The Power of Somatics in Roles of Care

Caregiving roles—whether as social workers, therapists, educators, or community advocates—often prioritise verbal communication and cognitive understanding. However, true healing extends beyond the mind. Somatics, the practice of engaging the body’s wisdom, is essential in working with diverse populations and fostering deep transformation.

Curious to deepen your studies in somatics and embodied practice? Join SomaPsych & LegacyMotion this September for the 300HR Trauma-Informed Facilitator Training.

Why Somatics Matters

Trauma and systemic oppression don’t just shape thoughts—they live in the body, influencing posture, breath, nervous system responses, overall health and wellbeing, and how we navigate the world. Traditional talk-based interventions can fall short of addressing these embodied experiences. Somatics helps reconnect individuals with their bodies, fostering a felt sense of safety, tools for regulation, and supporting innate resilience, allowing for more holistic and effective care.

Somatics in Action: 1:1 Client Work

A student of the 300hr Trauma-Informed Facilitator Training who is a social worker noticed some clients struggling to articulate their experiences. Understanding that trauma resides in their bodies in ways words couldn’t access helped inform how they support them. By integrating breathing techniques, grounding practices, and movement-based practices, they saw clients become more present, in control, less overwhelmed and able to move in and through stress and challenges more powerfully. Simple somatic interventions like breath awareness or gentle movement can offer immediate relief and open new healing pathways.

Supporting Vulnerable Populations

Systemically excluded communities often navigate chronic stress and intergenerational trauma due to structural inequities, which can shape nervous system responses. Somatics helps shift individuals out of survival mode into states of connection and healing. In community spaces, somatic tools can:

• Co-regulate: Use voice tone, breath, and presence to support relative safety.

• Empower choice: Support bodily autonomy in movement and stillness.

• Rebuild resilience: Strengthen stress tolerance and agency.

Beyond the Mind: The Need for Body-Based Approaches

Cognitive (top-down) approaches—explaining, analyzing, problem-solving—often miss a crucial element: felt experience. For example, someone may understand they are safe, but if their body still signals danger, true healing and restoration remain elusive. Somatic practices (bottom-up approaches) help rewire the nervous system’s response to stress, facilitating lasting transformation.

Integrating Somatics into Your Practice

If you're wanting to Embody Somatic Practice for Community Care, here’s a place to start:

1. Cultivate Your Own Somatic Awareness – Begin with your own practice. Develop a daily or adaptable somatic routine that fosters awareness of your body's cues, rhythms, and responses. This builds the foundation for supporting others.

2. Engage Grounding Techniques – Support nervous system regulation through present-moment awareness and micro-movements. Simple gestures like orienting to the space, elongating the exhale, or sensing support beneath you can shift physiological states.

3. Design Trauma-Informed Spaces – Intentionally shape environments that invite ease. Consider lighting, acoustics, seating arrangements, and movement-friendly setups that allow bodies to settle and engage at their own pace.

4. Practice Co-Regulation – Your embodied presence matters. Regulating your own nervous system creates a ripple effect, offering a sense of steadiness and relational safety for others in the space.

Somatics isn’t an add-on—it’s essential for whole-person healing. By engaging with the body, we unlock deeper connection, resilience, and transformation. If you're ready to integrate these principles more deeply into your work, the 300HR Trauma-Informed Facilitator Training offers an immersive experience designed for care workers, facilitators, and space-holders who want to bring somatic intelligence into their practice.

Author: Amanda Hanna, Founder of SomaPsych

www.somapsych.org