Easing Anxiety Through Somatic Therapy: When the Body Speaks First

In therapy, we usually start with words,  the stories about what happened or how we feel. But sometimes, the body speaks first.

In a session, we explored how anxiety can surface through physical sensations long before the mind catches up. My client described episodes of light-headedness, nausea, and panic that seemed to arise “out of nowhere”. These moments felt unpredictable and frightening, as if her body suddenly took over.

We began slowly, titrating our focus between talking and sensing. As she described her experiences, subtle body cues began to appear: tingling, tightening in the chest, and an urge to move her legs. We paused often, helping her orient to the room — feeling her feet on the ground, the texture of the couch, the fresh air from the window — simple but powerful ways to remind the nervous system that this moment is safe.

As we stayed curious about her body’s responses, fragments of implicit memory began to emerge, a body-memory linked to times in childhood when she was left in suspense, unsure when comfort or connection would return. We didn’t need to analyse or interpret this too much. Instead, we stayed with the sensations, noticing how they rose and fell, how her system could come into activation and then settle again.

This is the essence of somatic therapy: learning to listen to the body’s story without forcing or fixing. Through gentle awareness and pacing, the body begins to show where tension, fear, or old survival energy has been held. As these sensations are noticed and allowed, rather than suppressed, the nervous system learns that it can move through activation and safely return to calm. Over time, this builds trust in the body’s natural rhythm of regulation.

Through this process, she discovered how movement could bring relief through shaking her legs when she felt lightheaded, rubbing her arms when her chest tightened, or placing a hand over her heart when waves of fear appeared. These became her resources, helping her reconnect with a sense of agency and calm when alone.

Together we mapped how her body signalled escalation — the tightening, the racing thoughts — and how she knew when things were settling again — a deeper breath, a softening in the shoulders, a steadier focus. The process wasn’t about eliminating anxiety, but about building trust in her capacity to “ride the wave” and return to balance.

Somatic work unfolds slowly, moment by moment. By listening to the body in this titrated way, we can uncover patterns that words alone can’t reach. All it takes is curiosity, slowing down, and the bravery to sense deep within. And even when that feels too threatening, there is already enough present to start the work.  Safety and control can be felt, not forced.

Author note:

Dr Carien Lubbe is a psychologist in private practice in Tauranga, Aotearoa New Zealand. Her clinical work integrates Somatic Experiencing®, trauma-informed psychology, and nervous system regulation, with a particular interest in embodied approaches to healing and emotional resilience.