Why Is a Mind-Body Therapy Approach Necessary?
Have you ever felt really overwhelmed, anxious, or sad and you try to talk yourself into feeling better? Was it challenging or perhaps didn’t work at all? That’s because or bodies do not speak the same language that we do. We first need to support our bodies in feeling self before we’re able to logically consider, in verbal terms, what’s happening.
Let me tell you a little story. In 2013, my first daughter was born. The year that followed was the toughest, most stressful year of my life. I was a mostly isolated, unprepared new Mom with a very colicky, high needs baby that rarely slept (which means I didn’t either) and an inadequate support system. When people asked me how I was feeling, even with all of my training, I didn’t know how to put it into words back then. At the time, postpartum depression was relatively well-known but very few people, even doctors and mental health professionals, talked about perinatal anxiety or trauma. I used to tell people that my entire nervous system felt like it was on fire.
One day, several months into my parenting journey, my little one at home with my partner, I was looking at clothing in a children’s store at a mall in Ottawa. Another Mom was there with her baby. That baby starting crying. And if you’ve ever had a colicky baby or one with reflux you know that it’s most definitely not a regular cry - it’s primal and meant to get your attention. My attention it certainly got. My heart rate increased, my body tingled, my shoulders and jaw tensed. I felt flooded with adrenaline, on the brink of tears and panic, and it wasn’t even my baby. I lasted maybe 60 seconds before I literally ran out of the store.
I was seeing a therapist at the time who used solely a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approach. I told her about this incident and she proceeded to ask me what I was thinking in that moment. I couldn’t answer her. I wasn’t thinking about anything, other than eventually hearing a voice inside of my head that told me to “get out.” The sensations and emotions of the moment had completely overridden my conscious thought. The thoughts came later; thoughts that involved a whole lot of “what’s wrong with me?” and “I should be able to handle this.”
Emotional Dysregulation and the Body
The body keeps the score.You may have heard this phrase, coined by MD Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, Psychiatrist. What it means is that our brains aren’t always in charge and that our body stores memories and trauma. This leads to physical sensations.
These sensations, if not processed, might then result in behaviour exhibited by the body, such as clenching, wringing the hands, pacing or bouncing, tapping of feet, fidgeting, nausea, headaches, etc. When it becomes completely overwhelming and/or prolonged, it can result in emotional responses - fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses - which is our body’s natural defence system to a threat. Our brain and body work together and is hardwired to respond to a threat and keep us safe. This has been shaped not just by multiple events in our individual life but also throughout the entirety of human history as we evolved.
The key word above, however, is “perceived.” It’s easier to logically understand how our nervous system would respond in the face of more obvious dangers, such as accidents, war, and violence for example. However, the thoughts that our brains generate can lead us to perceive something as a threat, even if it may not cause us immediate harm. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help us with questioning and reframing these sometimes unhelpful thoughts.
The Benefits of Blending Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with Somatic Approaches
As people are complex, I believe that diverse therapeutic approaches usually have the best outcomes and this is what I’ve seen in my clients, as well as personally. CBT focuses on the link between our thoughts, behaviours and emotions. Somatic therapy emphasises the mind-body connection and addresses physical and emotional aspects of mental health. Combining the two results in a more comprehensive and effective approach to healing.
By focusing on bodily sensations and physical skills to help with emotional regulation (i.e. reducing and managing those fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses), we slow ourselves down. This can enhance the effectiveness of CBT aimed at identifying and changing negative thought patterns or beliefs stemming from past experiences, which impact our current reality. Moreover, particularly following trauma, some people may feel numb or experience dissociation - a disconnect from their body and environment. Somatic approaches help increase body and emotional awareness, which is necessary to help cognitively process and cope with painful events, as well manage daily stresses.
I hope that you found this explanation helpful! Are you in need of support? I’m a Registered Social Worker providing therapy in Ottawa, as well as virtually to anyone in Ontario. I specialise in helping mothers before and during the perinatal period, as well as women facing challenges in midlife. If you’re interested in a complimentary consult to learn more about how we could work together, please reach out.
