What actually happens in a somatic therapy session?

Somatic therapy sessions are typically conversational, but with sustained attention to the body. Your therapist might ask what you're noticing physically — tension, pressure, warmth, movement impulses — as a way of including the body in the conversation rather than just the mind. Sessions don't follow a fixed script; what happens is guided by what emerges.

Will I have to relive my trauma in somatic therapy?

No. Somatic therapy, particularly approaches like NARM, does not require you to narrate or re-experience traumatic events in detail. The work often happens at the edge of activation rather than in the center of it — which means staying within what is workable rather than flooding the system. Many people find this less overwhelming than they expected.

What does 'tracking sensations' mean in somatic therapy?

It means bringing gentle attention to what is happening in the body — not analyzing it or trying to make it mean something, but just noticing. A tight throat. A held breath. An impulse to pull away or lean in. These sensations carry information about the nervous system's state, and noticing them is part of how somatic therapy works.

Is somatic therapy safe for people with complex trauma?

When practiced carefully, yes. A good somatic therapist works within a pace that the nervous system can tolerate, building resources before moving toward more difficult material. The goal is not to push through but to expand what is possible — gradually and with attention to what the body is signaling.

What happens in a somatic therapy session — what should I expect?

Q: Is it normal to feel worse after a somatic therapy session?

Feeling activated or stirred up is common, especially in the early months. It usually means something was moved that had been held still. If consistently destabilized for more than a day, discuss pacing with your therapist.

Q: Can I do somatic therapy if I'm not good at identifying emotions?

Yes. Difficulty identifying emotions is extremely common in complex trauma and childhood emotional neglect. The work gradually builds that capacity, starting from physical sensations which are often more accessible.

Q: How should I set up my space for an online somatic therapy session?

A private space where you won't be interrupted, with enough room to shift posture slightly. A comfortable chair or cushion. Headphones help. Water nearby. That is about it.

Mariya Garnet
Jun 22
5 min read

Updated: Jun 30

A somatic therapy session looks different from traditional talk therapy from the first meeting. Rather than building a narrative of what happened to you, we work with what's happening in your body right now — sensation, breath, posture, and the nervous system responses that surface when something emotionally significant gets close.

Key takeaways

Sessions are 50-60 minutes and begin with a check-in, move into body-based work, and end with grounding
The therapist tracks body language, breath shifts, and tone alongside what you're saying — these are data, not background
You will be invited to slow down, notice physical sensations, and stay with them longer than feels comfortable at first
Nothing is forced — the pace is set by your nervous system, not a protocol
Online somatic therapy follows the same structure; the screen doesn't prevent the work
You don't need to know how to track body sensations going in — learning to do this is part of what the sessions teach

The structure of a session

Most somatic therapy sessions have a loose arc. They begin with a brief check-in — how are you arriving today, what's been present since we last met, what feels alive or pressing right now. This isn't just conversational; it's an opportunity to begin tracking what's happening in the body as you settle into the space.

From there, the session moves into the work itself, which is less linear than it sounds. It might involve staying with a feeling that came up in the check-in. It might involve working with something that happened in the past week. It might follow a body sensation that surfaced and see where it leads. The direction is collaborative and follows what the nervous system seems to need rather than what a protocol prescribes.

If you're also wondering how long this kind of work takes, that question deserves its own answer — the timeline for complex trauma is different from what most people expect.

Sessions end with grounding — something intentional to help the nervous system settle before you return to the rest of your day. Online, this might look like a brief orienting practice, a moment of noticing the room you're in, or a simple breathing exercise. The closing is part of the work, not just an ending.

What body-based tracking actually means

People sometimes come in expecting that somatic therapy means we spend the whole session moving, or that we never talk. The reality is subtler. A somatic intervention might take the form of a question: what do you notice in your body as you say that? Or it might be a gesture — slowing down a breath, shifting posture slightly — something small enough to miss if you're not paying attention. The somatic work isn't separate from the conversation. It's woven into it.

The point isn't to force a feeling or manufacture an experience. The point is to build the capacity to be present to your own body in real time — to notice sensation without immediately evaluating it, translating it into a cognitive story, or managing it away. For many people, this takes practice. The sessions are partly where that practice happens.

How it differs from what you might expect from therapy

Most people's model of therapy involves talking — telling their story, being asked questions, gaining insight, maybe crying. Somatic therapy includes some of that, but the emphasis is different. The therapist is more interested in what's happening in the room right now than in the history that led here. They might slow you down when you're moving quickly through a story. They might notice that you smiled when you described something painful, and ask about that. They might be curious about a shift in your posture or tone that you didn't consciously register.

This can feel unusual at first, sometimes even intrusive. It's worth naming that out loud if it does. The therapist isn't trying to catch you out — they're attending to the signals the body sends that the narrative doesn't always carry.

The first few sessions vs once the work gets going

The first few sessions are almost always about establishing safety — helping your nervous system learn that this particular relational space is one where it can relax its vigilance, even slightly. This doesn't look dramatic. It might feel like nothing special is happening. But the nervous system is doing significant work: it's updating its predictions about what this kind of contact means.

Once some safety is established — usually by the third to sixth session, though this varies — the work tends to deepen. Things surface that the early sessions didn't reach. The body starts to bring more. Sessions feel more alive, or more challenging, or both.

If you're deciding whether to try this work, I understand my trauma but nothing has changed — can somatic therapy help? is the right place to start. Also useful: how long somatic therapy takes for complex trauma and whether high-functioning people need this kind of work.

Frequently asked questions

What do I do if I feel nothing in a somatic therapy session?

Tell your therapist. Feeling nothing is itself important information — it's usually dissociation, emotional numbing, or the nervous system conserving resources because it doesn't yet feel safe enough to open. All of these are workable, but they need to be named rather than pushed through. Sessions where nothing seems to happen are often more significant than they appear.

Is it normal to feel worse after a somatic therapy session?

Feeling activated, raw, or stirred up after a session is common, especially in the early months of trauma work. It usually means something was moved that had been held very still. It's worth having a plan for after sessions — time to decompress, not scheduling demanding things immediately after. If you're consistently feeling destabilized for more than a day after sessions, it's worth discussing the pacing with your therapist.

Can I do somatic therapy if I'm not good at identifying emotions?

Yes — difficulty identifying emotions is extremely common in people with complex trauma and childhood emotional neglect. You don't need to arrive able to name what you feel. The work itself gradually builds that capacity, starting from physical sensations which are often more accessible than emotional labels.

How should I set up my space for an online somatic therapy session?

A private space where you won't be interrupted, ideally with enough room to shift your posture or move slightly if invited to. A chair or cushion you're comfortable in. Headphones help with presence and confidentiality. Some people find it helpful to have a blanket nearby. Water. That's about it.

Mariya Garnet is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) in Ontario, CRPO# 22667, specializing in somatic therapy for complex trauma and childhood emotional neglect. She trained for nine years in the Peruvian Amazon and completed postgraduate studies in Expressive Arts Therapy at the CREATE Institute in Toronto. She works online across Ontario.

More about what working with me looks like is on my somatic therapy page.