Talk therapy or Somatic therapy? Which kind of therapy should I choose?

There’s a ton of talk about talk therapy vs. somatic therapy and which approach is the way to go. Before starting therapy, it can be helpful to understand a bit more about both terms and what feels supportive for your needs and goals. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. At The Tides Therapy I offer a blend of both. The focus shifts based on the individual’s need.

Talk Therapy

Talk therapy is what most people picture when they think of therapy...a collaborative conversation with a therapist to explore your thoughts, emotions, experiences, and relationships. It can help you better understand yourself, process experiences, and develop new perspectives and ways of coping.

There are many kinds of talk therapies, some examples are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which helps identify and shift thought and behavior patterns and Internal Family Systems (IFS), which explores the nuanced "parts" of ourselves with curiosity and compassion.

Pros

• Can help you better understand your thoughts, emotions, relationships, and patterns.

• Offers practical tools and strategies for navigating life's challenges.

• Can feel more accesible for people who prefer talking through experiences.

Things to consider

• Some experiences can be difficult to put into words.

• Insight doesn't always lead to change on its own—sometimes your body and nervous system need to be included in the work

• It may feel less effective if you tend to disconnect from your emotions or physical sensations.

Somatic Therapy

Somatic therapy pays attention to what's happening in your body, not just your thoughts. While Somatic therapy includes talking, it can also include or focus on noticing physical sensations, breathing, movement, or nervous system responses.

Somatic therapy acknoweldges the inevitable connection and impact the brain and body have on eachother. Incorporating the body in the processing can help you better understand and work through emotions, stress, stuckness, or trauma. Our bodies often hold information that words alone can't fully express.

Some examples like Somatic Experiencing (SE), are primarily body-based, while others like EMDR, Brainspotting, and some attachment-focused therapies blend talking, emotional processing, and body awareness to help process stress, trauma, and difficult life experiences.

Pros

• Helps you notice how stress, emotions, and life experiences show up in your body and how they are connected to your thoughts, behaviors, and patterns.

• Can support nervous system regulation and increase your sense of safety and connection with yourself.

• May be especially helpful when words feel hard to find or talking alone hasn't felt like enough.

Things to consider

• Focusing on body sensations can feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable at first.

• It may not resonate with everyone's cultural beliefs, personal preferences, or goals for therapy.

• For some people like those with certain trauma histories, body-based work may need to be introduced slowly or may not feel like the right fit at all.

There isn't a "right" or "wrong" type of therapy. What works best depends on you, your goals, your current needs, and the approach your therapist is trained in and comfortable providing.

Like I mentioned above, in my practice, I use a blend of talk and somatic therapy depending on each person’s need and presentation. I use somatic therapies alongside talk therapy because healing isn’t only about understanding our experiences. Healing also involves what we feel in our bodies. This helps create both insight and real felt change. When we combine insight and felt change, we often see a material shift in stuck patterns, fixed behaviors, and automatic responses.

At the same time, there are situations where somatic work may not feel helpful, resonate culturally, or feel safe. For example, paying close attention to bodily sensations for some people can feel overwhelming or unsafe based on their history. Other times a person's cultural or personal beliefs place less emphasis on focusing inward on body processes. In those moments, talk therapy or other approaches may be a better fit.

What’s most important is that you feel free to explore either option when seeking care. I like to recommend learning about or trying both approaches to see what resonates most. I have seen people heal in profound ways through talk therapy, somatic therapy, and a mix of both!