Somatic and Movement Healing

Somatic experiencing - effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy: a scoping literature review

Kuhfuß M, Maldei T, Hetmanek A, et al. · European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2021

This scoping review set out to summarize what is known about Somatic Experiencing, a therapy that addresses trauma by working with body sensations connected to the traumatic experience. The authors searched the literature through August 2020, found 83 articles, and analyzed the 16 that met their criteria. In this review, there was preliminary evidence of positive effects on PTSD-related symptoms, and early signs of benefit for mood, physical symptoms and wellbeing in both traumatized and non-traumatized groups. Practitioners and clients pointed to a focus on resources and the use of touch as key ingredients. An honest limitation: overall study quality was mixed, and the authors call for more unbiased randomized trials.

Our summaries describe what each study found. They are not medical advice, and the practices at Halcyon are not a treatment for any condition.