Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Healing Trauma Through the Body
Trauma doesn’t just live in our minds - it lives in our bodies. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP) is a unique, evidence-informed approach that focuses on how trauma affects your nervous system, posture, movement, and sensations. By working directly with the body, SP helps you release stored tension, regulate emotions, and restore a sense of safety in both mind and body.
How Trauma Lives in the Body
After a traumatic experience, your nervous system may get “stuck” in a state of fight, flight, or freeze. Even when your mind knows you are safe, your body can remain on high alert. Common signs include:
Muscle tightness or tension
Pain or discomfort with no clear medical cause
Shallow breathing
Feeling “frozen” or disconnected
Sudden emotional reactions triggered by small events
Traditional talk therapy can help process thoughts and memories, but SP goes a step further - it teaches the body to remember safety, release tension, and integrate the trauma in a way that feels natural and lasting.
How Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Works
SP combines talk therapy with mindful body awareness. The process is gentle, paced, and grounded in safety:
Awareness of the body - You’ll notice sensations, posture, and subtle movements without judgment.
Tracking nervous system responses - Together, we identify how stress or trauma shows up physically.
Gradual movement and release - Small, intentional movements, breathing patterns, or shifts in posture help release trapped energy.
Integration with thoughts and emotions - You’ll connect the physical experiences with your thoughts, feelings, and memories in a way that fosters healing.
Practical Tools You Might Experience in SP
Gentle movement exercises like shaking your wrists, rolling shoulders, or opening your arms to create space.
Grounding techniques like pressing your feet into the floor, noticing your breath, or orienting to your environment.
Mindful attention to sensations - noticing tightness, heaviness, or warmth in the body and allowing it to soften safely.
Combining with other therapies - SP works beautifully alongside EMDR, IFS, or ego state therapy, enhancing emotional processing and self-regulation.
Who Can Benefit from Sensorimotor Psychotherapy?
SP is particularly effective for individuals who:
Have experienced trauma, abuse, or neglect
Struggle with chronic stress or anxiety
Carry tension or chronic pain in the body
Feel “stuck” despite talk therapy
Experience dissociation or difficulty connecting with emotions
Many clients describe SP as transformative, noting that they feel more at home in their body, more grounded, and better able to tolerate difficult emotions.
Why It Matters
By working with the body directly, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy doesn’t just help you understand your trauma - it helps you release it. This makes other therapies more effective, enhances resilience, and creates a stronger foundation for emotional and physical well-being.
“I started noticing my body relaxing for the first time in years, and for the first time, I felt like I could actually breathe through my anxiety.” - Typical client experience
Takeaway: Sensorimotor Psychotherapy gives your body a voice in healing. It’s gentle, practical, and highly effective for trauma that has left an imprint not just on your mind, but on your nervous system and physical self.