Difference Between Therapy and Somatic Bodywork and Coaching
As the field of somatics has grown, and as its value as a therapeutic approach to working with trauma has become recognized, it’s easy to understand why many people believe somatic bodywork and coaching to be a type of therapy.
Depending on your definitions, it could be construed as such, however there are some very important distinctions between traditional therapy (psychotherapy) and somatic coaching and bodywork.
Somatic Techniques In Therapy Differ From Somatic Coaching
Therapists are state licensed professionals who mostly work with individuals conversationally, seated facing each other. They have specific trainings to help them diagnose and treat people, often based on the DSM (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). More and more, therapists are using somatic techniques with clients (Somatics is a specialization for some therapists), however rarely does the work involve standing, touch, bodywork, breath work and take-home somatic practices.
Somatic Coaching Focuses On Moving Forward, Rather Than The Past
As a rule of thumb (and contrasted with somatic coaching) therapy is often more focused on the past and designed to help people resolve past traumas. Somatic bodywork and coaching tends to be more holistic and “whole person”; it’s more focused on how we want to be different moving forward in life. Naturally, understanding how our past has shaped us is an important part of this work. The focus of my work is how to shift our self-narratives, manage our moods, and shift how we live in our body in order to become aligned with how it is we want to be different as a person. In this sense the focus is more about changing how we experience our felt, embodied presence - the relationship we have with our nervous system and how we can let go of tension and gripping in our body - such that we can become more relaxed and present in the moment. In doing this, we inevitably work through past traumas along the way. Learning how we live in our body by practicing standing practices and through bodywork and breath work (in person or virtual) is a critical part of this process, and is mostly absent in psychotherapy.
The “How” vs The “Why”
Another way to generally distinguish between therapy and somatic coaching is to highlight that in the case of psychotherapy, many of the questions being asked are “why” questions. ‘Why do you feel that way?’ ‘Why do you think that?’ Etc. Somatic coaching questions, on the other hand, are much more focused on “how” questions. ‘How do you hold that tightness in your body?’ ‘How can you shift in your body to relax around that tension?’ ‘How does it serve you to believe that story about yourself?’ Etc. In general, therapists are much more equipped to process with clients the questions about why you are the way you are, and an experienced somatic coach is trained to help you increase your awareness and choice in how you are the way you are (notice this is a much more body-focused approach to working with the self).
If it’s most important to you to understand why you are the way you are, and if you are mostly interested in cognitively processing, I usually recommend that prospective clients seek therapy. In some cases of severe trauma, I also will recommend that people seek out the support of a licensed trauma specialist. Alternatively, somatic coaching and bodywork is an excellent fit if you are seeking to understand how you hold and release stress in your body, how you can relax under pressure, how you can come back to center when triggered, and how you can develop a way of being in the world that is mature and authentic. Contact me to learn more about how somatic coaching can support you. Sessions are available both in person as well as online.