The Healing Power of Being in Your Body – Episode 485
Ted discusses the work of Dr. Peter A. Levine, the developer of Somatic Experiencing, as well as the healing that is available when we allow ourselves to be in our bodies in an intentional and present way.
There is a great source of wisdom and intelligence for us in our human bodies. If we can connect with and be present to our bodies, we can get information and guidance that can help us not only let go of emotional wounds but guide us in our journey through life.
Ted also talks about he helps his clients to release trauma, pain and anxiety his practice by helping his clients re-connect or re-inhabit their bodies in a healing and powerful way.
If you have trauma, pain or anxiety, or are interested in the power of the mind body connection, check out this episode!
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I was listening to a popular podcast called “10% Happier with Dan Harris”. His guest was Dr. Peter A. Levine, who has spent the last 50 years developing Somatic Experiencing.
I encourage you to check out this podcast (Sept. 5th, 2025) as well as the work of Dr. Peter Levine, especially if you have a history of trauma, chronic physical symptoms such as gut issues or if you are interested in the current exploration of the body connection as it relates to trauma and chronic pain. In this podcast, Dr. Levine explains the basics of Somatic Experiencing and how to do it.
You can also learn more at somaticexperiencing.com
In short, Somatic Experiencing (SE), is a body-oriented psychotherapy developed by Peter Levine, that helps resolve trauma by focusing on physical sensations to release stored stress in the nervous system. It uses techniques including body awareness, through “bottom-up” processing. This builds the client’s ability to stay present and feel safe within their body. SE can alleviate symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.
A “bottom-up” approach, means that it starts by addressing the physical sensations of trauma rather than the emotions or thoughts. This helps to regulate the nervous system and prevent overwhelm.
I have just purchased Peter Levine’s book titled An Autobiography of Trauma because I find that helping clients to re-inhabit their bodies is a powerful way to release trauma from the body.
This is a very important topic to me and in my practice and that’s why I’m sharing this with you.
I was introduced to Dr. Levine’s work in my recent training at the Hypnosis Motivation Institute through the second year of the program, where I received a degree in Mind Body Psychology.
I want to be clear that as a hypnotherapist, I’m not trained yet in Somatic Experiencing which is a professional training program. However, I’ve come to see the incredible power of re-inhabiting or re-occupying the physical body in a very intentional way.
There is a great source of wisdom and intelligence for us in our human bodies. If we can connect with and be present to our bodies, we can get information and guidance that can help us not only let go of emotional wounds but guide us in our journey through life.
As a modern society, we have become so disconnected from our bodies that we end up “stuck in our heads”, relying solely on thinking and logic to navigate the challenges of life and trying to find answers, direction and validation of our choices amid the clutter of our minds. Often, we find ourselves in ” analysis paralysis”, unable to make a decision, confused and unsure. However, the body knows and will try to tell us what we need to know, first as feelings, hunches or discomfort, but eventually, as pain or even dis-ease.
There is a reason we have phrases such as “trust your gut” or “listen to your heart” or “the answers are within”. We have a collective sense that there is an intuitive wisdom that comes along with the vehicle that carries us through life that we call our bodies.
But often, we resist this wisdom. The body is always talking to us but often we don’t hear. We don’t want to hear because we don’t want to feel discomfort, unease or the sense that something is not right. We would rather have someone tell us what to do, or read a book, or look it up on the internet. And when the message from our body gets too loud (Hey!!! This is not working for us!! How about a headache or back ache to get your attention?) we shut it down with medication or engage in any of a myriad of distractions from what our bodies are trying to tell us. We can become so disconnected from our bodies that we end up repressing our feelings to the point where they come out as pain or discomfort.
The mind and the body are not two separate things. What we have is a bodymind.
This idea has been a fringe idea, the belief that the mind and body are connected as part of the same process, having a profound influence on each other. The idea that trauma, or chronic depression or longstanding anxiety, can influence or even be the root of diseases processes such as cancer, is now an idea that is becoming more mainstream through the work of people such as Peter Levine, Caroline Myss and Gabor Mate to name just a few.
We can learn to regulate our nervous systems through greater attention to the sensations of the body. This can be an effective way to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain and trauma.
In the case of trauma, we have a tendency to think of trauma as psychological. But trauma is very much stored in the body.
Even though I am not trained in Somatic Experiencing (yet), I can still work with my clients to help them feel and re-connect with their bodies to release anxiety, trauma and pain.
First and foremost, the hypnotic state is a somatic experience. While in hypnosis, people get a chance to slow down, calm the mental chatter, and allow the body to release tension, stress and pressure. The hypnotic state is a venting state, venting meaning release. Almost everyone at the end of their hypnotherapy session says that they feel better, more relaxed and more emotionally calm.
But you don’t need to be in hypnosis to connect with your body in a meaningful and powerful way. Yoga is another way as well as any kind of mindful exercise or movement of the body. I say mindful because the idea here is to be rooted and present to the sensations of the body.
In my hypnotherapy practice, even before we do the hypnosis part, I’ll have my clients sit in a chair, close their eyes and just focus on the breath. This is a fundamental way to reconnect with the body.
Then, I’ll ask them, what are feeling in your body? What are the sensations? I give them an opportunity to be present in their bodies and feel what they’re feeling without being afraid or wanting to check out or engage in the story of why they are feeling this way. This can be very hard for some people but it gets easier with practice.
For example, I was working with a woman recently who was having a lot of tension in her neck and shoulders. As she allowed herself to feel the tension, I asked her if there was any accompanying emotion. She said she was present to the feeling of worry.
I asked her to maintain her attention on the feeling of worry. Through this exploration of the feelings in her body, she realized that she was worried about her husband staying wanting to say married to her. There was no reason at all for her to worry about this, they had a good, solid loving marriage. However, she was able to identify this concern deep inside and let it go. The tension and pressure in her shoulders released as she released the worry that she didn’t even knew she had.
Obviously, there is a lot more that can be said about this type of work, and I’ll continue to address this topic in the future.
I just want to give you something to think about. And a recommendation: take time to be in your body. Slowly, mindfully, with presence. Do breathing exercises. Do some gentle stretching every day. Take mindful walks out in nature. Do yoga. Walk barefoot outside. Sit in the sun. Dance. Hug your people and your pets a lot more.
You won’t regret the feeling of integration that comes from having a felt sense of your body.
If you are challenged by anxiety, feeling unsafe in your body, or feel that you are disconnected from your body, , request a complimentary consultation. Go to https://Tedmoreno.com/contact and he’ll get back to you in 48 hours to schedule your consultation and schedule your first hypnotherapy session.
Illustration by Martin Mancha
I’ll leave you with a quote by Dr. Peter Levine:
“Trauma is perhaps the most avoided, ignored, belittled, denied, misunderstood, and untreated cause of human suffering.”
Thanks so much for reading, just a reminder that you can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel @TedAMoreno or listen to this podcast on Spotify, Apple podcasts, Soundcloud or TedinYourHead.com.
Take care and I’ll talk to you soon.
Ted
