Why the Nervous System Matters in Somatic Therapy
Understanding how the nervous system works is at the very heart of somatic therapy. Our nervous system is not just a biological control centre — it is the foundation of how we sense, respond, and relate to the world around us. When it’s balanced, we can feel calm, connected, and open to pleasure. When it’s dysregulated, we may experience anxiety, shutdown, or difficulty trusting ourselves and others. Read the top 12 signs of nervous system dysregulation from Heal Your Nervous System.
By learning about the different branches of the nervous system and how they influence our state of being, we can begin to see why this knowledge is so relevant to healing. It gives us a map — a way of recognising what’s happening inside and how to respond with more compassion and skill. Below is a brief overview of the main divisions of the nervous system and why they matter in the context of somatic therapy.
The Central & Peripheral Nervous Systems
The Central Nervous System is made up of the brain and the spinal cord, and the Peripheral Nervous System consists of all the nerves going from the spinal cord to the rest of the body.
The Peripheral Nervous System is divided into two main parts: The Sensory Division and the Motor Division.
Understanding the Sensory Division
The Sensory Division carries information from the body to the brain. It does this using afferent pathways. These are pathways which carry nerve impulses from the sensory organs to the spinal cord through the sensory neurons.
In turn, the Sensory Division is further divided into Exteroceptive and Interoceptive Divisions. The Exteroceptive is what we often refer to as the “five senses” of touch, smell, taste, hearing, and sight. It is our direct link to the external world, as we perceive it in the present moment. It is our external reality.
Why the Exteroceptive Division is Relevant to Feeling More Connected
A big part of somatic sex therapy is helping clients to become more mindful of whatever is happening in the present moment. Becoming more deeply aware of the five senses can help us to feel more connected to others and the world around us. It can also help to ground us, meaning that our resilience to stress can increase, by bolstering our ability to stay present to whatever is happening, without becoming overwhelmed. This is called self-regulation and here are five tips to promote it.
When we feel safe, it can help us to feel more alive and to feel more pleasure from receiving touch and connecting with others in an intimate way.
Why the Interoceptive Division is Relevant in Somatic Therapy
The Interoceptive consists of the vestibular and proprioceptive senses. The vestibular system helps us to have a sense of balance and spatial orientation. Proprioception is the ability to feel sensations from inside the body. It is our direct link to the internal world, as we perceive it in the present moment. It is our internal reality.
Being more aware of what is happening inside our body can help us to feel more connected to ourselves. Developing the ability to feel sensations and emotions from within can help to antidote dissociation, which is a common way of ‘cutting off’ from one’s own thoughts, feelings and sensations. The ability to reconnect to self in a safe way is often key to healing. Safety isn’t just an idea — it’s a felt state in the nervous system, and it’s the foundation for pleasure, intimacy, and healing.
“If you want to improve the world, start by making people feel safe.” — Stephen Porges (creator of Polyvagal Theory)
Another reason why interoception is important in therapy is because it gives us access to emotions and body memories from the past, which are re-occurring in the present moment. Developing this ‘dual awareness’ can enable us to recognize that what we are feeling in the present moment is because of something we have experienced in the past.
Understanding the Motor Division
Going back now to the Motor Division. It carries information from the brain to the body. It does this using efferent pathways. These are pathways which carry nerve impulses from the spinal cord to the peripheral organs and muscles.
The Motor Division is further subdivided into the Somatic Nervous System and the Autonomic Nervous System. The Somatic Nervous System controls all the voluntary muscular systems in the body. The Autonomic Nervous System is involuntary and is made up of two further branches: the Sympathetic and the Parasympathetic.
The Sympathetic Nervous System is a network of nerves that helps the body activate its “fight-or-flight” response. It is also involved in day to day functioning, increasing activity whenever we are physically active. The Parasympathetic Nervous System is often called the “rest and digest” system. Its main jobs are to conserve energy and regulate key bodily functions. It predominates during rest periods. Interestingly, it can also become further activated to send us into a “freeze” response in times of stress and danger.
Why the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems Are Relevant in Learning to Be More Resilient
For both therapist and client, it is invaluable to recognise the early signs that the nervous system is becoming over-activated, as well as to know how to bring it back into balance. This awareness helps prevent emotional flooding — a state that can feel overwhelming and impossible to integrate in the present moment. In fact, too much emotional flooding can lead to re-traumatisation. Equally important is learning to notice when the system shifts in the opposite direction, moving toward dissociation or shutdown. With the right tools, clients can stay present and connected without being pushed beyond their capacity.
Did you know? The human nervous system contains over 100 billion neurons. Its regulation determines whether we feel safe, anxious, or shut down — which is why practices like somatic therapy and healing through touch can be so powerful for restoring balance.
By practising self-regulation, we gradually expand our ability to tolerate and stay with difficult sensations, which is the essence of building resilience. Much of modern stress arises from the chronic over-activation of the sympathetic nervous system — the branch responsible for “fight or flight.” When we learn how to gently down-regulate this state, the body can return to safety, ease, and rest. This not only supports greater health and reduces stress-related illness but also enhances our ability to enjoy life more fully. This is why body-based trauma therapy, including somatic sex therapy and nervous-system regulation tools, can be so effective.
🪷 A simple exercise to try: Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Take a slow breath in through your nose, allowing your belly to gently rise under your hand. Exhale slowly through your mouth, letting your shoulders soften. Repeat this for 5–10 breaths, focusing on the feeling of your hands moving with your breath. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, signalling safety to the body and helping to calm the mind. The breath can be a powerful healing tool.
Conclusion
The nervous system is not just a medical concept to study — it is the lived reality of how we move through life. When we understand its rhythms, patterns, and responses, we are better equipped to notice when we are in balance, when we are overwhelmed, and what steps we can take to return to safety and ease.
For clients in somatic therapy, this knowledge provides empowerment. It transforms confusing reactions into understandable processes, replacing shame or frustration with clarity and choice. Most importantly, it reminds us that healing is not about forcing ourselves to “be different,” but about working with the body’s natural intelligence to restore regulation, resilience, and connection.
By listening to the language of the nervous system, we learn to listen more deeply to ourselves — and from there, genuine healing and transformation can unfold.
Updated October 2025