Touch work in Somatic Experiencing (SE™) is a gentle, body-based approach that helps support nervous system regulation and recovery from stress or trauma. Using safe and carefully attuned therapeutic touch, it aims to help individuals feel more grounded, settled, and connected to their bodies.

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Stressful or traumatic experiences can affect more than just thoughts and emotions. It can show up in ways such as muscle tension, and physical discomfort such as nausea, dizziness and headaches. Sometimes, these responses remain in the body even when a person finds it difficult to fully explain or remember what they have experienced. Somatic touch work focuses on helping the body gradually process these stored stress responses in a safe and manageable way.

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In Somatic Experiencing, touch work is slow, intentional, and guided by the individual’s comfort and boundaries. Rather than physical manipulation, the focus is on supporting the nervous system’s natural ability to regain balance and regulation. This process may help reduce feelings of overwhelm, support relaxation, and strengthen a person’s sense of safety and resilience.

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Touch work can be especially helpful for individuals experiencing developmental, attachment, or complex trauma, where early experiences may have affected feelings of trust, connection, or safety. Some individuals find that while talk therapy helps them understand their experiences intellectually, certain emotional or bodily symptoms continue to remain present. Somatic touch work offers another pathway by gently working with the body’s nonverbal responses and patterns.

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A key part of this approach is attunement. Sessions are guided collaboratively with a trained therapist, with close attention to the client’s comfort, readiness, and sense of safety throughout the process.

Touch work in Somatic Experiencing may support individuals experiencing:

• Trauma and PTSD

• Developmental and attachment trauma 

• C-PTSD

• Chronic stress and burnout

• Anxiety

• Grief and emotional loss

• Persistent tension or chronic pain

• Difficulties with emotional regulation and feeling safe in the body

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How is a Touch Work session conducted?

Touch Work session is conducted with the client fully clothed, in a comfortable position – typically lying face up on a table, though seated or standing positions can also be used based on preference and need. The session begins with a short check-in to ground the client and establish a sense of safety. From there, the therapist invites the client to settle into their body, using props like pillows, bolsters, and blankets to support relaxation, which is essential for nervous system regulation.

 

Touch is introduced with clear, ongoing consent and is always gentle and non-invasive. After a brief check-in at the beginning of the session, the client is invited to sit or lie down face up on the table. It often begins at the periphery of the body – such as the shoulders, hands, feet, neck, or base of the skull- and - and then gradually extends to the lower back, just below the ribs near the kidneys. This area is significant because the adrenal glands sit atop the kidneys and play a key role in the body’s stress response. When the nervous system is dysregulated, this region often holds tension. The therapist’s still, receptive hand (which neither massages nor manipulates) helps the muscles relax and improves blood flow. An alternative to direct contact is to use a pillow or for the therapist’s hand to hover instead of touching the client. 

 

As the session unfolds, clients may notice subtle sensations like warmth, tingling, trembling, or the release of emotions – natural signs of the body discharging stored stress. The therapist follows the client’s nervous system, moving slowly and only with permission, supporting the body’s innate capacity to return to balance. Each session is paced according to the client’s needs, honouring their process with care and presence.

 

Somatic Experiencing Touch at Restoring Peace

 

At Restoring Peace, we typically encourage clients to begin with self-touch practices and seated touch work. Lying-down touch sessions are reserved for clients with whom a strong therapeutic alliance has already been established and after other approaches have been explored. Clients are also required to review and sign a consent form prior to participating in touch work sessions.