Beyond Words: Releasing Trauma with Somatic and Energy Therapy
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has become a prominent topic in the world of psychotherapy, with treatment approaches evolving rapidly. Increasingly, we are recognizing how past trauma affects present-day behavior, perception, and emotional response. This growing awareness is helping us better understand complex issues such as addiction, autoimmune disorders, and chronic stress-related illnesses—thanks in part to the groundbreaking work of Dr. Gabor Maté, a Canadian physician who has brought trauma to the forefront of both medical and therapeutic conversations.
One of the most well-known and widely researched trauma therapies is EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), developed by Francine Shapiro, PhD. EMDR is now endorsed as a highly effective treatment by numerous national and international organizations. Its growing popularity underscores a shift in how we perceive and process trauma.
The connection between mind, body, and trauma is also deeply emphasized in somatic therapies. In craniosacral therapy, this relationship is explored through a process known as SomatoEmotional Release, coined by Dr. John Upledger (2). This approach acknowledges that emotional trauma is stored in the physical tissues of the body and can be released through gentle, hands-on techniques that encourage healing from within.
Not every traumatic event can be remembered. Especially early life trauma, or inherited trauma, where a direct, personal memory is impossible, often leave us without a logical explanation for the messy aftermath, the many different and often ineffective ways that we cope with the unresolved, unprocessed wounds. As Dr. Gabor Maté writes in The Myth of Normal,
"Trauma is not what happens to you, but what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you." (1)
This redefinition is essential. It means trauma doesn’t require a dramatic or violent event—it is the internal disconnection, the fragmentation from self, safety, and embodiment that occurs when our system can’t fully process an experience. From this lens, the lingering effects of trauma are not signs of weakness, but reflections of the wisdom of survival.
After observing and working with trauma for over four decades, I’ve come to believe that learning to process trauma and build resilience is an essential part of the human journey. From the moment we are born, we rely on others to help us regulate and process suffering. Our early environment and especially our caregivers shape our nervous system’s default responses to stress. Most of us are familiar with fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. These patterns of survival are often reinforced by beliefs we internalize based on how we were treated or what we witnessed:
“I need to be angry to get attention,”
“It’s not safe to be vulnerable,”
“I am only loved when I’m quiet.”
These beliefs are usually wrapped in an unresolved emotional layer. When trauma becomes embedded in a developing psyche, and coping strategies become personality traits, we see the beginnings of what is now called complex PTSD. Over time, unaddressed trauma can accumulate, shaping our behaviors and choices—often labeled by society as “bad” or “self-destructive”—when in reality they are efforts to survive and self-protect.
Trauma becomes even more complex when viewed through a cultural, historical, or collective lens. Unprocessed trauma from past generations—wars, colonization, systemic oppression—leaves its imprint in families and communities. We forget the original source but inherit the burden. Our nervous systems carry stories we don't consciously know.
While I deeply admire the advances in psychology and psychotherapy, I’ve often found that craniosacral and energy therapy can access and shift the root causes of trauma in profound and sometimes faster ways—especially when trauma is pre-verbal, ancestral, or beyond the reach of talk therapy.
The body remembers everything. Every experience, every wound—emotional or physical—is stored in the tissues and nervous system. The conscious mind, or ego, often distorts these memories in its effort to protect us. But the body holds the truth. In my sessions, I scan the client’s energy field to locate areas of restriction or what Dr. Upledger refers to as “energy cysts”—places where the unresolved energy of past trauma has become lodged (2). By releasing these blockages, the body reorganizes itself toward balance and harmony, often without the client needing to relive or recall the original trauma.
This process can be deeply healing—especially for those with hyperactive, overburdened minds shaped by constant vigilance. The shift allows clients to reconnect with their heart and gut—our other “brains”—and feel safe without relying on over-analysis or mental control.
A key part of treatment with me involves guided meditation and visualization. I guide clients into a relaxed, meditative state where they can connect with their inner truth and create an inner home—a safe, nurturing space rooted in unconditional love and self-acceptance. From this grounded state, clients may explore their inner landscape further or simply rest in the healing experience. For many, this is the first time they’ve been able to feel present in their bodies without interference from trauma or survival mechanisms.
Experiencing this sense of safety in the body is not only healing—it is empowering. Over time, this process can be learned and internalized, building a more resilient sense of self. Resilience does not mean we will never get triggered—it means we know how to return to a place of inner strength and calm more easily and more quickly. Trauma memories become less powerful, until they eventually lose their importance. That is the place where unconditional acceptance becomes the basis of one’s perceptions. One is no longer based on the suffering effects of the trauma experience. We have accepted the events and circumstances of our life experiences, and have the ability to live from this place of inner truth that allows us to create meaning in our lives. We are able to express joy as our birth right, without fear, and we reclaim our right to meaningful, connected lives.
References:
Maté, G. (2022). The Myth of Normal: Trauma, illness, and healing in a toxic culture. Pan Macmillan.
Upledger, J. E., & Vredevoogd, J. D. (1996). SomatoEmotional Release and Beyond: Expanding the Power of Craniosacral Therapy. Eastland Press.
