Somatic release therapy and the mind-body connection for healing

Somatic release therapy often becomes relevant when you feel something stirring inside you that you cannot explain. In the first quiet seconds, somatic release therapy does not feel like relief. It feels like movement. A flutter in your chest. A warmth rising. A subtle trembling that feels both unfamiliar and deeply known.

There may be no clear memory associated with how you feel. No obvious story. Yet your body begins to signal that something long contained is asking to move. This is not a collapse or depletion. It is the moment your body stops compressing what it has been carrying and begins to bring it toward the surface.

In case you are new here, I am Chelsey Reese, and I support women of color who notice these internal shifts and want to understand what their bodies are ready to release. My work offers a calm, grounded space where your body can soften and let go at its own pace. If you want to learn more about what guides my work, you can explore my approach as a relational & somatic therapist. And if this topic resonates, you can also explore deeper embodied work through somatic therapy.

Stored stress does not disappear. It waits. And then it asks to be released.

Somatic release therapy is grounded in a simple truth. Your body remembers what your mind learns to move past. Stress that never had space to resolve does not vanish. It settles quietly into muscles, breath, and nervous system patterns.

Over time, emotional experiences that were never fully processed become physical residue. The body holds them not as stories, but as sensations. This is often why stress resurfaces later without a clear cause. Your body is not malfunctioning. It is communicating.



Common sensations that signal the body is trying to release include

• Pressure or heat building internally
• Tightness that shifts or pulses
• Spontaneous sighing or yawning
• Gentle shaking or trembling
• Emotional waves without a clear trigger

What is somatic release therapy, and what does it do inside your body

Somatic release therapy is a body-based approach that supports your nervous system in letting go of stress that was never fully processed at the time it occurred. Instead of working primarily through words or analysis, it focuses on how experiences are held in your body as sensation, tension, and physiological response.

At its core, somatic release therapy helps your body complete stress responses that were interrupted or suppressed. When your system was unable to react, rest, or recover fully, that energy was stored. This work creates the conditions for that stored stress to move, soften, and release without forcing emotional intensity.

Inside your body, this process often looks subtle. Muscles gradually relax. Breath becomes fuller. Sensations begin to flow instead of feeling stuck or compressed. Emotional understanding may follow, but the primary shift happens in the body first. Your system no longer has to stay prepared for something that has already passed.

Somatic release therapy works by restoring communication between your body and your sense of safety.

When your nervous system feels supported, release happens naturally, at a pace your body can tolerate and integrate.

How somatic release interrupts the pattern of holding

When the body releases stored stress, it no longer needs to remain braced or anticipatory.

Common shifts include

• More expansive breathing
• Reduced muscle tension
• Less internal bracing
• Increased presence and ease



Your body stops preparing for something that already ended.

What a release session may feel like in real time

How you feel after somatic release varies from person to person. Release is not forced. It happens when your body feels safe enough to let go.

During a session, people may experience

• Warmth spreading through the body
• Gentle shaking or movement
• Spontaneous tears without distress
• A sense of grounding or lightness
• Emotional clarity without overwhelm

These experiences are supported through somatic therapy in a paced, contained manner.

Simple release practices you can try on your own

Self-guided release practices create small openings rather than big emotional events.

Gentle practices include

• Slow breath waves through the body
• Micro-shaking in the legs or arms
• Grounding through the feet
• Hand to chest connection
• Vocal toning or gentle sound

Small somatic movements create openings that thinking cannot.

Creating safety inside your body so release can happen

What actually is somatic therapy at its core? Safety. Your body lets go only when it feels it will not be punished for speaking.



Slowness matters and permission matters. When safety is present, release does not need to be forced. Your body already knows what to do. Somatic release therapy offers a gentle way to return to your body’s natural rhythm. Your body has carried enough. You deserve support that allows you to soften into a life that feels safe. If you’re in Los Angeles and ready to explore ​​somatic therapy, I’d be honored to guide you home to yourself.