What is Somatic EMDR?

Somatic EMDR is EMDR therapy with a focus on the body. In traditional EMDR, the therapist asks about the emotions, the negative thoughts, the intensity, and the body, and then proceeds with trauma processing. Depending on the therapist and how they were trained, they may or may not ask follow up questions about these specific areas.

When EMDR is done with a somatic focus, there is more focus placed on the body and the nervous system. For example, when I do EMDR with clients, I:

• Do a thorough assessment of nervous system functioning before starting

• Help my client attune to the information coming from their body and nervous system

• Pay particular attention to the body during trauma processing

• Ask focused follow-up questions to make sure that not only are we clearing stuck emotions and negative beliefs, but we clear out all of the layers in the body completely

• Help my client bring their nervous system back to a calm, grounded state

Somatic EMDR is not dramatically different from standard EMDR, but working with a therapist who works with a somatic lens will have a different feel than working with a therapist who is more focused on cognitions and beliefs. As therapists, we get to hone our focus and bring together all of our many skills and modalities to achieve the best outcomes for our clients. In my opinion, somatic tools blend amazingly well with EMDR to deepen the work and provide lasting body and nervous system benefits for clients.

This article is cross-posted at www.thebrannencenter.com

Keywords: EMDR, Somatic Therapy, Trauma Therapy, PTSD, CPTSD