Somatic therapy is highly effective at helping people cope and work through trauma. You might wonder if it can offer the same benefits to autistic people.
Somatic therapy can assist autistic individuals who’ve experienced trauma since this therapy focuses on the mind and body connection.
This approach is suitable for autistic people who may have difficulty with other forms of therapy. Keep reading to learn more!
Increasing Body Awareness
Somatic therapy is good for increasing body awareness. It helps patients better understand their bodies and experiences, which is essential for those with autism.
If an autistic patient struggles with bodily sensations, they can learn to recognize and understand their physical responses during treatment.
They’ll also learn more about how trauma impacted their bodies since we tend to hold onto stress within ourselves. This can be more challenging for those with autism due to interoception issues.
It is essential to work with a professional who can guide them through understanding how their bodies feel.
Overall, increasing bodily awareness can be helpful for autistic people. It’s the first step in Somatic therapy, so new patients spend quite a lot of time working on this skill.
Learning Self-Regulation Skills
Next, Somatic therapy can help with self-regulation skills, especially for those who struggle with anxiety.
Trauma can also lead to emotional dysregulation, so having soothing techniques to rely on can improve a person’s overall well-being and help them live their daily lives without stress.
Self-regulation in Somatic therapy involves being able to recognize various bodily sensations and control them. For example, it can teach people to manage their heart rates and breathing.
Plus, it can help people identify that they have tense muscles and need to relax.
These skills are crucial to people with autism who’ve suffered trauma.
Regulating Sensory Issues
Sensory issues are common among autistic people. These sensitivities can become more intense after trauma takes place.
Somatic therapy helps with learning how to regulate sensory problems. It teaches grounding techniques, which can help when someone’s feeling overwhelmed, and lets them manage these feelings.
These techniques can empower autistic people and help them feel more in control of their bodies.
Teaching Self-Care
Somatic therapy asks you to check in with yourself, opening many opportunities for self-care. It teaches you to emphasize yourself and can help those with autism gain a stronger sense of agency over their mental health.
Many people find this empowering, especially if they feel overwhelmed due to a traumatic experience.
Overall, autistic people can benefit since they’ll learn to check in with their bodies and emotions and develop skills to care for their physical and emotional health.
Assisting With Non-Verbal Communication
Somatic therapy can be helpful when it comes to non-verbal communication. Many autistic people use unique communication methods and may not use verbal communication.
This type of therapy can help with communicating using body language.
That way, an autistic person can better express themself and feel more comfortable doing so. A Somatic therapist will work with their communication methods and help them express their trauma in healthy ways.
Processing Trauma
Process trauma is hard for everyone. You’d need to work through several stages to reach acceptance.
However, this can be especially difficult for autistic people as they tend to have a different way of processing things. They may have vivid flashbacks or increased anxiety due to the trauma.
Trauma is stored in the mind and body, and an autistic person may struggle to express these feelings.
Somatic therapy gives them the tools to process their trauma healthily. Some techniques that can help include breathwork and mindfulness.
Using somatic therapy methods allows patients to recognize stress in their body, which is essential to processing it and healing.
How Autistic People Express Trauma
Understanding how autistic people may express their trauma will help determine if Somatic therapy is right for them. Here are a few ways they may do this:
- Behavioral changes, including irritability or regression
- Heightened sensitivities
- Repetitive behaviors and fixating on specific topics to cope with trauma
- Emotional dysregulation, including anxiety, fear, meltdowns, and shutdowns
Heightened sensitivities to specific triggers associated with their trauma can make therapy challenging. Make sure to speak with your therapist about these issues, and they’ll come up with another option for you to still benefit from the treatment.
Is Somatic Therapy Effective With Autistic People?
Somatic therapy can be very effective at treating trauma in autistic people. However, there are several factors to consider.
Consider Sensory Sensitivities
Many people with autism have sensory sensitivities, which can impact how Somatic therapy affects them.
Somatic therapy techniques use touch and motion, making it feel overwhelming to those with sensory issues. The patient must work with a therapist who knows and can adapt to these needs.
The therapy can be very effective, but the therapist should be willing to work with their patient’s needs to give them the most benefits.
Impact of Therapist’s Expertise
The therapist’s experiences can also impact how successful the therapy is for the patient. You’ll need to find a therapist who works with other autistic individuals and has experience with their unique needs.
You also want to ensure the therapist provides a safe environment where patients receive the support and care they need.
It helps to research the therapist online, read reviews, and speak with them before the first therapy session whenever possible. A qualified therapist that understands both autism and trauma will provide the most effective Somatic therapy treatments.
Somatic Therapy is Effective for Trauma
To summarize, somatic therapy is very effective for trauma, especially for people with autism. It can help them process and express their feelings and bodily sensations easier.
Which is very important since the trauma is stored in the body.
Overall, the therapist can also impact the effectiveness of Somatic therapy.
You’ll need to choose a therapist with experience with autistic people before you or the patient sign up. If you do, you’ll have a much better experience.