Interview with Staci Haines
Somatic work doesn’t happen in a vacuum. What we carry in our bodies is shaped by what we’ve lived through personally and by the environments we’ve been formed inside of. Stress, fear, and disconnection aren’t just “in our heads.” They show up in patterns we learn to survive: how we brace, how we breathe, how we push through, how we scan for danger, or how we shut down when life feels like too much.
When we look at trauma through this wider lens, the questions change. Instead of only asking, “What’s wrong with me?” we start asking, “What happened to me?” and “What helped me survive?” Somatic healing becomes not only about symptom relief, but also about reclaiming dignity, agency, and connection.
“Soma” Means Wholeness, Not Just Sensation
Somatics isn’t just noticing sensations. It’s relating to the whole organism. Our thoughts, emotions, body sensations, and relationships are intertwined. When basic needs like safety, belonging, and respect are threatened, our nervous systems adapt in ways that make perfect sense at the time. We contract. We armor. We people-please. We become hypervigilant. We disconnect from our bodies because feeling becomes too risky.
The challenge is that these adaptations can outlive the original danger. We might logically know we’re safe, but our bodies don’t fully believe it yet. That’s why insight alone often isn’t enough. The patterns we’re trying to shift are stored in breath, posture, muscle tension, and reflexive responses. Somatic work helps us meet those patterns with curiosity instead of shame, and it gives us practical ways to update the nervous system from the inside out.
A Gentle Entry Point: Contract And Release
For many people, “dropping into the body” doesn’t feel soothing at first. It can feel overwhelming, uncomfortable, or simply unfamiliar. A helpful starting point is respecting the contraction before trying to change it. Instead of forcing openness, we acknowledge the body’s protective intelligence: “Of course you tightened. Of course you braced. That was your way of taking care of yourself.”
From there, we can teach the nervous system contrast through a simple practice: contract and release. We gently tense the hands, arms, or shoulders for a few seconds, then soften and notice what changes. We can repeat this with the chest or belly, always tracking what feels supportive. The goal isn’t to “do it right.” The goal is to build a relationship with sensation that isn’t all-or-nothing. The body learns that tension can rise, and it can also settle.
Resilience Is Something We Practice On Purpose
Resilience isn’t only something we have or don’t have. It’s also something we can strengthen deliberately. One powerful way is reconnecting with a memory of aliveness: a moment of joy, awe, love, safety, or belonging. The key is to enter it through the senses. What do we see? What do we hear? What do we smell? What do we feel in the body as we return to that moment?
When we embody the memory instead of only describing it, the nervous system often responds quickly. We might feel warmth in the chest, a softening in the face, or a deeper breath. Over time, this becomes a repeatable skill: we practice resourcing, and we practice letting our bodies actually receive it. Even small, consistent practices like this can rebuild a baseline of steadiness.
Rebuilding Safety Through Boundaries And Connection
Safety grows through practice, not just understanding. One pathway is learning boundaries as embodied skills. We practice different kinds of “no.” We notice what it feels like to create space, to redirect pressure, or to ask for what we need. We learn to sense the difference between collapsing into compliance and standing in our own center.
Another pathway is relational safety. Because we’re wired for connection, healing often requires a felt sense of support, not just an idea of it. Being believed matters. Being accompanied matters. Sometimes safety looks like someone standing beside us while we feel what we’ve had to carry alone.
The Takeaway
Somatic healing is a way of coming home to ourselves with steadiness and respect. We don’t force the body to “move on.” We help it learn new options: contraction and release, protection and connection, boundaries and belonging. And if what you’re carrying feels connected to past experiences that still live in your nervous system, you don’t have to sort through it alone. You can learn more about support options on our Trauma Therapy page.