Perinatal mental health and wellbeing spans the journey from fertility to pregnancy, through postpartum and parenthood. It’s a time filled with changes, physically, emotionally, and relationally. While it can bring joy, it can also stir up anxiety, mood shifts, identity transitions, and sometimes grief or overwhelm. Perinatal mental health is about supporting people through this full spectrum of experiences.
What is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic therapy is a body-based approach to healing. Instead of focusing only on thoughts and feelings, it also pays attention to what’s happening in the body. This can include muscle tension, posture, breath, sensations, and nervous system patterns. Our bodies hold so much of our story, and learning to listen to them can create new ways of finding balance and resilience.
Pregnancy and postpartum are some of the most embodied times in a person’s life. Bodies change and often in ways one can’t fully control. That can feel empowering, overwhelming, or sometimes both at once. Somatic therapy helps you gently reconnect with your body so it feels like a place of safety and support, rather than stress or disconnection. In a therapy session,this might look like a therapist asking you to pay attention to the physical sensations that arise when recalling something difficult. This process helps make a mind-body connection, allowing you to respond in ways that promote relief and regulation.
Examples of Somatic Approaches
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Grounding Practices: Noticing your feet on the floor or the weight of your body supported by a chair.
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Breathwork: Exploring gentle ways to slow and soften your breath without forcing it.
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Self-soothing Touch: Placing a hand on your belly, chest, or heart space to bring comfort and presence.
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Movement and Micro-shifts: Small stretches, wiggles, or shifts in posture to release tension and increase body awareness.
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Orienting: Looking around the room and noticing colors, shapes, or sounds to remind your body it’s safe in the present.
Somatic therapy offers tools for tuning into your body and encourages creating more space for calm and connection during a season that can feel unpredictable. For many people, it’s not just about coping, it’s about cultivating trust in themselves and their bodies as they move through pregnancy, birth, and beyond.
If you’re curious about exploring somatic therapy as part of your perinatal journey, check out these resources:
(312) 659-4718 | contact@flourishcounselingltd.com