Coming Back to the Body

Somatic and Mindfulness-Based Approaches

When life feels overwhelming, the mind often races ahead—planning, worrying, replaying. The body, meanwhile, holds its own story: tension in the chest, a tight jaw, a heavy stillness, or the urge to run. Somatic and mindfulness-based approaches invite us to reconnect with these signals, so healing involves not only thinking differently but also feeling safer inside our own skin.

What This Means in Practice

Somatic (body-based) and mindfulness approaches can include:

• Grounding – using the senses, breath, or posture to remind the body it is in the present, not the past.

• Body awareness – gently noticing how emotions show up physically, without judgment.

• Movement and release – stretching, shaking, walking, or breathing in ways that shift nervous system states.

• Mindful attention – bringing awareness to the here-and-now, observing thoughts and sensations without being swept away by them.

These practices help bridge the gap between mind and body, creating conditions where both can begin to regulate and heal.

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Why It Matters

Trauma and stress are stored not only in memories, but also in the nervous system. Somatic and mindfulness approaches recognise that safety and steadiness are experienced physically, not just intellectually. By working with the body as well as the mind, therapy supports more flexible, embodied ways of responding to life’s challenges.

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Closing Thoughts

This kind of work is not about striving for constant calm or “emptying the mind.” It’s about learning to listen inward with curiosity, and discovering that small shifts—like noticing the ground under your feet, or pausing for one steady breath—can open the way to greater regulation and presence.