Why Connecting to Your Body Improves Mental Health | Somatic Therapy San Francisco
Why Connecting to Your Body is Essential for Mental Health
In our fast-paced, screen-heavy world, it’s easy to forget about our bodies—until they start sending distress signals. A racing heart, shallow breathing, muscle tension—these are the body’s ways of telling us something is off. Yet, most of us have been taught to “push through” or ignore these signals, to our own detriment. Over time, this disconnection can take a toll on our mental health and our physical body.
This is where somatic therapy—and specifically, somatic therapy in San Francisco—can help bridge the gap between mind and body.
The Mind-Body Connection is Real
Dance therapists have long valued the connection between mind and body as it is a central part of the work that we do. Movement is used to influence how we feel and by connecting with the body, we can change our feelings and thoughts. Pop culture and science are now catching up to the fact that the body and mind are deeply intertwined. . .there are a variety of books and articles discussing how the body and mind affect each other.(The Body Keeps The Score, Burnout: The Secret To Unlocking The Stress Cycle, and The Body Remembers, to name a few books). Anxiety, trauma, and stress aren’t just “in your head”—they’re stored in the body, influencing how a person feels, thinks, and behaves. An example of the mind-body connection could be be the feeling of butterflies on a first date or feeling nauseous before a difficult conversation.
When we reconnect to the body, we gain a powerful tool for regulating our emotions, reducing anxiety, and improving overall mental well-being. Whether you use dance therapy or another somatic therapy to do so, it doesn’t matter HOW you reconnect, only that you are able to. so.
Why Disconnection Happens
Modern life encourages physical disconnection and not being fully present in our mind or body.. Scrolling through phones, sitting at desks and in front of computers, and rushing from one obligation to another leaves little time to notice what’s happening physically. Those physical sensations that we ignore our often clues to how we are feeling. So by disconnecting from our bodies, we are disconnecting from our emotions as well. For those who’ve experienced trauma, disconnecting from the body can even be a survival strategy—one that may be protective at first but harmful later on in life. A person may experience a trauma (or series of traumas, such as in chronic PTSD) and not be able to handle the flood of painful emotions and sensations. Unconsciously, the mind makes a choice to ignore the body and avoid pain, and this survival strategy becomes a habit over time, with all sensations from the body being shut out or ignored.
How Somatic Therapy Supports Mental Health
Somatic therapy focuses on tuning into bodily sensations as a way to process emotions, release tension, and heal from psychological stress or trauma. In San Francisco, somatic therapists often combine dance,, movement interventions, breathwork, and mindfulness to help clients reconnect to their physical experience. By noticing what sensations and movements show up in the body, we can address the underlying emotional patterns that create them—leading to more lasting change than talk therapy alone might offer. How you move impacts how you feel and by releasing trauma and pain we can move differently and navigate the world from a fresh perspective.
Benefits of Reconnecting to Your Body
Opportunity to release chronic stress and stored pain—the places in the body that store pain will feel lighter and freer.
Better emotional regulation – Feeling your emotions in real time helps you respond rather than react to situations.
Stress relief – Physical awareness makes it easier to release muscle tension and regulate your nervous system—helping to shift from fight or flight to the parasympathetic nervous system.
Greater self-trust and self-compassion– Your body is always giving you feedback; learning to listen builds inner confidence and allows us the opportunity to be gentle and kind to our bodies rather than always pushing through difficult circumstances.
Deeper Resilience – When you can feel and work through unpleasant sensations, you’re better equipped to handle life’s challenges, no matter what occurs.
Taking the First Step
Connecting to your body doesn’t have to mean running a marathon or taking up salsa dance (unless you want to). It can be as simple as noticing your breath, checking in with your posture, or placing a hand on your heart for support when you feel overwhelmed.
If you’re looking for guidance, somatic therapy in San Francisco offers a supportive space to safely explore these practices with a trained dance therapist. Whether through movement, dance mindfulness, or other body-based approaches, reconnecting to your body can be a profound act of self-love and self-care—one that nourishes both your mental and physical well-being. If you are curious about somatic therapy, please email me at lisa@lisamanca.com and I would be happy to set-up a free 15 minute consultation to find out how I met help you!