Anxiety can feel like an invisible weight pulling you down, hijacking your thoughts, and making it hard to feel at ease in your own body. Many people come to therapy looking for relief from the relentless cycle of worry, stress, and tension. While traditional talk therapy can help address the cognitive and emotional aspects of anxiety, there’s often a missing piece: the body.
That’s where Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP) comes in.
Anxiety and Trauma: A Deeper Connection
It’s important to recognize that anxiety is often a symptom of unresolved trauma. Trauma can be capital “T” Trauma or little “t” trauma. When we’ve experienced trauma, whether in childhood or adulthood, our nervous system can get stuck in a state of hypervigilance—always on alert for danger, even when none is present. Either way, the body remembers. This chronic activation of the body’s stress response often shows up as anxiety.
For many people, traditional talk therapy might provide some relief, but because trauma lives in the body, addressing it requires more than just talking. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is uniquely suited to help with both anxiety and trauma because it works directly with the body’s nervous system to release the stored tension, fear, and hypervigilance that drive anxious feelings.
What Is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy?
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy integrates somatic (body-based) awareness with traditional psychological techniques. It’s a trauma-informed approach that views the body as a resource for healing. This type of therapy is especially helpful for anxiety because anxiety isn’t just something we think or feel—it’s something we physically experience in our bodies. From the knot in your stomach to the tightness in your chest, anxiety shows up in all sorts of ways.
How Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Works
The core of SP is learning how to be more aware of your body and its signals. Often, people with anxiety and trauma are disconnected from their bodies or overwhelmed by the sensations they’re experiencing. SP helps clients to become aware of these physical cues, explore their relationship with them, and develop strategies to regulate their nervous system.
Here’s how it works:
- Mindful Awareness of the Body
SP invites clients to tune in to their bodies, observing physical sensations without judgment. For example, if anxiety starts to build, you might be guided to notice where it’s showing up physically. Is it a flutter in your chest? A tightness in your throat? By gently bringing attention to these sensations, we can begin to demystify anxiety and understand it as part of our body’s trauma response rather than something to fear or fight. - Regulating the Nervous System
Anxiety, especially when linked to trauma, is often a sign that the nervous system is in overdrive. SP helps clients identify when their system is out of balance and teaches techniques to calm it. Grounding exercises, breathwork, and mindful movement can all help discharge the built-up energy that fuels anxiety, allowing the nervous system to come back to a more regulated state. - Releasing Trauma Stored in the Body
Trauma often gets “stuck” in the body, contributing to ongoing anxiety, flashbacks, or a feeling of being on edge. SP helps clients release these stored trauma patterns by bringing awareness to them and working through them gently, at the body’s pace. Over time, this helps to reduce the intensity and frequency of anxiety, as the body begins to feel safer and more at ease. - Integrating Mind and Body
Often, when we’re anxious, our minds and bodies feel disconnected. You might be intellectually aware that you’re safe, but your body is still sending out danger signals. SP helps to reestablish this connection so that your mind and body are working together to bring you back to a state of calm. Over time, clients learn to recognize early signs of anxiety and use body-based tools to soothe themselves before anxiety spirals out of control.
Why Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Is Effective for Anxiety and Trauma
SP is powerful for both anxiety and trauma because it addresses the body’s role in holding on to these experiences. It goes beyond simply talking about what’s making you anxious or the trauma you’ve endured—it helps you physically shift out of those states and start healing from the inside out.
- Rewiring Patterns: The repetitive cycle of anxiety and trauma responses often feels automatic and beyond control. SP helps to rewire these patterns by teaching you to recognize and interrupt them through body awareness and new responses.
- Empowering Clients: You don’t need to wait until your next therapy session to feel better. SP provides tools and techniques that can be used in the moment, empowering you to manage anxiety and trauma triggers as they arise.
- Lasting Change: Since SP works on the mind-body connection, it creates lasting shifts in how you experience and respond to anxiety and trauma. It’s not just about coping—it’s about healing and transforming your relationship with these experiences.
Healing is Possible!
I’ve seen firsthand how transformative Sensorimotor Psychotherapy can be for clients dealing with anxiety, especially when it’s rooted in trauma. It offers a compassionate, holistic approach that doesn’t just focus on “thinking better” but actually helps clients feel better—physically, emotionally, and mentally.
If you’re curious about how Sensorimotor Psychotherapy might help you manage anxiety and heal from trauma, I’d love to talk. There’s no need to let these experiences control your life. With the right support, it’s possible to live with more ease, presence, and a sense of safety in your own body.
