The Science behind Somatics

Somatics is based on neuro-science principles to retrain the nervous system.

Thomas Hanna, PhD, developed Somatics leveraging neuro-science principles to retrain the nervous system. Somatics addresses chronic muscular tension and pain by focusing on the brain’s role in sensing and organizing movement. The result is improved muscle function and sensory awareness. Somatics can be described as a form of neuromuscular re-education practice.

The Sensory Motor Cortex is the part of your brain that deals with sensing (sensory) and moving (motor) your muscles. The motor cortex sends signals to muscles, instructing them to either increase or decrease their tension (contract or relax) or maintain their current level of tension. This constant flow of information, from the brain to the muscles and back, forms a sensory-motor feedback loop. Sensory input travels from the muscles to the sensory cortex, motor impulses are sent from the motor cortex back to the muscles, and the cycle continues, creating a dynamic exchange.

The hands, face, mouth, and tongue occupy a significant portion of both the sensory and motor cortices. Despite their small physical size, they are neurologically quite significant. This makes sense when you consider the wide range of functions our hands perform with fine motor control, and the intricate coordination of the mouth, tongue, and larynx required for speech.

Take handwriting as an example, it demands a substantial amount of brainpower to perform accurately. Activities like writing, drawing, painting, playing an instrument, carving, pottery, and sculpting all require significant skill and sensorimotor control of the hands. Therefore, engaging in any fine motor tasks with the hands activates large regions of the sensory-motor cortex. This is the reason we commonly use our hands to provide additional sensory feedback during a Somatics session. The hands can direct the brain’s attention to the area of your body we want to sense.

Interestingly, about one-third of the sensory-motor cortex is devoted to the hands, and another third is dedicated to the face, mouth, lips, tongue, and larynx. This leaves just one third of the cortex for the rest of the body—the trunk, spine, hips, shoulders, and limbs. Given the comparatively small section of the brain responsible for such a large portion of the body, it is no surprise that these areas are more prone to movement issues and muscular pain. Issues like back, hip, or shoulder pain are common in these regions.

Since the trunk, hips, shoulders, and neck rely on a relatively small part of the cortex for movement and sensation, it stands to reason that these areas may require more attention to ensure proper brain control. Stimulating this portion of the sensory-motor cortex regularly is crucial for maintaining movement quality.

Movement, in any form, provides abundant sensory information to the brain. We often think of information as intellectual—words, numbers, facts—but for the sensory-motor cortex, movement is information. The more sensory input the brain receives about the body, the better it can organize and refine movement. In a Somatics practice we often differentiate movements, for example having the head or the eyes move in opposite directions. This creates additional sensory input, creating more awareness and a bigger range of movement.

Somatics is practiced slowly and deliberately to reestablish, maintain, and improve both sensory awareness and motor control. By relearning how to move the trunk and spine through their natural ranges of motion, we can rebuild foundational control. Once this basic control is restored, we can fully enjoy our favorite physical activities, whether that’s running, walking, lifting, climbing, dancing, yoga, gardening, tennis—the possibilities are endless. Try it for yourself! https://www.somaticstampa.com/contactform