5 Somatic Therapy Tools for Reducing Stress

This post was written by April Lyons of April Lyons Psychotherapy Group

It's simple to assume that your mind is to blame when it comes to mental health issues. However, studies have repeatedly demonstrated that our symptoms are not limited to that one location and that nothing is merely mental. Cellular processing typically handles memories, feelings, and experiences. During times of severe stress or worry, you may experience physical symptoms like anxious ticks. Even when you feel OK, your body keeps telling the tale.

Somatic therapy can be useful in this situation. When it comes to stress and mental health concerns, somatic therapy works well. It offers a different approach to symptom treatment than conventional talk therapy. Let's examine five typical methods.

Increasing Your Somatic Awareness

Teaching about body awareness is a key component of somatic therapy. This is an excellent place to start for any further somatic approaches. First, you learn how to recognize tension and how the body stores it. You also evaluate what can evoke feelings of security and serenity. Positive physical sensations can be enhanced and negative ones can be balanced with somatic awareness.

Scanning the Body

Body scanning is regarded as one of the fundamental methods of somatic treatment. This method aids in increasing awareness of the many body parts and sensations, such as stress, bodily sensations, and stored emotional reactions.

You will start by concentrating on that particular location in your mind. You'll address whatever feelings you may have as you work your way down, piece by piece. Do you have stress in your shoulders? Do your hands feel cooler than your body as a whole? Does your lower back feel particularly compressed?

You can better understand how stress is showing up in your body by using body scanning.

Exercises for Grounding

Another excellent technique to bring your body and mind back into the present is to do grounding exercises. This is frequently used to fight worry and stress, or if you start to feel overburdened. Simply recognizing how your feet feel on the floor can be the first step in this process.

Identifying the places of touch between your body and another surface may be one way. It frequently includes meditation, which enables you to center yourself and let go of unhelpful energy and/or emotions.

Another useful grounding method is breathwork, which uses appropriate breathing methods to help you control your body and relieve tension. It's crucial to keep in mind that it could take some time to become proficient at grounding exercises. Maintaining the procedure will assist you in the long run, even if you feel a little strange or like you're doing something incorrectly.

Movement-Based Therapy

Through a variety of activities, movement therapy helps you establish a connection with your body. Activities like yoga, tai chi, and dancing may fall under this category. These are movement-based exercises designed to help people express and let go of their inner feelings.

The goal of movement therapy is to help you let go of any stress and emotional burdens you may be carrying. Connecting your breath to your motions is essential for movement therapy to be effective. During your guided motions, you should also be mindful of any unfamiliar or strange feelings you may encounter.

Pendulation and Titration

Panic, anxiety, anger, irritation, and depression are just a few of the emotions that can show themselves as physical symptoms. You can feel disoriented, stranded, disconnected from your own reality, or out of sorts when one of these sets in.

Attempting to address such feelings from a conversational point of view isn't always the most effective method. By using this method, you can increase your resilience by switching between activation and regulation periods. To relieve tension in tiny doses, you alternate your attention between an upsetting and a non-stressful activity.

Tools for reducing stress and fostering growth can be found in somatic therapy. Even though some of these methods can appear simple, it's important to get professional help if needed. If you are struggling with stress and worry and would like some more guidance with somatic therapy please reach out today.

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Being Safe vs Feeling Safe: A Nervous System Guide (with horses)

By Lexie Glisson • January 31, 2026

Why You Can Be Safe but Not Feel Safe: And What Horses Mirror Safety isn’t just a thought. It’s a nervous system experience. There’s a big difference between being safe and feeling safe : Being safe means there’s no present-moment threat. Feeling safe means your nervous system agrees. If you’ve ever been in a totally normal moment, nothing dangerous is actually happening, but your body is acting like something is wrong, you’re not alone. You might notice a tight chest, foggy thinking, an urge to escape, or a sudden numbness. That’s often a conditioned response : an inner state that doesn’t match your outer reality. This is where a tool called dual awareness can help. What is dual awareness? A nervous system tool for feeling safe Dual awareness is when you place equal attention on your outer world and your inner world . It helps you check for congruence between: what’s actually happening right now, and what your nervous system is experiencing. When your inner experience matches your outer circumstances, you’re more likely to respond with choice and clarity. Step 1: How to check for safety in your environment Before we do anything internal, we start with the obvious question: Am I actually unsafe right now? If there’s a real present-moment threat, that’s not the time to talk yourself out of it. Your nervous system is doing its job. If you’re physically safe, here are a few gentle ways to orient to the present moment: What do I see right now? Where are my feet? What sounds do I hear? Step 2: How to check your breathing, body, and thoughts Next, shift your awareness inward and notice what’s happening without forcing it to change. Breath: fast, slow, shallow, deep Body: tense, relaxed, strained Thoughts: scattered, racing, absent, foggy, sharp, hyper-alert Then try naming your experience in a way that creates a little space: “A part of me feels scared.” “A part of me wants to leave.” Instead of: “I’m not safe.” This small shift can help you stay connected to what’s happening inside without becoming consumed by it. Step 3: How to tell if you are safe but not feeling safe Now that you’ve tuned into both your outer world and inner world, ask: Does my internal experience match my external circumstances? Being safe + feeling safe is a congruent state. Being safe + feeling unsafe is an incongruent state. Incongruence doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. It often means your nervous system is responding from old learning rather than present-moment reality. What horses mirror in equine-assisted therapy: congruence and nervous system state When working with horses, they can support this process by mirroring congruence or incoherence in real time. Horses are especially sensitive to authenticity. They don’t care if you’re sad, mad, bad, or glad. What matters most is whether your inner state is congruent with your outward expression. As you attempt to connect, you may notice patterns in how horses respond. Signs a horse may sense calm and congruence Turn toward you with soft eyes and gentle curiosity Eat or drink water (often a sign of rest and digest) Hold their head in a neutral or lowered position; ears forward or neutral Stand with a leg cocked or lie down to rest Signs a horse may sense stress, activation, or incongruence Become restless, busy, or more alert Lift their head or pin their ears back Break connection and move away Test boundaries by crowding your space or bumping you These are only a few examples, and it’s always more complex than one behavior. It’s about the whole scene: the context, the relationship, and the overall vibe. That’s also why it’s important to do this work with an experienced equine professional. In session, I use my own dual awareness to track what’s happening and help you and the horses move toward deeper congruence. How you rewire the nervous system: repetition and returning to the present Dual awareness helps you stay connected to yourself and your environment in the present moment without getting swallowed by a conditioned response based on the past. Every time you notice you’re elevated and you come back to reality, you’re reprogramming your nervous system. Every time you catch an old story and choose to reorient to the present moment, you’re reprogramming your nervous system. Every time you become aware that your body is reliving an old experience that doesn’t match what is actually happening right now, you’re building a new bridge. You’re learning to respond to the world as the mature adult you are, instead of like the younger part of you that didn’t know what to do. Therapy support in Boulder and Denver: equine-assisted therapy, EMDR, and nervous system work If you’ve been wondering why you can know you’re safe but not feel safe, you’re not alone, and it’s workable. Dual awareness is one of the ways we start building that bridge. Want support with this work, with or without horses? Reach out to schedule a consultation and we’ll explore what kind of therapy support fits best.