If you’ve been living with anxiety, you know it’s not just “in your head.”
It’s in your chest, pounding.
It’s in your breath, heaving.
It’s in your stomach, churning.
At Somatic Psychotherapy, we understand anxiety not only as a mental experience—but as a full-body one. And while talk therapy can help you make sense of what’s going on, it doesn’t always reach the places where anxiety actually lives: the tight jaw, the locked knees, the bracing shoulders that don’t even know they’re clenching.
That’s where somatic therapy comes in. It’s not about talking about the anxiety. It’s about listening to it—directly, with care, and through the body.
Why Do We Feel Anxious in the First Place?
Anxiety isn’t random. It’s protective.
From an evolutionary perspective, anxiety helped our ancestors survive. That sudden jolt of fear? It made them run faster from predators, scan their surroundings, and stay alert to danger. But while the threats we face today are different—emails, deadlines, relationship ruptures, existential uncertainty—our nervous systems haven’t evolved quite as fast.
We’re still wired to respond with fight, flight, or freeze. We still brace, clench, and spin. But now, instead of discharging that energy through running or yelling or shaking, most of us just push it down and carry on.
Eventually, that suppressed energy builds up in the system. And it shows up as chronic tension, looping thoughts, tightness, dread, or overwhelm. You’re not imagining it—and it’s not a flaw.
Your body is trying to protect you the best way it knows how.
How is Somatic Therapy Different from Traditional Talk Therapy?
While talk therapy often helps us understand the why, somatic therapy helps us experience the how. Instead of beginning with thoughts or stories, we start by attuning to what’s happening in the body right now—your breath, your posture, the subtle signals your nervous system is sending.
This bottom-up approach recognizes that anxiety isn’t just something we think—it’s something we feel, and often something we’ve unconsciously adapted to carry. Somatic therapy meets that adaptation with curiosity, helping your system unwind in ways that insight alone can’t reach.
We use tools like:
- Pendulation – helping your system gently move between activation (stress) and regulation (ease), so it doesn’t get stuck in fight-or-flight.
- Titration – exploring difficult material in small, manageable doses so it doesn’t overwhelm.
- Resourcing – activating supportive feelings in the body by connecting to an internal or external source of safety—like the imagined warmth of a loved one’s hug or the steady rhythm of your own breath.
- Interoception – rebuilding the ability to feel and trust the body’s cues, so you can recognize what you need and respond with care.
These approaches help shift anxiety at its roots—bringing the nervous system out of survival mode and into something more settled, more integrated, and more alive.
What Might This Look Like in a Session?
Maybe you come in feeling overwhelmed by an upcoming work deadline. Instead of immediately analyzing the situation, we might slow down and notice how your shoulders have tensed, how your breath has become shallow. Together, we would gently bring awareness to those sensations—inviting the body to soften, to find a little more space. Sometimes, just this noticing shifts the experience of anxiety in powerful ways.
Or perhaps you find yourself caught in a loop of anxious thoughts about a relationship. Rather than chasing the thoughts, we might place a hand over your heart and simply listen—to the heartbeat, to the breath, to whatever subtle messages the body might be carrying. Often, beneath the racing mind, there is a quieter truth waiting to be heard.
Maybe you notice you’ve been holding your breath without even realizing it. Rather than pushing for a deep breath or “fixing” it, we might simply stay with the tension—offering warmth and attention. And sometimes, without forcing anything, the body finds its own way: a softening, a spontaneous exhale. A small but powerful reminder that safety doesn’t have to be earned—it can be felt.
A New Relationship with Anxiety
In somatic therapy, we don’t treat that pounding heart or held breath as problems to fix. We meet them as messengers—intelligent, protective parts of you that found a way to keep you safe.
Together, we learn how to listen differently. How to soften. How to move forward not from fear, but from a deeper trust in your own system’s wisdom.
You are not broken.
You are not failing.
Your body is doing exactly what it learned to do.
And with care, attention, and support—it can discover that sometimes, it’s safe to exhale.
FAQs
Does somatic therapy really help with physical anxiety symptoms?
Yes. Because somatic therapy works with your nervous system, it can help relieve symptoms like tight chest, shallow breath, jaw clenching, and body tension. You don’t just think differently—you begin to feel differently. Learn more about somatic psychotherapy for anxiety.
Can I do anxiety therapy virtually?
Absolutely. We offer virtual therapy across New York, including somatic support for anxiety. Many clients love the convenience and comfort of working from their own space, especially when dealing with nervous system overwhelm.
What if I’ve already tried talk therapy and it didn’t help?
You’re not alone. Many of our clients come to us after years of traditional therapy. They understand their anxiety—but they still feel it. Somatic therapy offers a body-first path toward real change. You can also explore EMDR therapy or Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for deeper trauma support.
