Somatic Therapy for Trauma in Addiction Recovery
Somatic therapy at Holina Rehab helps clients process trauma that is stored in the body — the physical tension, dysregulation, and stress responses that often drive substance use. As part of our Dual Treatment programme, somatic work is combined with clinical addiction treatment so the trauma underneath addiction is treated, not just the addiction itself.
- Licensed Facility
- Somatic & Trauma-Informed Care
- Koh Phangan, Thailand
- Part of Dual Treatment Programme
What Is Somatic Therapy, and How Does It Support Addiction Recovery?
Somatic therapy works with the body’s sensations and physical responses to trauma, rather than working through the story of what happened the way traditional talk therapy does. Trauma that goes unresolved is often stored in the body, showing up as physical tension, chronic pain, or a nervous system stuck in a heightened state of stress and arousal.
For many clients entering addiction treatment, this stored trauma is not incidental — it is frequently what substance use has been masking or self-medicating. Somatic therapy gives clients tools to become aware of these physical sensations, identify what triggers them, and begin to release trauma that talk therapy alone often cannot reach.
At Holina Rehab, somatic therapy is not offered as a stand-alone service. It is integrated into our Dual Treatment programme for addiction and the trauma beneath it, which treats the substance use and the underlying trauma together, rather than treating one and leaving the other unaddressed.
A randomized controlled trial found that Somatic Experiencing significantly reduced PTSD and depression symptoms compared with a wait-list control group, with improvements maintained at follow-up (Brom et al., 2017, Journal of Traumatic Stress). A separate randomized controlled trial found that trauma-sensitive yoga — a body-based practice — significantly reduced PTSD symptom severity in women with treatment-resistant PTSD (van der Kolk et al., 2014, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry). At Holina, this body-based work is delivered alongside clinical addiction treatment through our Dual Treatment programme, not as a stand-alone therapy.
How Does Somatic Experiencing Help Release Trauma Stored in the Body?
One of the cornerstone modalities within Holina’s somatic therapy offering is Somatic Experiencing, a method developed by Dr. Peter Levine that works with the body’s natural capacity to heal itself. Rather than revisiting the trauma narrative directly, Somatic Experiencing helps clients become aware of bodily sensations and learn to regulate the physical effects of trauma — the racing heart, shallow breath, or frozen stillness that can persist long after the original event.
This approach is particularly relevant for clients recovering from complex or prolonged trauma, including trauma that has fuelled years of substance use. By helping the nervous system come out of a chronic stress response, Somatic Experiencing supports clients in regaining a sense of safety in their own bodies and reconnecting with the present moment — a foundation that the clinical addiction work in our Dual Treatment programme can then build on.
Somatic Experiencing — Holina Rehab, Koh Phangan
What Happens During Trauma-Focused Bodywork at Holina Rehab?
Trauma-focused bodywork uses hands-on, body-aware techniques — drawing on elements of massage therapy, gentle manipulation, and guided body awareness — to help release the physical tension and stored stress that talk-based therapy alone often cannot reach.
Treating the Body, Not Just the Addiction
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Trauma-Focused Bodywork
Our trained therapists work with each client to identify areas of the body holding unresolved trauma and support its release in a safe, structured setting.
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Body-Based Trauma Recovery
Because the body holds memories of trauma just as the mind does, treating a person’s addiction fully means treating what the body is still carrying, too.
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Integrated With Dual Treatment
Somatic healing, Somatic Experiencing, and trauma-focused bodywork are delivered alongside the clinical addiction treatment, group therapy, and family work of Holina’s Dual Treatment programme for co-occurring trauma and addiction.
“I was looking for a holistic and mainly somatic approach to treat my addiction due to trauma. And this is exactly what I found at Holina, Thailand.”
— Mon, Recovery.com Review, 28 Mar 2025 · ★★★★★
Somatic Therapy for Trauma: Frequently Asked Questions
What is somatic therapy, and how is it different from talk therapy?
Somatic therapy focuses on the body’s sensations and physical responses to trauma rather than working primarily through conversation. Unresolved trauma is often stored in the body and shows up as physical tension, pain, or a nervous system stuck in a heightened stress state. Somatic therapy works directly with these physical patterns to release stored emotional pain and restore regulation.
Why does Holina Rehab use somatic therapy as part of addiction treatment?
Trauma and addiction are frequently connected — substance use often develops, in part, as a way of managing trauma the body has never fully processed. Treating the addiction alone without addressing that stored trauma leaves a major driver of relapse in place. Somatic therapy is delivered as one component of our Dual Treatment programme, which treats addiction and its underlying causes together.
What is Somatic Experiencing, and who developed it?
Somatic Experiencing is a body-based therapeutic method developed by Dr. Peter Levine. It works with the body’s natural capacity to regulate itself, helping clients become aware of physical sensations connected to trauma and process them in a safe, controlled way — without needing to retell the traumatic story in detail.
What happens in a trauma-focused bodywork session?
Trauma-focused bodywork combines elements of massage therapy, body awareness, and gentle, hands-on techniques to help release tension and physical stress held in the body. Sessions are led by trained therapists and are structured to help clients feel safe throughout.
Is there research supporting somatic therapy for trauma?
Yes. A randomized controlled trial found Somatic Experiencing significantly reduced PTSD and depression symptoms compared with a wait-list control group (Brom et al., 2017, Journal of Traumatic Stress). A separate randomized controlled trial found trauma-sensitive yoga, a body-based practice, significantly reduced PTSD symptom severity in women with treatment-resistant PTSD (van der Kolk et al., 2014, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry).
How does somatic therapy fit into Holina’s overall Dual Treatment programme?
Somatic therapy is not a stand-alone offering at Holina Rehab. It is one part of our Dual Treatment programme for addiction and co-occurring trauma, alongside medically supervised detox, CBT and DBT, group therapy, and aftercare planning — so the trauma underneath the addiction is treated at the same time as the addiction itself.
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