There are moments in our work when the mind steps back and the body quietly steps forward—when something shifts, softens, tightens, or opens, and we sense that the deeper conversation is happening beneath language. Let’s explore Somatic Resonance, that subtle but powerful current that moves between therapist and client, that shows up often long before either of you consciously register it.
Somatic resonance is the subtle dialogue that unfolds beneath the spoken one. It’s the body-to-body communication that happens through breath, micro-movements, energetic shifts, and the quiet synchrony that develops when two nervous systems attune to one another. In somatic experiencing, this might look like noticing a client’s chest tighten as they recall a memory, or sensing your own stomach flutter in response to something left unsaid. It’s not about absorbing their emotion—it’s about becoming aware of the shared field where regulation, insight, and healing can emerge. When we pay attention to the body’s messages, we often discover the truest entry point into the work.
Somatic resonance isn’t about “doing” anything special. It’s about noticing. It’s the awareness that a client’s emotional field might stir a sensation in your chest, or that inviting them to pause and breathe suddenly changes the entire atmosphere in the room. It’s the mutual field of presence—felt, not forced—that often reveals the truer story.
I invite you to bring a client session to mind, settle into an introspective exercise, and let your body tell the part of the story that words may have missed. From there, you may choose to explore your insights within a triad, or remain in your own private reflection. Either way, something meaningful tends to emerge: a gesture, an image, a moment of clarity about the work, or about yourself.
Here are a few writing prompts invite you to slow down, turn inward, and track the quiet wisdom of the somatic field.
Somatic Resonance Writing Prompts
1. Through the Client Lens
Recall a moment when you guided your client toward a somatic awareness or noticed a subtle shift in their body. What did you observe—breath, posture, energy, tone—and how did you help them name or explore it? Describe what changed in the room once that awareness surfaced.
2. Through Your Own Presence
What part of your own inner landscape was activated or awakened through this resonance? Consider what your body was trying to tell you about you—your boundaries, your gifts, your vulnerabilities, or your deeper wisdom. What shifted in your presence because of it?
3. The Relational Field
Imagine the space between you and your client as its own living organism. If you could give this relational field a form—color, movement, temperature, rhythm—what would it be? How does this image reflect the deeper story unfolding within the session?
Want to go deeper?
