.
I am a trauma-informed somatic therapist based in Beverley, East Yorkshire, and I offer one to one sessions both online and in person. Every session is paced according to what feels manageable for your system in the moment, and it is rooted in safety, embodiment and relational presence. If you would like to understand more about how touch can be part of this work, you might enjoy my post What Is Somatic Therapy?
What are the benefits of somatic awakening?
Everyone's process is unique, although people often describe less constant tension, stress and anxiety in the body, along with more capacity to feel emotions without being overwhelmed or shutting down. Many notice a gradual thawing from functional freeze or long-term numbness, clearer boundaries and a deeper sense of self-respect, and more presence in their relationships and daily life. For some, it also brings a more intimate, embodied relationship with whatever they hold as sacred.
Somatic awakening offers more choice in how you respond to life, so that fight, flight, collapse and people pleasing become options rather than automatic reactions. It leaves room for all of your humanness, including the days that feel far from calm.
How can I begin somatic awakening at home?
You do not have to wait until you are in therapy to start tuning into the body, since small, regular moments of attention can gently prepare the ground. You might try spending five minutes slowly bringing awareness from your feet to your head, noticing sensations without trying to change them. A short walk, a stretch or some gentle yoga can become a practice of mindful movement when you pay attention to how each part of your body feels as it moves. Placing a hand on your chest or belly and noticing the natural rhythm of your breath, perhaps letting the exhale lengthen slightly, can be deeply settling, as can feeling the support of the chair, the floor or the bed beneath you for a few breaths. Some people also find it helpful to jot down physical sensations that stand out during the day, along with any emotions or thoughts that sit alongside them.
These practices work gradually, as simple ways of letting your body know that you are here and listening, which is where somatic awakening begins.
What happens in a somatic therapy session?
A session usually begins with a short check-in about how you are arriving that day. From there, I may gently guide your awareness to your body and breath, and we may spend time tracking particular sensations, emotions or patterns as they arise. There may be occasional suggestions for small movements, postural adjustments or resourcing practices, and space to reflect on memories, images or insights that emerge. In person sessions can also include attuned, fully clothed touch through NeuroAffective Touch®, always with your consent. Towards the end, we might consider simple invitations for you to explore between sessions.
Everything happens at your pace, you are always in choice about what we explore and your boundaries are respected.
Is somatic awakening right for me?
Somatic work can be supportive if you are living with anxiety, stress, burnout or chronic tension, or if you are recovering from difficult childhood experiences or ongoing relational stress. It can also help if you are reconsidering your relationship with alcohol or other ways of coping, if you feel numb, disconnected or stuck in your head, or if you are sensing deeper shifts in awareness that are hard to make sense of.
It is perfectly fine if you do not identify as spiritual, and it is equally fine if you do, because somatic awakening meets you where you are.
What helps after a significant spiritual awakening?
For some people, somatic awakening arrives alongside a powerful spiritual or energetic opening, such as a kundalini awakening, a profound meditation experience or a sudden shift in how they perceive themselves and the world. These experiences can be deeply meaningful, and they can also feel destabilising, bringing waves of energy, strong emotion, disturbed sleep or a sense that the ground has shifted beneath you. The psychiatrist Stanislav Grof and his wife Christina described this as a spiritual emergency, a time when personal transformation can briefly become a crisis.
What often helps most at these times is stabilisation before exploration. Somatic work can support you in settling your nervous system, strengthening your sense of being grounded in your body and building resources that help you feel steady enough to integrate what has opened. Integration happens gradually, as insight and experience find their place in your everyday life, relationships and sense of who you are, and it is honoured as a process that unfolds in its own time.
If you are experiencing very little sleep, feel unable to look after yourself or are struggling to tell what is real, please also speak with your GP, since these experiences sometimes need medical support alongside somatic and spiritual care.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ's)
Is somatic awakening the same as a spiritual awakening?
The two can overlap, although they are not always the same. Somatic awakening describes becoming more aware of the body and its sensations, which for some people unfolds alongside spiritual experiences such as shifts in identity or perception. If you are going through a spiritual or energetic awakening, somatic work can offer grounded support for what is happening in your body and nervous system.
Can I experience somatic awakening on my own?
Many people begin on their own with simple practices such as body awareness, mindful movement and breath. If old memories or strong emotions start to surface, or if you feel overwhelmed, working with a trained somatic therapist can offer the safety and pacing that make the process more manageable.
What if feeling my body feels overwhelming?
This is very common, especially if you have spent years protecting yourself by staying in your head. Somatic work always begins with building safety and resources, and it moves in small steps, so you can gradually expand your capacity to feel without being flooded.
Taking a next step
If something in this post speaks to you, you might begin by trying one of the simple practices above and noticing what you discover. When you feel ready for support, you are warmly welcome to book a free connection call, which is a relaxed conversation about what you are experiencing and whether working together feels right for you, with no pressure either way.
And if you would rather explore at your own pace, the Sunday Pause arrives in your inbox each week with a short practice to come back to. You are warmly welcome to sign up using this form below.
About the author
Laura Starky is an integrative somatic therapist based in Beverley, East Yorkshire, offering sessions in person and online. Her path into this work began in pre-hospital emergency care and continued through 25 years in social work across child protection, substance misuse and mental health. Her somatic training began with ISOHH and has since deepened through NeuroAffective Touch® training with Dr Aline LaPierre. She holds ACCPH Senior Member accreditation and works under regular professional supervision.
Laura is also a qualified yoga and meditation teacher and a committed practitioner of contemplative practice, rooted mainly in the non-dual tradition of Shaiva Tantra.
Sources and further reading
Kuhfuß, M., Maldei, T., Hetmanek, A. and Baumann, N. (2021) Somatic experiencing: effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy. A scoping literature review. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1), 1929023. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1929023
Adyashanti (2008) The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature of Enlightenment. Boulder, CO: Sounds True.
Greenwell, B. (2018) When Spirit Leaps: Navigating the Process of Spiritual Awakening. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
Grof, S. and Grof, C. (eds.) (1989) Spiritual Emergency: When Personal Transformation Becomes a Crisis. Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher.
Kaparo, R. F. (2012) Awakening Somatic Intelligence: The Art and Practice of Embodied Mindfulness. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books.
Last updated: September 2026
