Meeting the heaviness where it lives—in the body.
If you’ve lived with depression, you know it doesn’t stay politely in your mind. It weighs down the shoulders. It slows down the breath. It drapes the body in fatigue that can make getting out of bed feel impossible.
What’s happening in moments like this isn’t just emotional—it’s deeply physiological. Depression often pulls the nervous system into a kind of freeze: a state where the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches—normally working in dynamic balance—fall out of sync.
The sympathetic nervous system is your “get up and go” system. It mobilizes energy, initiates action, and helps you respond to challenges. The parasympathetic nervous system, in contrast, supports rest, digestion, and recovery.
But when depression sets in, the system can collapse into dorsal vagal shutdown—a deep freeze governed by the oldest branch of the parasympathetic system. Instead of healthy rest, the body goes still. Breathing flattens. Limbs feel heavy. Emotions numb out. It’s not weakness—it’s the body’s last-ditch effort to protect itself when nothing else has worked.
Small Shifts That Change Everything
But when this state becomes chronic, the body forgets how to shift out of it. And that’s where somatic therapy comes in. It doesn’t push for motivation or positivity—it helps the body relearn how to move, breathe, and connect from the inside out.
This could mean noticing how the shoulders slump and inviting a small shift—like allowing the spine to lengthen just a bit. Not to fix anything, just to see what happens. Or tracking a flicker of sensation in the belly and inviting it to stay just a little longer. These small moments matter. They signal to the nervous system: “You’re not stuck. You’re not alone. There’s a way forward.”
By bringing gentle awareness to sensation and movement, the body begins to shift out of shutdown. Inflammation quiets. Breath returns. And the nervous system remembers how to regulate without collapsing.
Our Somatic Approach to Depression
At Somatic Psychotherapy, we don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to depression. We combine several modalities that work directly with the nervous system:
- Hakomi Mindful Somatic Therapy helps clients bring curiosity, not judgment, to the parts of themselves that feel heavy or withdrawn.
- Somatic Experiencing helps the body slowly move out of shutdown by carefully reconnecting with sensations and energy that have been stuck or numbed out—guiding the nervous system back into balance.
- Internal Family Systems, Somatic Lens tracks not just what parts believe—but where they live. A perfectionist part might tighten the jaw. A hopeless part might settle in the chest like a stone. When we meet these parts with precision and care, the body begins to trust that it’s safe to let go.
Together, these practices create a spacious therapeutic container where depression isn’t treated as the enemy—but as a protective signal that can be slowly, respectfully released.
What Might This Look Like in a Session?
Sometimes, the work begins with a pressure in the chest—something vague but persistent. We invite the client to slow down and rest their awareness on the sensation. In mindfulness, they describe it: ‘like plastic wrap, tight around my ribs.’ So we get curious. What happens if we stay with it? Maybe a hand comes to rest there, offering gentle comfort. A wave of emotion follows—tears, quiet and unexpected. And then… the plastic wrap loosens. A fuller breath arrives. Not forced. Just there. A softening from the inside out.
Other times, depression shows up in the legs—numb, disconnected, heavy. We begin by noticing how the client is sitting: curled forward, feet barely touching the ground. They’re invited to press their feet down gently, to feel the ground meeting them. A small ankle flex. Then rest. Flex. Rest. Tingling arrives. A quiet hello from a part that had gone offline. “I didn’t know I could feel anything down there,” they say.
These shifts are modest, but they add up. Each micro-movement is a vote for aliveness. Each breath an invitation for the system to come back online.
Not Just Lighter—Freer
Somatic therapy doesn’t offer quick fixes. It offers reclamation: of feeling, of movement, of self.
- Heaviness becomes sensation that moves.
- Numbness gives way to flickers of warmth.
- Thoughts of despair coexist with a body that just proved it can stretch and exhale.
And one day, after months of curled posture and shallow breath, you might find yourself standing a little taller. Shoulders lifted. Chest open. No fanfare. Just a quiet return of something that had gone missing.
Not because you forced it.
Because your body remembered.
FAQs
How is somatic therapy different from talk therapy for depression?
Talk therapy can offer insight. Somatic therapy supports nervous system change. We don’t just explore thoughts—we help the body release what’s been stuck, numb, or collapsed. Learn more about body-based therapy here.
Can somatic therapy help even if I feel too numb?
Yes. Numbness is a common response to depression. We work slowly and gently, helping the body build safety, awareness, and the capacity to feel—one step at a time.
Do you offer virtual therapy for depression?
Absolutely. We provide somatic therapy across NY, including support for depression. Whether you’re in Brooklyn, Manhattan, or elsewhere in New York, we’re here.
Ready to Begin Again?
If you’re tired of talking without shifting, or struggling to feel anything at all, you’re not broken. Your body has simply been protecting you.
We’d be honored to help you reconnect—with your breath, your movement, and your self.
