The Importance of the Body In Psychotherapy
In psychotherapy, we often begin with the mind: thoughts, beliefs, emotions, narratives. But we can’t ignore this truth: your body is always part of the story. For many people struggling with Anxiety, Depression, or PTSD, traditional talk therapy can be a powerful tool – but unless the body is involved, some of the deepest healing remains out of reach.
In a past TPN Health Talk (The Importance of the Body in Psychotherapy | TPN.health) that I gave to other therapists, I discussed how body-based therapies can reshape therapeutic work by meeting the part of you that lives in sensation, movement, and the nervous system. Below, I break down what that means, how it works, and why it’s so often a missing ingredient.
Why the Body Keeps Score
When we experience stress, trauma, or overwhelming emotions, our bodies don’t just “forget” them when we move on. The nervous system responds with survival responses (fight, flight, freeze, etc.). Ideally, when the danger passes, our systems reset. But when stress is chronic or the trauma is intense — as is common with anxiety, depression, or PTSD — your system can get stuck in overdrive or shutdown.
This can show up in many ways:
You may have constant tension, aches, or pain, even when doctors find nothing physically wrong
You may feel wired and restless (anxiety) or numb and flat (depression)
Triggers may send you into emotional or physiological overwhelm
Sleep is disrupted, digestion suffers, or you feel disconnected from your body
Talk therapy alone helps you make sense of your story. But it can’t always help your body complete what it never got to. Body-based therapies aim to help your nervous system reorganize, regulate, and heal — so the pain doesn’t just remain in your tissues.
How Body-Based Psychotherapy Works: From Theory to Practice
There are several modalities that bring the body into the healing process. One primary approach I use is Somatic experiencing®, a technique designed to engage the body’s innate capacity to heal from stress and trauma.
Here’s what the work typically involves:
1. Tracking Sensations
We slow down. We bring gentle, curious attention to what your body is doing: heat, tightness, fluttering, heaviness, breath shifts. Your body often has wisdom before your mind does.
2. Completing Stuck Responses
Your body may have wanted to escape, cry, tremble, or fight during a traumatic event — but you couldn’t. That unfinished biological impulse can stay lodged in the system. We help it complete safely — not re-traumatize, but allow it to move.
3. Resourcing & Safety
Before touching difficult material, we build safety: noticing support in your environment, connecting with easier sensations, or using grounding techniques. That foundation is essential, especially for those with PTSD or high anxiety.
4. Pendulation
This means moving gently between moments of activation (stress, tension) and moments of rest or neutrality. It helps your system learn it can handle change, that it can come back from challenge without being overwhelmed.
5. Integration & Coherence
Over time, your nervous system becomes more flexible and responsive. Patterns shift. You feel more grounded, rather than perpetually reactive or shut off.
Real Benefits for Anxiety, Depression & PTSD
When we include the body in therapy, the results are often deeper and more sustainable. Here are some ways clients report change:
Reduced anxiety — fewer racing thoughts, panic symptoms, and persistent “on edge” feelings
Relief from chronic tension or pain — releasing emotional energy stored in muscles, joints, fascia
Improved emotional regulation — being able to sense early warning signals and respond, rather than being hijacked
Greater connection with self & others — feeling less dissociated or disconnected
More resilience — greater capacity to face life’s stressors without spiraling
Fewer depressive lows — as the nervous system becomes more alive and energized, depressive patterns often soften
Many people with PTSD find this approach especially helpful because trauma is, at root, a disconnection of mind, body, and context. Restoring that connection helps trauma live less in isolation.
Common Misconceptions & How We Work Respectfully
“It’s too intense.” Body-based therapy doesn’t mean diving into full trauma all at once. The process is paced, gentle, and always in your control.
“It’s mystical.” While some work may feel subtle, the methods rest on neuroscience, physiology, and well-supported models of the nervous system.
“I’ll lose control.” Not at all. You are always the one guiding the process; I am there as a guide, not the director.
“I don’t like talking about my trauma.” That’s okay. You may barely say a word while the body does the deeper work underneath.
What to Look for in a Therapist
If you're considering integrating body-based therapy into your healing, here are qualities to look for:
Training in somatic or body-based modalities (e.g., Somatic experiencing®)
Experience working with anxiety, depression, and PTSD
A grounding in trauma-informed care and nervous-system regulation
A relational, attuned presence (someone who matches your pacing and safety)
Openness to combining body work with talk therapy and integration
Final Thoughts
We live in a world that privileges the mind over the body. But your body holds your history, your stress, your memories — sometimes even before language does. To heal deeply, you must include it.
If anxiety, depression, PTSD, or chronic stress feel like they’ve overrun your inner world, I hope you’ll click back on the TPN Health Talk above and revisit the connection of body and therapy. Because when you bring your whole being — mind, nervous system, body — into the work, the potential for transformation is profound.
If you’d like to explore how body-based therapy might support your healing journey, I’d be honored to walk beside you.
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