And Why It Can Help with Grief, Loss and the Parts of You That Feel Unseen

(5 mins reading time)

If you have ever thought:

• “I understand it… but I still feel stuck.”
• “I should be over this by now.”
• “I don’t even know who I am anymore.”

You are not broken.

You are likely carrying something in your body that hasn’t been fully felt, seen or processed.

This is where somatic therapy comes in.

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What Is Somatic Therapy?

Somatic therapy is a body-based approach to emotional healing.

Instead of only talking about what happened, we gently explore:

• What is happening in your body right now
• Where emotions live in your system
• What sensations, impulses or memories are present
• What hasn’t had space to move or complete

The word somatic comes from the Greek word soma, meaning body.

Because trauma, grief and stress do not just live in our thoughts.
They live in our nervous system.

And the nervous system speaks through sensation, tension, breath, posture, and subtle shifts in energy.

Somatic therapy helps you slow down, connect, and safely process what is stored beneath the surface.

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Why Talk Therapy Is Not Always Enough

Talk therapy can be powerful. Insight matters.

But sometimes you can explain your story perfectly
and still feel:

• Heavy
• Reactive
• Numb
• Anxious
• Disconnected
• Exhausted

That is because understanding something cognitively does not automatically mean your body feels safe.

Somatic therapy works with the nervous system directly.

We focus less on analysing and more on:

• Tracking sensations
• Building capacity
• Creating safety in the present moment
• Allowing incomplete emotional responses to gently complete

It is not about reliving trauma.

It is about building regulation and integration.

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How Somatic Therapy Helps with Grief

Grief is not linear.
It is layered.

Grief can be:

• The loss of a loved one
• The loss of a relationship
• The loss of health
• The loss of a version of yourself
• The loss of a dream
• The identity shift after becoming a parent

Often with grief, we move into survival mode.

We hold it together.
We keep functioning.
We push through.

But unprocessed grief can show up as:

• Tightness in the chest
• A lump in the throat
• Chronic fatigue
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Emotional numbness

Somatic therapy helps you:

• Gently feel what has not been fully felt
• Move stuck grief through the body
• Expand your capacity to hold sadness without being overwhelmed
• Create moments of safety and steadiness alongside the pain

Grief does not disappear.
But it becomes integrated rather than frozen.

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How It Supports Identity Loss

Major life changes can shake your sense of self.

Motherhood.
Burnout.
Divorce.
Loss.
Career shifts.
Health challenges.

You may feel like:

• “I don’t recognise myself.”
• “I’ve lost my confidence.”
• “I don’t trust my decisions anymore.”

When your nervous system has been under prolonged stress, it can disconnect you from your inner signals.

Somatic therapy helps you rebuild:

• Body awareness
• Emotional literacy
• Self-trust
• A grounded sense of who you are now

Not who you used to be.
Not who you think you should be.
But who you are becoming.

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The Feelings We Were Never Allowed to Feel

Many of us learned early on that certain emotions were not safe.

Anger.
Neediness.
Jealousy.
Fear.
Grief.
Even joy.

So we adapted.

We became the strong one.
The easy one.
The high achiever.
The peacemaker.

But emotions that are not acknowledged do not disappear.
They go underground.

They show up as:

• Chronic tension
• Overthinking
• People pleasing
• Emotional shutdown
• Anxiety
• Perfectionism

Somatic therapy gives these parts of you space.

In small, titrated ways.

We work gently.
At your pace.

Nothing is forced.
Nothing is dramatic.

We build safety first.

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What Happens in a Somatic Therapy Session?

Every session is different, but it may include:

• Guided body awareness
• Noticing sensations and breath
• Exploring emotional themes in the present moment
• Tracking where something lives in your body
• Allowing subtle movement or completion responses
• Building regulation tools you can use in daily life

You are not expected to perform.
You do not need to have the right words.

Your body already knows where to begin.

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Who Is Somatic Therapy For?

Somatic therapy may help if you:

• Feel stuck despite years of self-development
• Are carrying grief that feels unresolved
• Struggle with anxiety or shutdown
• Feel disconnected from your body
• Have experienced trauma or chronic stress
• Want to build emotional resilience in a grounded way

It is especially powerful for women navigating layered grief, identity shifts, and nervous system overwhelm.

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Is Somatic Therapy Right for You?

You do not have to be in crisis.

You simply need a willingness to slow down and listen inward.

Healing does not always require pushing harder.
Often it requires softening.
Creating space.
Letting what was frozen begin to move.

If you are ready to explore grief, loss, identity shifts, or the feelings that have never been fully seen, somatic therapy offers a compassionate and body-based path forward.

And sometimes, three sessions alone can create more clarity and relief than years of staying in your head.

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A Gentle Next Step

You do not need to unpack everything at once.

Start with one question:

What am I holding that has never been fully felt?

Your body already knows.

And it deserves to be heard.

Ready to Explore Somatic Therapy?

If this resonates and you are curious to go deeper, you are so welcome here.

If you are looking for more information about somatic therapy, how sessions work, or whether it is the right fit for you, you can explore everything HERE.

And if you feel ready to begin, you can book your first session there too.

Whether you are navigating grief, loss, identity shifts, or emotions that have never had space to be seen, you do not have to do it alone.

Take your time.
Feel into it.
Your next step can be gentle.

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Phoebe Greenacre is a qualified somatic therapist, meditation and breathwork teacher with over 10 years of experience supporting women with nervous system regulation, emotional processing and sleep.

She specialises in grief, identity shifts, burnout and helping women reconnect with grounded self trust.

Phoebe is a registered professional member of the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA).

Originally from Sydney and now based in Bali, Phoebe works with clients online across multiple time zones.