Somatic Experiencing and Hakomi are two of the main modalities in somatic therapy. Somatic Experiencing specialises in treating shock trauma, such as accidents, PTSD and similar events. Hakomi works with developmental trauma, which arises in childhood and is not tied to one particular memory. Both methods work through the body and share a great deal.
What is shock trauma?
Let us start with what trauma is, according to Somatic Experiencing. This view of trauma also draws on polyvagal theory. When a dangerous event occurs, the nervous system enters a survival mode: fight or flight. If those strategies are not possible, the system freezes. In an ordinary situation, once safety returns the system comes out of freeze and briefly passes through fight or flight. Peter Levine observed this in mammals: when a mammal is caught by a predator, it plays dead, hoping the predator will lose interest. When that happens, mammals have been observed leaving freeze with erratic movements that resemble fighting or fleeing. This lasts a few moments, then the animal goes on its way. The cycle completes, and there is no trauma.
In humans, if the shock exceeds the person’s capacity, this cycle does not complete, and the memory of the event stays tied to a freeze state. Somatic Experiencing makes it possible to revisit the memory and complete the cycle, so the person can function as usual again and move past these blocks.
What is developmental trauma?
Developmental trauma, by contrast, is not tied to one particular event. It comes from an environment in childhood that is either dangerous for the child, or one in which certain needs are neglected.
These repeated experiences are not linked to a particular memory. They leave the person with a sense that the world is hostile, or that their needs are not valid. In adulthood those beliefs persist and create difficulties in relationships and in projects. This can show up as a lack of self-confidence, a fear of abandonment, or a tendency to be hyper-independent.
How does Hakomi address developmental trauma?
With Hakomi, the therapist brings attention to posture, to movement, and to thoughts and emotions. Developmental trauma leaves its trace not in memories, but in movement, posture, emotions and thoughts. Someone who grew up in a hostile environment may carry tension in the upper back and shoulders, and that tension is linked with hypervigilance. Bringing awareness to this tension can bring up a latent feeling of fear. The therapist can then offer more safety and a different experience, which allows the tension and the hypervigilance to ease gradually.
This is one example among others, but the principle stays the same: we look at how the person functions and how the beliefs were built, then offer a new experience that makes it possible to approach life and relationships in a new way.