The Research
Why body-based treatment matters for complex trauma
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For many adults with complex trauma, talk therapy alone can only go so far — the body has to be part of the healing, too. A growing body of neuroscience and clinical research supports why sensory-based, bottom-up approaches like Occupational Therapy, Sensory Integration, and Somatic Experiencing can help when insight-based treatment alone reaches a plateau.
The Core Premise
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Trauma is not only a cognitive or emotional experience — it is stored physiologically, in the nervous system and the body's sensory and motor systems. Standard talk therapy works primarily top-down, engaging the parts of the brain responsible for language and reflection. Complex trauma, especially when it began early or repeatedly, is often held below that level — in the nervous system's automatic, protective responses. Reaching it may require a bottom-up approach that starts with the body.
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A Note on the Evidence Base
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Body-based trauma treatment is an area of active, growing research. While it does not yet carry the same volume of large randomized trials as some standard talk therapies, it is increasingly recognized by trauma researchers and clinicians as a credible, evidence-informed complement to psychotherapy — particularly for clients whose progress has plateaued using talk-based methods alone.
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Selected Research & References Somatic Experiencing® and body-based approaches to trauma are grounded in a growing body of peer-reviewed research. Below are key sources supporting this clinical approach. Kuhfuß, M., Maldei, T., Hetmanek, A., & Baumann, N. (2021). Somatic experiencing – effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy: a scoping literature review. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1), 1929023. A comprehensive review of the SE research to date, finding growing evidence of effectiveness — with longer courses of treatment (6–12 sessions) associated with the strongest outcomes for post-traumatic symptoms. Ayudia, L., Purba, F.D., Samuels, A., & Iskandarsyah, A. (2026). Cultural development and validation of a group-based Somatic Experiencing® intervention for Indonesian women survivors of sexual assault with PTSD symptoms. Frontiers in Psychology, 17:1751747. The most recent published SE research, part of an active three-phase study (development → feasibility → clinical trial) that shows this field of research continuing to expand and mature. Kearney, B.E. & Lanius, R.A. (2022). The brain-body disconnect: A somatic sensory basis for trauma-related disorders. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 16:1015749. Makes the case, grounded in neuroscience, that trauma is fundamentally a somatic, sensory experience — not simply a cognitive one — supporting the need for body-based treatment approaches. Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking. The most widely cited book establishing that trauma is stored physiologically in the body, and that body-based approaches are often essential alongside — or instead of — talk therapy alone. Ogden, P., Minton, K., & Pain, C. (2006). Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy. Norton. A foundational text arguing that talk-based approaches alone often cannot reach trauma held below conscious memory, and outlining a body-based treatment framework. Levine, P. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books. The original text underlying Somatic Experiencing, framing trauma as a physiological event held in the nervous system. Corrigan, F.M. & Hull, A.M. (2015). Neglect of the complex: why psychotherapy for post-traumatic clinical presentations is often ineffective. BJPsych Bulletin, 39(2), 86–89. Explains how funding and research-design limitations for lengthy, complex trauma treatments can create a false impression that they lack evidence — even when endorsed by leading international trauma experts.