The term somatics is being used more and more frequently lately, so let's clarify it. However, if you do not have direct experience with somatic work, know that it will be very difficult for you to understand what somatics actually is.
The pioneer of somatics, Thomas Hanna, coined the term "soma" (from Greek soma = body) in 1970 to offer a new perspective on the human body. He wanted to see the body not as an object but as a subject that can experience itself.
"The body perceives itself - from within," he said.
In other words, he suggested that there exists a bodily awareness through which the body experiences itself. This was a huge step towards unifying the Cartesian split between body and mind.
(René Descartes named this split with the well-known phrase "I think, therefore I am," which actually describes the Western assumption of the mind over the body and the suppression of physicality and instincts.)
Thus, the term somatics or the science of the body emerged, centering the personal experience.
So far, we know that:
- There is bodily awareness of the body about itself.
- Bodily awareness is governed by a deeper organic intelligence.
- The body and mind are not separate from each other but exist as a continuum.
- For growth, development, healing, and evolution, we need both.
It is paradoxical that we often need to use abstract concepts to explain something as tangible as the somatic experience. It is not abstract in reality at all, but without direct experience, it seems that way. Our cognition is simply not sufficient; it lacks an entire dimension – the experiential one.
Do you feel safe in their presence?
Do they shape your experience for you, or do they allow you to shape it and name it in your own words?
Do you trust their knowledge and lived experience?
Do they feel natural and easy to relate to?
Do they evoke feelings of inferiority or superiority — or do you experience yourself as their equal, held in the same dignity?
Do you feel they can truly hold your experience?
Do you feel safe enough to surrender to your process in their presence?
Does your direct, lived experience matter more to them than their concepts, frameworks, or explanations?