What is SomatoEmotional Release in CranioSacral Therapy?
SomatoEmotional Release is a powerful aspect of CranioSacral Therapy that addresses the connection between the body and emotional trauma. Developed by Dr. John Upledger, SER helps individuals release stored emotions and physical tension that may contribute to pain, stress, or imbalances within the body.
This approach works with the mind-body connection to facilitate deep emotional and physical release by gently supporting the body's natural ability to heal. But what exactly is SomatoEmotional Release, and how does it work within CranioSacral Therapy? Let’s explore this transformative practice and its potential to help you experience greater relief and well-being.
What is SomatoEmotional Release?
SomatoEmotional Release (SER) is a therapeutic healing modality used in CranioSacral Therapy (CST) that helps release the emotional energy of trauma that has been suppressed and held in the body. SER operates on the belief that emotional and physical trauma can leave lasting effects on our muscles, joints, and tissues, potentially causing pain, tension, and other health conditions. Dr. John Upledger, the founder of CST, described the lingering traumatic energy trapped in the body as an “Energy Cyst”—a result of an injury or ongoing trauma that penetrates the tissue instead of dissipating naturally.
A few benefits of SomatEmotional Release include:
Physical relief from pain, tightness, and soreness caused by trauma
Enhanced emotional healing from traumatic life occurrences
It helps uncover blocked memories that your body was holding onto
It gives you a better understanding of your traumas and how they’ve affected you physically
The foundation of SomatoEmotional Release lies in understanding how the body stores trauma and why energy cysts become trapped.
How the Body Holds Trauma: The Building Block of SomatoEmotional Release
CST practitioners believe the energy cyst, or the negative emotional energy associated with trauma, is specifically held in the body's tissues. Tissue memory plays an essential role in SomatoEmotional Release. It’s believed that the body’s cells and tissues—such as fascia, muscles, bones, and viscera—can store memories of past or current trauma independently of centrally located neurons, typically responsible for memory storage and interpretation. Somatic and visceral tissues and cells store the energy of specific emotions related to a particular trauma, whether it’s a physical injury like a car accident or an emotional wound such as post-traumatic stress or childhood trauma.
For example, let’s say a particular muscle group is injured during a physical injury. The memory of that traumatic event is then stored in the affected tissues, which usually means a slight, nonconscious contraction will form in that particular muscle group as a protective reminder of the trauma. If tissue memory isn’t effectively released after the event, the contraction will remain in the muscle even after the injury has healed, which leads to further pain and discomfort. This activates the body whenever a similar situation reminds the person of the traumatic event(s), which can be physical or emotional.
When this negative emotional energy that’s associated with trauma isn’t released, it can spread tension to the rest of the body. At first, the body acclimates to the presence of the energy cyst as best as possible, and you may feel completely normal. However, this accommodation comes at a high cost to the entire body over time. After months and years of holding onto this energy cyst, your body will start to tire, and you may experience pain, physical dysfunction, and ongoing emotional illnesses. It commonly manifests itself in chronic physical pain but can also result in more intensive illnesses such as decreased immune function, fatigue, anxiety, or social, mental, or psychological dysfunction.
How SomatoEmotional Release Helps the Body Let Go of Trauma
So, how does SomatoEmotional Release connect to the trauma held in tissue memory? While most healing paths separate the mind from the body, SER offers a radically different approach that involves the mind, body, and spirit. Vast research shows that a similar change in mental health accompanies a positive (or negative) change in physical health. SER is a holistic somatic approach that uses a gentle and creative framework for working with the body's tissues and emotions simultaneously, encouraging the release of adverse energy or memory of held traumas.
A CST therapist trained in SomatoEmotional Release connects with the tension held in the tissue, facilitating healing at the level of the source so the memory of the original traumatic event can come to mind. Once the memory and negative emotions are present in the patient’s awareness, the patient can effectively relate to them in a different, more holistically healthy way. During this time, the physical tension from the muscle releases, which helps the pain heal and release. One session may be enough for healing, but in more severe cases, several treatment sessions may be needed for the complete release of emotional or physical trauma.
What to Expect During SomatoEmotional Release Therapy
A SomatoEmotional Release CranioSacral Therapy session is initiated by permission, using a gentle, non-invasive touch that monitors the body’s CranioSacral rhythm. If the individual is comfortable entering the SER process, it starts with a mutual, often nonverbal, and nonconscious agreement between the client and therapist. After the mutual decision is made, the decision is signaled by subtle to pronounced, spontaneous movements of the patient’s body part holding onto trauma. Sometimes, the whole body may go into some pattern or movement. SER may involve tears, laughter, tingling, lightness, or warmth. These physical expressions reveal that trauma is being released and is welcomed during the SER process. In some cases, CST practitioners incorporate verbal dialogue alongside these techniques to help patients access and release the negative emotions or experiences stored in the body as energy cysts.
SomatoEmotional Release therapy doesn’t require you to relive painful or traumatic experiences. Instead, it allows your nervous system to fully process what your body may still hold within its tissues. After a SER session, clients often experience decreased pain, improved range of motion, emotional regulation, and a sense of relief. The SER process requires massive trust between both parties since what comes up during a session may be unexpected and deeply vulnerable. Many CranioSacral Therapy practitioners recommend partnering the SER process with talk therapy, which can help patients heal even further.
It’s also normal for the body or psyche not to be ready or fully able to process old trauma it’s storing, which could result in multiple CST sessions that may not initiate the SER process. However, CranioSacral Therapy is known to help the nervous system, encouraging it to move out of a fight or flight state and towards its natural self-healing nature with each session.
Hire the Right CST Practitioner for the SomatoEmotional Release Process
When finding a CranioSacral therapist, working with someone compassionate, adequately trained, and knowledgeable in SomatoEmotional Release is essential. With over a decade of holistic experience, I’m passionate about utilizing the power of CST and SER for holistic healing of the mind, body, and spirit. I’ve been trained in CranioSacral Therapy through the Upledger Institute and hold a credential in SomatoEmotional Release, equipping me to help you find healing from trauma of any kind and discover the relief and balance you deserve.
If you’re ready to commit to your healing journey, I’m dedicated to helping you get there so you can live fully present, pain-free. Contact me today to take the first step toward healing.
