Somatic Therapy for Chronic Pain and Unexplained Fatigue
Chronic pain and unexplained fatigue are complex conditions. They can be linked to all sorts of physical changes in our bodies, but finding answers can leave you stuck, confused, or feeling like nobody is listening to you.
What’s really interesting though, is that research and clinical experience are now starting to draw attention to the connection between trauma, stress, and chronic pain and fatigue. Which I hope leads to better care for women struggling with day to day discomfort and those feelings of complete bone weary exhaustion so many of you come to me with.
As the medical sector starts to understand the female body better and the links between chronic pain and fatigue with our emotions, we may start to see a shift. Instead of telling us we’re fine, it’s just our age, offering us medication, or physical therapy, we may begin to experience a more holistic approach.
Somatic therapy and healing, a body-centred approach, stands at the forefront of this mind-body healing journey. Offering relief by acknowledging how our nervous system processes trauma and stress.
Trauma and the Body, An Unseen Connection
Trauma (or psychological wounding), whether resulting from a single distressing event or prolonged difficulties over a period of time, leaves an imprint not only on your psyche but also within your body.
When trauma occurs, the nervous system is activated into a heightened state of alert, commonly known as the fight, flight, or freeze response. While this response is lifesaving at the moment of trauma, if you never get chance to process, understand, and allow that activation to naturally flow through the body, you can get stuck in hyper- or hypoarousal (fight/flight or shut down). You get trapped in dysregulation, as your traumatised wounds of the past are repeatedly triggered in the present.
This dysregulation manifests physically, often through chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia, migraines, or unexplained musculoskeletal discomfort. The body essentially remembers the trauma, holding tension and restricting movement as a protective mechanism, which over time leads to persistent pain.
Stress as a Chronic Agitator
Stress, especially when it occurs over a long period of time, compounds the impact of trauma by keeping the nervous system in a state of activation. Cortisol and adrenaline are produced in higher quantities, breaking the feedback loop that allows these hormones to be reabsorbed by the body.
While cortisol is a very useful hormone, actually reducing inflammation when it is functioning normally, if it is being produced at high levels over time it can actually increase inflammation. This leads to reduced immune function, disrupted digestion, and change how you perceive pain. Your pain is amplified, threshold for pain is lowered, and natural healing processes are slowed.
As the delicate balance of hormones, reabsorption and natural nervous system flexibility is impacted by stress and trauma, a self-perpetuating cycle takes over. Pain and fatigue heightens stress, and stress intensifies pain and fatigue.
Healing Through the Body
Traditional talk therapy focuses on cognitive understanding and emotional processing but may overlook the body's role in trauma and stress. Somatic therapy and healing bridges this gap by tuning into bodily sensations and nervous system states, offering tools to reset and regulate.
Key Principles of Somatic Therapy:
Nervous System Awareness: You learn to recognise signs of dysregulation such as tension, breath changes, or numbness.
Body-Centred Techniques: Practices like mindful movement, breathwork, and gentle touch help release stored tension and trauma.
Integration of Internal Family Systems (IFS): This therapy complements somatic work by inviting internal parts or subpersonalities to share their often untold stories, facilitating inner dialogue and emotional healing.
Empowerment: You regain a sense of control over your physical and emotional experiences.
By addressing trauma somatically, this kind of therapy helps to recalibrate the nervous system back to its natural state of flexibility instead of stuckness. This holistic approach softens chronic pain and fatigue by attuning the nervous system back to ventral vagal state more easily. Gently alleviating tight muscles, restoring digestive health, reducing inflammation, and helping you rest, restfully.
Healing Begins With Listening to Your Body
I hope this article helps you to see how intricately the body is connected with the mind, our past, and our experiences. That how we experience life, our stories, and the narratives we internalise impact how our body functions, how we stand, hold ourselves, and move through life. It is this that affects how easeful our body feels and operates.
This means that somatic healing brings a unique focus on the body as both a holder of trauma and a gateway to feeling better and getting better at feeling. It offers hope to women who have struggled with persistent pain that conventional treatment hasn’t been able to help because it’s often looking in the wrong places and isn’t addressing the root cause.
Healing your mind through understanding your body is not just poetic, it’s a powerful path to reclaiming being well, being whole, becoming you again. If chronic pain and emotional distress feel intertwined in your life, exploring somatic therapy could be the transformative step toward lasting relief.
I invite you to book a free 30 minute consultation with me to explore your concerns together.
