I recently overheard a woman at a Venice coffee shop mention that her therapist suggested somatic work, met by her friend's knowing nod. Somatic therapy has become the latest wellness buzzword—flattened, commodified, and turned into an Instagram aesthetic, stripped of its context as my colleague Neha Agrawal has noted.
Yet being in your body genuinely matters; it's just not as simple or trendy as it sounds.
What Does It Mean to Be "In Your Body"?
For me, it's surfing—sitting on the board, feeling the swell, shoulders dropping, fully present in the water. It's meditation, noticing the nervous system without trying to fix it. It's dance, moving without overthinking. It's yoga, moving with intention and noticing physical sensations.
These accessible practices require attention—undivided focus on what your body is experiencing right now.
As a therapist and practitioner, somatic work means recognizing that our bodies store information, memory, and emotion. As Bessel van der Kolk observed, the body keeps score. If you ignore it, you miss half the picture.
The Clinical Side
In therapy sessions, I track physical cues alongside words: holding tension, shallow breathing, and my own somatic responses. Early on, I focused on technical expertise, but experience taught me that I am the tool. Effective attunement requires being grounded in myself first.
My own therapy, meditation, surfing, and movement aren't wellness theater—they are professional upkeep. They allow me to remain truly present with clients rather than relying on clinical scripts.
Presence is the intervention.
What This Actually Looks Like
My colleague Dr. Neha Agrawal rightly critiques the commercialization of somatic therapy and mindfulness, yet these tools remain deeply effective when applied.
When working with a couple stuck in a repetitive conflict, somatic therapy shifts focus from cognitive arguments to bodily experience. A partner might notice a tight chest and clenched jaw; the other might feel a racing heart and stomach tension.
Exploring these internal responses creates space to pause and choose a new reaction instead of defaulting to old patterns.
This isn't magic. It's not trendy. It's just paying attention.
The Holistic Piece
Somatic work operates holistically alongside sleep, nutrition, relationships, medical health, and environment. It is one essential part of a broader picture.
The somatic work is part of it. Not all of it.
Why This Matters For You
For young men conditioned to operate purely logically, somatic awareness offers a practical reconnect to the body. For overwhelmed parents, it can be taking five conscious breaths to reset. For couples, it provides insight into automatic defensive reactions.
The Bottom Line
Despite being trend-driven, somatic work rests on a valid truth: your body holds knowledge your mind hasn't processed yet. Real healing happens when you show up, pay attention, and finally feel what's there.