Somatic Therapy & Somatic Experiencing in Singapore
When the Body Has Not Caught Up With the Mind
Have you ever noticed how you can know something deeply, that a relationship is unhealthy, that you are safe now, that the danger has passed, and yet still find yourself reacting as if it has not? You may tell yourself to calm down, think rationally, or move on, but your body does not seem to listen. It continues to brace, to tighten, to overwork, or to shut down. This is not a lack of willpower or self-discipline. It is a sign that the body has not yet caught up with the mind.
Many people arrive at therapy understanding their story well, yet feeling stuck in familiar emotional loops. We can analyse and make sense of our pain, but the missing link lies beneath our awareness, in the body’s implicit memory. As Babette Rothschild reminds us in The Body Remembers, our physiology retains experiences long after our thoughts have reframed them. Healing, therefore, is not only about insight but also about helping the body complete what it could not finish at the time.
This is where somatic therapy and Somatic Experiencing offer a new path forward. They focus on reconnecting with the body’s wisdom, allowing physical sensations and nervous system patterns to guide the healing process. Instead of talking our way out of distress, we begin to listen, to the body’s subtle language of breath, pulse, movement, and stillness. When the body finally feels what the mind already knows, true integration begins.
What Is Somatic Experiencing (SE)?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a gentle, body-oriented approach developed by Dr Peter Levine to help people recover from trauma and chronic stress. It is grounded in the understanding that trauma is not held in the event itself but in the body’s response to it. When something overwhelming happens, our nervous system mobilises energy to fight, flee, or freeze. If that energy cannot be fully expressed or released, it becomes stored in the body, leading to symptoms such as anxiety, tension, fatigue, or emotional numbness.
Through SE, clients learn to notice the subtle sensations, impulses, and movements that arise as the body seeks completion. Rather than reliving past events, we slow down and allow the nervous system to restore its natural rhythm. This process is known as bottom-up processing, where healing begins by listening to the body and allowing regulation to emerge from within, rather than imposing control from the mind.
In this way, Somatic Experiencing complements talk therapy by engaging the body’s innate capacity for self-regulation. It helps clients rediscover a sense of safety, balance, and presence. Over time, the body learns that it no longer needs to stay in survival mode, and a deeper sense of calm and connection can take root.
The Science of Bottom-Up Healing
Traditional talk therapy often begins with the mind. We analyse thoughts, examine beliefs, and explore memories to create meaning and change. While this can bring understanding and insight, it sometimes reaches a limit when the body remains in a state of alarm. This is where bottom-up healing becomes essential.
In bottom-up processing, change begins within the body and nervous system. Instead of starting with reasoning or reflection, we begin with awareness of physical sensations. The body sends signals to the brain through the vagus nerve, influencing how safe or threatened we feel. When we focus attention on these sensations with curiosity and compassion, the nervous system can gradually re-regulate itself. This shift allows the mind to follow the body into calm, rather than trying to push the body into peace through thought alone.
This scientific understanding is supported by researchers such as Stephen Porges, whose Polyvagal Theory explains how our sense of safety or danger is mediated by the autonomic nervous system. When the body feels safe, the brain becomes more flexible, emotions stabilise, and relationships deepen. This is why somatic approaches often achieve what insight alone cannot. They help the body feel what the mind already knows, creating real integration from the inside
What Is Bodywork in This Context
In the context of trauma-informed therapy, bodywork is not a massage or manipulation of muscles. It refers instead to an approach that brings gentle awareness to the body’s sensations, patterns, and impulses. The focus is not on fixing or forcing change, but on allowing the body to guide the process of healing. The body carries wisdom that often speaks more truthfully than words can.
Therapeutic bodywork within somatic therapy helps clients notice areas of tension, numbness, or constriction and explore them with curiosity rather than judgement. Through breath, subtle movement, grounding, and attunement, we invite the nervous system to release what has been held for too long. Sometimes this might involve working with posture, small gestures, or how we physically take up space. Each shift, however small, tells a story of how the body has adapted to survive.
This form of work honours the principle that healing does not come from doing more, but from allowing. When the body begins to trust that it is safe to soften or to move, energy that was once locked in survival can flow again. The result is often a renewed sense of presence, vitality, and wholeness — not because something was added, but because something was finally released.
How Somatic Therapy Works
Somatic therapy is a collaborative process that invites curiosity, presence, and safety. Each session begins with slowing down, noticing what is happening in the body, and allowing natural rhythms to emerge. The aim is not to relive past experiences but to support the nervous system in completing what was once interrupted. Healing happens through awareness, not through force.
Grounding and Safety
We begin by establishing a sense of safety in the present moment. This may include orienting to the environment, noticing breath, or identifying physical resources that help you feel more settled. The goal is to help the body remember that it is safe now.
Tracking Sensation
You will be guided to notice sensations such as warmth, tingling, tightness, or movement within the body. By tracking these subtle cues with gentle attention, we invite the nervous system to express and release stored energy in manageable doses.
Titration
Titration means working with experiences in small, digestible amounts. Instead of diving into the full intensity of pain or fear, we approach it gradually, allowing the body to process and integrate without overwhelm. This creates a sense of mastery and safety.
Pendulation
Pendulation refers to the natural movement between states of contraction and expansion, distress and ease. By moving between these states gently, the body learns that it can shift from survival to safety and back again without losing control. This rhythm restores flexibility and resilience.
Integration
Finally, we allow time for the system to settle and absorb the changes. Clients often describe this as a quiet sense of relief or clarity. Integration is when the mind and body begin to work together again, rather than in opposition.
Through these steps, somatic therapy supports the body’s innate capacity to heal. It is a process of reconnection — of returning home to yourself, one breath and one sensation at a time.
Who Can Benefit From Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapy can benefit anyone who feels that talking alone has not created lasting change. It is especially supportive for people whose bodies continue to react as if the past is still present, even when the mind knows better. Many clients describe a sense of being stuck, disconnected, or constantly on alert without understanding why.
For Trauma and Chronic Stress
Somatic therapy is widely used for trauma recovery. This includes those who have experienced accidents, medical procedures, loss, abuse, or other overwhelming events. By working gently with the body’s stress response, we allow unfinished survival energy to complete, leading to relief and greater calm.
For Anxiety and Emotional Regulation
Chronic anxiety and tension often reflect a nervous system that has forgotten how to rest. Somatic work teaches the body to recognise cues of safety and to return to balance. Over time, clients find they can experience emotion without being swept away by it.
For Those Who Feel Stuck Despite Insight
Many people come to therapy after years of personal growth, reflection, or mindfulness practice, yet still find themselves repeating old patterns. Somatic therapy addresses the layer that insight alone cannot reach. When the body feels safe enough to release what it has held, the change that once felt impossible can finally unfold.
What Makes This Approach Different
What makes somatic therapy distinct is that it does not separate the mind from the body. Instead of focusing only on thoughts or behaviour, it listens to the wisdom held within physical sensations. It honours the idea that emotional wounds often live in the body as patterns of tension, fatigue, or disconnection. Healing therefore requires engaging the body, not only understanding the story.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, somatic work does not rely on analysis or storytelling alone. We work with the nervous system directly, using awareness, movement, and gentle attention to help it return to safety and balance. When the body is calm, the mind follows naturally. The process becomes less about managing symptoms and more about restoring the body’s natural capacity to regulate and feel alive.
This approach also respects the pace of the individual. It is not about pushing through pain or reliving trauma. It is about resourcing, titration, and integration, allowing each layer to unfold safely and meaningfully. By combining knowledge from neuroscience, attachment theory, and mindfulness, somatic therapy brings together both science and soul, creating a holistic path to well-being that feels authentic, grounded, and sustainable.
How Many Sessions Are Needed
The number of sessions depends on each person’s goals, history, and readiness to engage with body awareness. Some clients notice subtle shifts after a few sessions, while others experience gradual transformation over several months. Somatic work is not a quick fix; it unfolds at the pace your nervous system can safely handle.
Healing takes place in layers, much like peeling back the surface of an experience to uncover what has long been held underneath. Each session builds upon the previous one, deepening your capacity to stay present and connected. The focus is on developing safety, regulation, and trust within yourself, rather than rushing toward an outcome.
Consistency often creates the best results, as the body learns through repetition and gentle reinforcement. Just as tension accumulates over time, so too does ease. Small, steady moments of relief begin to add up, and eventually, the body learns a new rhythm of calm and resilience.
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Integrating Somatic Work With Other Therapies
Somatic therapy integrates beautifully with many approaches, whether you are already engaged in counselling, trauma therapy, or relationship work. At Listening Ear Counselling & Consultancy, somatic work can complement modalities such as Emotionally Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems, or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
Combining Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches
Top-down methods work through the mind, helping us understand our patterns, beliefs, and choices. Bottom-up approaches, such as Somatic Experiencing, work through the body, helping us regulate and release what words cannot reach. When these are combined, therapy becomes both insightful and embodied. You begin to feel the change rather than only think about it.
Science Meets Soul
Our work is guided by both science and compassion. We draw upon the neurological understanding of stress and trauma, while also honouring the deeply human need for safety, connection, and meaning. Healing is not mechanical; it is relational. Through attuned presence and trust, new pathways for growth can emerge.
Your Therapist
At Listening Ear Counselling & Consultancy, sessions are guided by Karl deSouza, a psychotherapist with over twenty years of international experience. Karl is trained in trauma-informed modalities including Somatic Experiencing, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and other integrative approaches. His style is grounded, compassionate, and collaborative, offering a space where clients can feel safe to explore at their own pace.
Sessions are available in person at International Plaza, Singapore, or online via Zoom for those who prefer the comfort of their own space.
Begin Your Somatic Journey
If you have tried to think your way through pain and still find your body reacting as if nothing has changed, somatic therapy may offer the missing link. Healing begins when the body feels safe enough to let go. Through gentle awareness and attuned guidance, you can reconnect with your body’s natural intelligence and rediscover a sense of peace, vitality, and wholeness.
Reach out to Listening Ear Counselling & Consultancy to begin your journey. Together, we will move at a pace that honours your story, your body, and your capacity to heal.
Why Choose Listening Ear Counselling & Consultancy Pte. Ltd.
Professionally Trained by IFS Institute Approved Training Completed Level 1
Trained in Other Trauma Modalities like Somatic Experiencing, Brainspotting , which complement IFS
Culturally Sensitive & Globally Informed
Neutral and Respectful of Complex, Delicate Issues
Confidential Safe, Non-Judgemental Space
Next Steps – Rebuilding Begins with a Conversation
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Frequently Asked Questions About the Somatic Experiencing Method (FAQs)
Each session begins with gentle curiosity. Together, we explore your inner landscape — identifying the different “parts” of you that carry emotions, beliefs, or protective roles. Using guided awareness, you’ll learn to connect with these parts from your calm, compassionate Self. The process is paced safely and respectfully — you remain in charge at every step.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, IFS does not view any thought, emotion, or behaviour as a problem to remove. Instead, it sees every part of you as trying to help in some way, even if the strategy is outdated or painful. Healing happens through understanding and compassion, not force or shame.
Yes. IFS is widely recognised for its effectiveness with trauma, anxiety, depression, and complex emotional patterns. By working gently with the parts that hold pain or fear, the nervous system begins to relax — often bringing relief where logic alone could not reach.
That depends on your goals and readiness. Some people feel a noticeable shift within a few sessions, while others prefer longer-term work to deepen and stabilise their growth. We’ll discuss your pace and comfort at every stage.
Absolutely. At Listening Ear Counselling & Consultancy Pte. Ltd., IFS is often combined with Somatic Experiencing (SE), Brainspotting, or EMDR to support both body and mind. This integrative approach helps you stay grounded while processing deeper material safely.
No. You don’t need to have all the details figured out. IFS therapy meets you exactly where you are — with compassion, not pressure. The process unfolds at your pace, allowing safety and trust to develop naturally.
That’s okay. Many clients begin with healthy scepticism. The language of “parts” is simply a metaphor — a way to make sense of your inner world. You can adapt it in a way that feels comfortable and respectful to your worldview.
Yes. IFS can be applied to a wide range of concerns — from anxiety, depression, and trauma to relationship issues, burnout, and identity questions. It is equally effective for individuals seeking personal growth and self-awareness.