At Highlands in Bloom (HiB), we know that healing isn’t just about treating symptoms it’s about addressing the root causes of illness and restoring balance to the whole person. One of the most powerful tools in our integrative program is somatic therapy, a body-based approach that helps regulate the nervous system, release stored trauma, and calm autoimmune flare-ups.
That’s why we devote 1.5 hours every day to guided somatic movement because healing the mind begins with listening to the body.
In this article, we’ll explore what somatic therapy is, how it helps those with autoimmune and mental health challenges, and why it’s a cornerstone of our approach at Highlands in Bloom.
What Is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic therapy is a healing modality that uses movement, breath, sensation, and body awareness to process emotional experiences that often get stuck in the body.
Unlike talk therapy, which focuses on the cognitive mind, somatic work brings attention to the felt sense, the body’s way of storing and expressing stress, fear, and unresolved trauma. This is especially critical for those dealing with chronic conditions, where emotional pain and physical symptoms are often intertwined.
Key techniques include:
- Gentle movement and postural awareness
- Breathwork to modulate the autonomic nervous system
- Grounding and centering practices
- Trauma release exercises
- Mindful body scans and tension mapping
Somatic therapies are backed by leading research in neuroscience and trauma studies, including the work of Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, who writes in The Body Keeps the Score:
“Trauma is not just an event that took place in the past… it is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain, and body.”
The Nervous System – Autoimmune Connection
Chronic stress and unresolved trauma play a profound role in the onset and progression of autoimmune diseases.
Research shows that dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system, especially prolonged sympathetic (fight-or-flight) activation, contributes to chronic inflammation and immune dysfunction (Peters et al., 2021, Frontiers in Immunology). When the body is stuck in a survival mode, it diverts energy away from digestion, repair, and immunity.
This is where somatic therapy becomes transformational.
By regulating the nervous system, somatic work helps shift the body into a parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state, which is essential for healing inflammation, improving digestion, and stabilizing mood. This shift allows the immune system to recalibrate rather than attack the body’s own tissues.
Why Somatic Therapy Is Essential for Mental Health
Autoimmune diseases are deeply intertwined with mental health conditions, especially anxiety, depression, and PTSD. In fact, studies show that people with autoimmune conditions are 45% more likely to also be diagnosed with a mood disorder (Benros et al., 2013, JAMA Psychiatry).
Somatic therapy helps:
- Reduce anxiety by calming hyperarousal in the nervous system
- Alleviate depression by reintroducing movement and connection
- Address trauma by allowing the body to complete survival responses that were previously interrupted or suppressed
- Support emotional regulation through embodied awareness
When clients reconnect with their body in a safe, supported space, they begin to reclaim a sense of agency, resilience, and wholeness that talk therapy alone may not reach.
How Highlands in Bloom Uses Somatic Movement to Heal
At Highlands in Bloom, somatic movement is not optional it’s essential.
Each day, our clients participate in a 1.5-hour somatic therapy block, designed to support the unique needs of those recovering from chronic illness and emotional trauma.
Led by licensed facilitators, these sessions include:
- Restorative movement practices rooted in Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique, and modern somatic psychology
- Grounding exercises that help calm hypervigilance and flare-related anxiety
- Mindful breath and movement syncing, supporting vagal tone and heart rate variability
- Group sharing and emotional integration, allowing safe co-regulation within a healing community
We don’t just “offer” somatic therapy we integrate it into the daily rhythm of the program because we know that true healing happens when the body feels safe.
A Healing Environment That Honors the Whole You
What sets Highlands in Bloom apart from traditional residential treatment centers is our understanding that autoimmune conditions and mental health are not separate issues they are deeply linked through trauma, nervous system dysregulation, and chronic inflammation.
Our somatic therapy program supports this healing by:
- Enhancing the efficacy of clinical therapies like EMDR and CBT
- Preparing the nervous system to receive healing, not just survive
- Creating consistent, embodied safety which is the foundation of lasting change
The Science Behind Embodied Healing – Somatic Therapy for Autoimmune and Mental Health
Research from institutions like Harvard Medical School and the Polyvagal Institute confirm that somatic regulation techniques can:
- Decrease inflammatory markers (Thayer et al., 2012)
- Increase heart rate variability, a sign of nervous system resilience
- Improve outcomes for autoimmune, gastrointestinal, and chronic pain disorders (Kemeny, 2009)
By engaging the body’s innate intelligence, somatic work helps rewire survival responses and support the long-term remission of symptoms.
Ready to Heal from the Inside Out?
If you’ve tried everything medications, specialists, traditional therapy and still feel stuck in survival mode, you’re not alone.
At Highlands in Bloom, we offer a sanctuary for deep healing, where body-based therapy isn’t an afterthought, but a daily necessity. Our 1.5-hour somatic movement practice anchors our trauma-informed, autoimmune-supportive program and gives clients the tools to reconnect, release, and regenerate.
We also incorporate somatic movement in water, adjusting based on client needs and weather conditions. These water-based sessions offer a supportive and fluid environment for movement, which can be especially beneficial for clients managing chronic pain, fatigue, or trauma stored in the body.
Healing is possible and it starts in the body.
References:
- Benros, M. E., et al. (2013). Autoimmune diseases and severe infections as risk factors for mood disorders: A nationwide study. JAMA Psychiatry, 70(8), 812–820.
- Peters, E. M. J., et al. (2021). Cutaneous autoimmune diseases are psychosomatic. Frontiers in Immunology, 12, 666–682.
- Thayer, J. F., et al. (2012). Heart rate variability and inflammation: A meta-analysis. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 26(2), 181–189.
- van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score. Viking.
Highlands in Bloom
Residential Treatment Center for Autoimmune + Mental Health
Agoura Hills, California
(805) 892-6313
Licensed by CDSS • Certified by DHCS • JCAHO Accredited