What Holds Therapists Back From Using Somatic Practices in Therapy (And How to Move Through It)

If you’re a newer therapist who recently took a training in somatic therapy or any kind of practice using body-based approaches, you may have walked away feeling excited… and then immediately terrified to actually use any of it with clients.

I know I felt like that.

I remember learning body-based practices from ACT, Compassionate Inquiry, and Somatic Experiencing and thinking, Wow. This could be so powerful for clients. But when it came time to actually integrate those skills into psychotherapy sessions, I felt awkward, uncomfortable, and honestly a little embarrassed.

What if I sounded silly?

What if the client could tell I was still building confidence?

What if they felt like I was experimenting on them?

These are incredibly common fears when therapists begin integrating somatic practices, nervous system regulation work, mindfulness, breathwork, or movement into therapy sessions.

And the truth is: there’s usually a reason it feels vulnerable.

The (not so) Hidden Discomfort of Learning Somatic Therapy

For many therapists, traditional talk therapy feels safer because we’ve practiced it longer. We know the rhythm of it. We know how to stay in our heads.

But somatic work asks something different of us.

It asks us to slow down.

To notice.

To breathe.

To be present in our own bodies while helping someone else connect with theirs.

And that can feel deeply exposing at first.

For me, one of the biggest shifts came from remembering something I learned during my training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): almost everything we do in therapy is an experiment.

We can make educated guesses based on theory, research, and experience, but there are no guarantees in therapy. A strategy that feels transformative for one client may do absolutely nothing for another.

That doesn’t mean we’re doing therapy wrong.

It means we’re working with human beings.

Somatic Practices Are Not “One Size Fits All”

Now, when I think about body-based approaches in psychotherapy, I think of them like a buffet.

There are many different options:

• grounding exercises

• body scans

• breathwork

• movement

• orienting

• sensory awareness

• mindfulness practices

• nervous system regulation exercises

Some clients will connect deeply with one practice and dislike another entirely.

That’s normal.

The goal isn’t to perfectly predict what will work. The goal is to collaboratively explore what helps this particular person feel more connected, regulated, safe, or present.

Once I truly accepted that, I started giving myself a lot more grace.

“Let’s Get Weird Together”

One of the things that helped me most was learning to stop pretending I felt perfectly polished.

Instead of hiding my discomfort, I started gently acknowledging it.

Sometimes I’ll say to clients:

“Honestly, some of these exercises can feel a little weird at first.”

And then I invite them to get weird with me.

That phrase came from a Russ Harris ACT training, and I loved it immediately because it makes the process feel human. Warm. Collaborative. Less clinical and rigid.

Because sometimes healing does feel strange.

Slowing down enough to notice your body after years of disconnection can feel unfamiliar. Breathing intentionally can feel vulnerable. Paying attention to physical sensations can bring up emotions people have spent years trying to avoid.

We don’t need to pretend otherwise.

One of My Biggest Fears: “What If I Make Things Worse?”

This was probably the hardest part for me.

I worried that introducing somatic practices would dysregulate clients, especially those with developmental trauma, early childhood trauma, or histories of body-related trauma.

And sometimes that does happen.

For some people, connecting with the body initially feels unsafe.

That fear held me back for a long time because I wondered:
Do I really have the skills to support someone if they become overwhelmed?

What helped me move through that fear was realizing something incredibly important:

My job is not to force regulation.

My job is to become part of a safe regulatory relationship.

The Therapist’s Nervous System Matters

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned about somatic practices is this:

The therapist’s nervous system matters.

When I started integrating more body-based work, I realized I needed to pay attention not only to the client’s body cues, but to my own.

If I became anxious, rushed, frozen, or overly focused on “doing the technique correctly,” clients often felt that too.

So I started slowing myself down.

I focused on co-regulation.

I practiced staying connected to my own breath and body while remaining connected to the client.

And I built constant feedback loops into sessions:

• “What are you noticing right now?”

• “How does that feel in your body?”

• “Do you notice any shift?”

• “There’s no right or wrong answer here.”

That changed everything.

Because somatic therapy isn’t about performing a perfect intervention.

It’s about staying present enough to notice what’s happening moment-to-moment.

When Clients Become Dysregulated During Somatic Work

Sometimes clients do become overwhelmed during body-based exercises.

And when that happens now, I don’t panic the way I used to.

Instead, I return to my own regulation first.

I breathe.

I soften my voice.

I ground myself physically.

Then I guide the client gently through what I’m already doing myself:

• “Take a slow breath in through your nose.”

• “And slowly let it out through your nose.”

• “I’m right here with you.”

I’m not asking them to do something I’m unwilling to do alongside them.

That’s the part newer therapists often miss: many somatic practices become more effective when they’re relational.

Clients are not just learning regulation strategies.

They’re experiencing regulation with another human being.

If You’re New to Somatic Therapy, Start Small

You do not need to become an expert overnight.

You do not need to suddenly transform your entire therapy style.

And you definitely do not need to hide the fact that you’re still learning.

Some of the most meaningful growth in therapy happens when therapists allow themselves to be present, curious, and human.

Start small.
Go slowly.
Stay collaborative.
Notice your own nervous system too.

And remember:
Even experienced therapists are still experimenting, learning, adjusting, and growing.

That’s not incompetence.

That’s the work.

Thanks for staying until the end! If you’re interested in working with me, please email: alyssa@naturalselfps.com or book and consultation here: https://aws-portal.owlpractice.ca/naturalselfps/booking 

I’d love to support your practice!

Sincerely, 

Alyssa