When Words Fall Short: How Somatic Therapy Helps

Have you ever wanted to talk about something important, only to find that when you try, your throat tightens, your mouth goes dry, or your heart starts racing—and suddenly, the words just won't come out? It's a frustrating and confusing experience, and one I hear about often as a therapist in Charlotte, NC.

This stuckness can be a major roadblock, especially when you're considering starting therapy for the first—or fifth—time.

There may be parts of you that know therapy could help, and other parts that feel totally overwhelmed by the idea of finding a therapist, let alone actually sitting down to talk. You may sense there are things from your past still impacting you today, but even thinking about them makes you clammy and anxious. The idea of speaking them out loud, in front of someone else, might make you want to crawl under the covers and hide.

Maybe you have talked about some of it in therapy before—but your body still seems to be holding onto so much. Or maybe it's not holding onto anything at all (saluting you, IBS girlies).

If any of this feels familiar, I want to offer you a gentle invitation: consider trying somatic therapy.

What Is Somatic Therapy?

The word soma means “of the body.” Somatic therapy invites you to build a relationship with what's happening within you—your nervous system, your body, your inner world—through paying attention to sensations, emotions, and patterns that arise.

Here’s something many people don’t know: roughly 80% of the messages in our body go from body to brain, and only 20% go the other direction. So rather than trying to think your way out of pain, somatic therapy helps you align with the natural direction of healing—from the inside out.

I remember one of my first therapy sessions. I was recounting a painful experience, and my therapist said, “If we were watching this on mute, it would look like you’re telling a happy story.” He was pointing out something important: we can talk about hard things all day long, but until we feel and sense what’s happening inside us, nothing really changes.

Neuroscience backs this up. Britt Piper, in her book Body First Healing, explains:

“Within the Somatic Experiencing framework, we start with the subcortical areas of the brain—specifically the limbic system (emotional brain) and brain stem (survival brain)—that govern our body and nervous system. Because trauma shuts down the rational, higher-functioning parts of the brain and triggers physical responses, we begin with those somatic imprints. The language of these parts of the brain is impulse, sensation, feeling, and emotion. Only after finding safety and regulation through the body can we access the meaning-making power of the neocortex.”

In short, when you’re in a state of safety, you make meaning differently than when you’re in a state of danger. Somatic therapy helps you access that state of safety first.

Why Somatic Therapy Might Be Right for You

Let’s look at a few key principles of somatic therapy and how they might support your healing:

1. Somatic Therapy Moves Slowly—on Purpose

In early therapy, we don’t dive headfirst into your most painful memories. That would be unwise and unkind. You might briefly touch on those stories to offer context, but we don’t stay there long. We also don’t spend entire sessions immersed in intense sensations or emotions. That would overwhelm your system.

Instead, we move slowly and thoughtfully, honoring the pace of your nervous system. This helps keep you grounded and resourced.

2. It Helps You Build Internal and External Resources

If you appreciate practical tools, you’ll likely enjoy this part of the process. Many people are quick to notice what feels bad in their bodies—and that’s valid. But that pattern is also a reflection of your nervous system. A big part of our work together is helping you notice what feels less bad, what feels neutral, and eventually, what feels good—both inside and around you.

And if going inward feels too overwhelming at first, we don’t force it. We might start with external resources—like looking out the window and finding the object farthest from you that’s still in view. This kind of gentle attention helps widen your window of tolerance.

You might be sensing a theme: the nervous system gets easily spooked. When we go too fast or push too hard, protective parts show up to slow things down. In somatic therapy, we welcome all parts of you. There’s no “getting rid” of anything. Instead, we practice big befriending energy. (Yes, it might feel annoying at first—but I promise, it’s a game-changer in the long run.)

3. It Builds Your Capacity to Stay With Yourself

This is where therapy might start to feel more challenging—and more transformative.

Sometimes, my job is to validate, soothe, and model compassion so you can internalize a new voice—one that’s kinder, more curious, and more supportive. And over time, as that voice strengthens within you, my job shifts. I step back a bit and help you stay with yourself through difficult or shame-based emotions.

This doesn’t mean you’ll always feel good, or that your problems will be solved once and for all. That’s a myth. Instead, somatic therapy equips you to meet life as it is: the tender and the heartbreaking, the joyful and the messy. It helps you stay connected to yourself and others, even when things get hard. And when parts of you do need to fall apart (as we all do), you’ll have tools to return—to your body, to your breath, to your relationships, to your truth.

Somatic therapy is paradoxically gentle and powerful. It helps you feel braver, more equipped, and more at home within yourself. It gives you a secure base from which to live your life more fully.

If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, or eating disorders and are curious about somatic therapy, I’d love to connect. I offer a free 15-minute video consultation where we can talk about what’s bringing you in and see if it feels like a good fit.

And yes—somatic therapy can be effective via telehealth. In fact, for many clients, being in the safety of their own space is a huge asset to the work. Online counseling is available for folks who live in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. In person therapy sessions are available in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Want to Learn More?

If you’re interested in exploring somatic therapy further, here are a few books I highly recommend:

• In an Unspoken Voice by Peter Levine

• The Wisdom of Your Body by Hillary McBride

• Body First Healing by Britt Piper

• Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine

• My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem

You deserve support that honors every part of you—mind, body, and spirit. If somatic therapy feels like a path you’re curious to explore, I’d be honored to walk alongside you.