Somatic Healing Work Journal
Introduction to Somatic Healing
Somatic healing is a holistic approach that combines body awareness, movement, breathwork, energy
healing, and neuroscience to help process trauma and emotional blocks. This journal is designed to guide
you through various practices rooted in the work of pioneers like Wilhelm Reich, Peter Levine (Somatic
Experiencing), Pat Ogden (Sensorimotor Psychotherapy), Alexander Lowen (Bioenergetics), Thomas Hanna
(Hanna Somatics), and Dr. Joe Dispenza's mind-body neuroplasticity methods.
Daily Somatic Awareness Practice
Start each day with 5 minutes of body scanning. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and bring your attention
from your head down to your toes.
Prompt:
- Where do I feel tension?
- What sensations are present right now?
- Can I give those sensations space to exist without judgment?
Use your breath to soften any tight areas.
Movement and Bioenergetics
Bioenergetics combines movement and breath to release emotional tension.
Exercise:
- Ground yourself by standing with knees slightly bent.
Page 1
Somatic Healing Work Journal
- Breathe deeply and shake your body.
- Try expressive movements: stomping, stretching, or making sound.
Prompt:
- What emotions surface when I move freely?
- What movements feel most natural or resistant?
Somatic Experiencing: Trauma Release
Peter Levine's method focuses on releasing trauma held in the body through small, titrated doses of
awareness.
Exercise:
- Pendulation: Shift your awareness between a place of tension and a place of ease in your body.
- Resourcing: Identify a memory, person, or object that makes you feel safe and grounded.
Prompt:
- How does my body respond to safety?
- Where can I notice shifts in sensation or energy?
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Mindful Awareness
This approach links body sensations with memories and behaviors.
Exercise:
- Observe posture during emotional states.
Page 2
Somatic Healing Work Journal
- Track gestures and impulses while recalling an emotional event.
Prompt:
- What physical impulses arise when I feel anger, sadness, or joy?
- What would my body do if it were allowed to complete the emotion fully?
Breathwork and Energy Healing
Breathing bridges the conscious and unconscious mind. Practices like Holotropic and diaphragmatic
breathing clear stuck energy.
Exercise:
- Try box breathing (4-4-4-4 count) for calm.
- Practice longer exhalations to calm the nervous system.
Prompt:
- How does my breath change with different emotions?
- What thoughts arise when I deepen my breath?
Neuroscience and Mind-Body Reprogramming (Joe Dispenza)
Dr. Joe Dispenza teaches that thoughts and emotions create biochemical states. By changing your thoughts,
you change your body.
Exercise:
- Daily meditation visualizing your healed self.
Page 3
Somatic Healing Work Journal
- Write affirmations based on your desired state (e.g., 'I am whole, I am healing, I am free.')
Prompt:
- Who is the future version of me who has already healed?
- What thoughts, feelings, and actions does she embody?
Integration Practices
Combine methods: Start with breathwork, move into body scanning, express through movement, and close
with a meditation.
Prompt:
- What did I learn about my body today?
- How can I show gratitude for the work it's doing to heal?
Weekly Review:
- What somatic practices helped most this week?
- What resistance did I feel and how did I meet it?
Page 4
