Therapy That Actually Works: How Holistic & Somatic Therapy Goes Deeper

By Melody Wright, LMFT

I know what it’s like to feel stuck. 

To want change so badly but feel like nothing is working. 

Maybe you’ve tried therapy before, hoping it would help you break free from anxiety, trauma, or emotional pain.

Maybe you’ve spent months, or even years, talking about your struggles, understanding your triggers, and working through your past. 

But despite all of that effort, you still don’t feel better.

You don’t want to waste time in therapy that just scratches the surface, you want real healing.

If any of this resonates, you’ve come to the right place.

The truth is, traditional talk therapy can be helpful, but for many people, it doesn’t go deep enough. 

That’s because healing isn’t just about talking, it’s about working with your unique nervous system, and your emotions in a way that creates lasting change. 

That’s exactly what holistic and somatic therapy offers.

Why Traditional Talk Therapy Often Falls Short

If you’ve ever walked out of a therapy session feeling like you just vented for an hour but didn’t actually shift anything, you know how frustrating it can be.

Talk therapy focuses primarily on thoughts and behaviors, which can help you understand your struggles, but understanding alone doesn’t always create change. 

You may end up feeling:

• Emotionally stuck – You know why you feel the way you do, but the pain doesn’t go away.
  

• Disconnected from your body – You experience stress, anxiety, or trauma physically, but therapy didn’t address the root cause that actually led to real change and growth.
  

• Frustrated by looping conversations – You talk about the same issues over and over, but nothing really changes.
  

• Triggered and dysregulated – No matter how much insight you gain, your body still reacts in ways you can’t control.

You may experience these things because trauma, anxiety, and emotional wounds don’t just live in your mind, they are stored in your nervous system and body. 

If therapy only addresses your thoughts and behaviors, it’s missing half the picture.

If You’ve Tried Talk Therapy But Still Feel Stuck…

You’re not broken and you’re not failing therapy. 

The truth is, some therapy models aren’t designed to fully heal underlying trauma, anxiety, and deep emotional pain.

Let’s say you’ve experienced something painful in the past, maybe childhood neglect, a toxic relationship, or a traumatic event. 

Even if you’ve processed it in therapy, your body might still be holding onto the experience.

• Your nervous system learned to stay in fight-or-flight mode.

• Your body reacts to triggers before your mind can catch up.

• Your emotions feel overwhelming or completely shut down.

• You feel disconnected or numb when emotional triggers rise, almost like you’re frozen. 

This is why just talking about it isn’t enough. 

You need an approach that helps your body and nervous system process and release what’s been stuck for years.

If You’re Just Starting Therapy, Here’s Why You Should Choose Somatic & Holistic Therapy First

Maybe you’re new to therapy, and you’re wondering:

• Will therapy actually help me?

• What’s the best approach for deep healing?

• How do I know if I’m choosing the right kind of therapy?

The reality is that many people start therapy with high hopes, only to feel disappointed when they don’t experience real change.

Or they might feel better for a while, only to find that the issues they thought they had moved past resurface again.

By starting with somatic and holistic therapy, you can finally do deeper inner work with a therapist who understands healing on the mind, body, and spirit levels. 

Rather than feeling stuck or disconnected, you’ll have the support to get to the root of your struggles, break old patterns, and create real, lasting change.

What Makes Holistic and Somatic Therapy So Effective?

Unlike traditional therapy, which focuses mainly on thoughts and behaviors, holistic and somatic therapy treats you as a whole person - mind, body, and spirit. 

While every holistic and somatic therapist has their own approach, here’s what this kind of therapy typically looks like: 

• Mind-Body Connection – You’ll learn how to tune into your body’s signals, release stored emotions, and restore balance from within.
  
  

• Real-Time Healing – Instead of just gaining insight, you’ll practice techniques that create immediate shifts in how you feel in the present moment.
  
  

• Nervous System Regulation – Anxiety, trauma, and stress get wired into your body. This approach teaches you how to physically shift out of survival mode and into a state of calm.
  
  

• Spiritual Alignment – Healing isn’t just psychological; it’s also about reconnecting with what gives you meaning, purpose, and a sense of wholeness, whether that’s through mindfulness, nature, creativity, a higher power, or something deeply personal to you.
  
  

•  Breaking the Cycle – If you’ve felt stuck in an endless loop of self-analysis, somatic therapy can help you uncover what’s beneath the surface and create lasting change.

This isn’t just about managing symptoms, it’s about deep transformation.

Why Where You Choose To Do Therapy Matters

Where you receive therapy is just as important as the type of therapy you choose. Many people feel frustrated with therapy—not because it doesn’t work, but because the system itself can make it harder to heal.

Large, corporate, and insurance-based therapy practices often prioritize efficiency, which can sometimes lead to:

• Limited sessions based on insurance policies rather than actual need

• High caseloads that make personalized care difficult

• A feeling of being just another number rather than a person with unique needs

While not every large practice operates this way, these systemic challenges can make it harder to receive the deep, transformative care you deserve.

Here at Life By Design Therapy™, we do things differently. We offer:

• Personalized care – You aren’t rushed through sessions or treated like just another client. Your healing journey is at the center of our work.
  
  

• More freedom & flexibility – Since we don’t rely on insurance to dictate care, we can focus on what’s actually effective for you.
  
  

• A deeper connection with your therapist – Healing happens in relationships, and we ensure that you have the time and space to feel truly supported.
  
  

• A holistic approach – We integrate the body, mind, and nervous system to create lasting healing rather than just addressing surface-level symptoms.

When you’re working through something as deep as trauma, anxiety, or emotional pain, you deserve a space where you are truly seen, heard, and supported.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’ve tried therapy before and felt stuck, or you’re just beginning your journey, one thing is clear, you don’t have to keep struggling and you don’t have to stay in survival mode.

There is a way to heal that doesn’t just focus on talking, analyzing, or managing symptoms. 

It’s about truly transforming how you feel in your body and in your life.

Holistic and somatic therapy are not just alternatives; they are the pathways that create deep, lasting change, and allow you to design the life you desire.

If you’re ready to experience the healing that works and work with a premier therapy center,

This Weeks Affirmations

1. I am not broken; my body and nervous system are simply seeking safety and balance.

2. I honor my body’s wisdom and trust that healing happens in layers.

3. I no longer have to just manage my symptoms, I am capable of true transformation.

4. I am worthy of a therapy experience where I feel truly seen, heard, and supported.

5. Healing is not just in my mind, it’s in my body, and I am learning to release and restore.

Additional Resources 

**If you’re interested in learning more about mind-body healing check out these books below:

1. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk M.D

2. Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine

3. Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation by Deb Dana

4. The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture by Gabor Maté

5. When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress by Gabor Maté

6. Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

7. The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain by Dr. John E. Sarno

8. Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine by Candace Pert

9. How to Do the Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal from Your Past, and Create Your Self by Dr. Nicole LePera

10.  It Didn’t Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn

**Some product links are affiliate links, which means we'll receive a commission if you purchase through our link, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here.

Decoding Responses – Personality or Products of Trauma?

By Melody Wright, LMFT

The moment we experience something traumatic, whether an event or endure prolonged exposure to stress, our brains begin to program themselves to survive. We develop ways to respond to keep us safe. Whether we’re considering our minds, bodies, and emotions we naturally develop ways to protect ourselves. These are called trauma responses. 

Interestingly, we can become so used to feeling the need to protect ourselves that our trauma responses become what some consider their personalities. Have you ever considered yourself a people pleaser? Or maybe you feel the need to take control of every situation you’re in. These can oftentimes be thought of as “just who you are”, however, these could also be trauma responses. Just as Bessel van der Kolk wrote, “Trauma comes back as a reaction, not a memory.” Trauma is like a puzzle, and knowing how you respond is like finding the first piece. It’s not about labeling yourself, it’s about becoming aware and learning how to cope and find healing and resilience. In this blog, we will explore four common trauma responses and how to navigate them. 

Fight: Confronting the Storm

The fight response looks a lot like it sounds. When confronted with perceived danger, some of us instinctively activate the fight response. This response is a response of self-preservation. It can manifest as a surge of adrenaline, a sharpening of focus, and an intense readiness.

If you have a predominant fight response you might find yourself prone to confrontations, whether verbal or physical. You may become assertive, defensive, or even hostile when faced with challenges. While this response can be adaptive in certain situations, it can also lead to relationship difficulties and a heightened state of stress. However, this response can reveal itself in other ways like publicly outing a cheating partner or spreading a rumor about a coworker who upset you. 

Flight: Seeking Safety in Escape

Have you ever found yourself attempting to deny emotions that might come up in you? Or maybe you retreat to somewhere you find safe if you are confronted with an uncomfortable situation. This is the flight response. Just like fight, flight is a survival mechanism, used to protect oneself from perceived harm. Suppose the flight response is prominent for you. In that case, you might find that you immerse yourself in your studies to keep yourself occupied, proactively creating an escape plan whenever you enter a new place, or maybe drowning out arguments with music. 

For those who feel they are perfectionist, you might find flight is your go-to trauma response because there is an underlying desire to prevent people from criticizing you. You avoid confrontation. This can also make relationships challenging. Those who experience flight, tend to end relationships that might feel threatening to them. For example, you break up with them before they can break up with you. 

Freeze: The Paralysis of Overwhelm

When thinking about the freeze response, think about the scene from The Notebook where Noah asks Allie “What do you want” and she responds “It’s not that simple!”. Allie is having a hard time expressing her needs and is feeling indecisive. Many people who experience the freeze response tend to have issues with expressing their needs and making decisions. This is because your brain presses the pause button but continues to remain alert. For those who experience the freeze response, you might find that you physically detach from the world by sleeping or not leaving your home. Some people even mentally check out by utilizing disassociation. 

Fawn: The Dance of People-Pleasing

Do you ever find yourself consistently feeling the need to “keep the peace”? If you answered “yes”, more than likely your trauma response is to fawn. Those who experience this response might find themselves doing whatever they can to keep others around them happy to avoid friction. You might find that boundaries around your own needs are very difficult to hold or communicate about. This can include doing whatever your partner tells you even if you don’t want to, or doing whatever you can to keep your manager happy to avoid confrontation. 

Navigating Your Trauma Response

Becoming aware of your trauma response is a pivotal step toward healing and growth. After reading through the different responses, maybe you found yourself identifying with more than one. This is normal. Your trauma responses can change over time and vary between different people involved or situations that arise. Here are a few steps you can take to navigate your trauma response and begin to heal. 

1. Self-Reflection: Take time to reflect on your typical responses in challenging situations. Do you tend to fight, flee, freeze, or fawn? You might find it helpful to keep a journal of the different situations you come up against and how you respond.

2. Mindfulness Practices: Engage in mindfulness and grounding techniques to stay present and connected to your body. Practices such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga can help regulate your nervous system and reduce the intensity of trauma responses.

3. Seek Therapeutic Support: Seeking therapy can provide a safe space to explore and understand your trauma response. A therapist can offer guidance, support, and tools to help you navigate the impact of past experiences on your present behavior.

4. Cultivate Healthy Coping Mechanisms: Replace unhealthy coping mechanisms with healthier alternatives. This might include practicing self-compassion, setting boundaries, and developing effective communication skills.

Final Thoughts 

Recognizing the way you respond to stress is a powerful way to start your self-growth journey. Once you engage with awareness you are then able to take proactive steps to foster resilience and cultivate a healthier, more balanced life. Whether you tend to fight, flee, freeze, or fawn, embracing your unique response with compassion and a commitment to growth is the key to transforming the impact of trauma on your present and future self.

Life By Design Therapy has therapists with trauma-informed lenses to support your journey through healing. If you’re ready to begin that journey CLICK HERE to schedule a phone consultation with a therapist today. 

Affirmations for Trauma

1. I release the hold that trauma has on me, and I embrace the power of my own resilience. 

2. I trust in my ability to cope with difficult emotions, and I allow myself the space to feel and heal. 

3.  I let go of shame and guilt; they have no place in my journey toward healing.

4. I am reclaiming control over my life, and I choose to focus on the positive possibilities ahead.

5. I am resilient, and my strength grows with each challenge I overcome.

Additional Resources

1. When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection by Gabor Maté M.D.

2. What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by  Stephanie Foo 

3. No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model by Richard Schwartz Ph.D. 

4. Don't Believe Everything You Think: Why Your Thinking Is The Beginning & End Of Suffering (Beyond Suffering) by Joseph Nguyen

5. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk M.D

6. Trauma and Recovery by Judith L. Herman

7. Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine

8. The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity" by Nadine Burke Harris

9. What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing By Oprah Winfrey

10. It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn