What is a Somatic Marker? The Connection Between Emotions and Sensations
Understanding the important connection between emotions and the sensations in our body can be essential for deepening your somatic therapy work.
4 min read
A somatic marker is a physical sensation that reflects an emotion, such as a knot in the stomach or tension in the shoulders.
The link runs both ways: emotions produce physical sensations, and physical sensations can stir emotions.
Slowing down to notice these sensations supports deeper self-understanding and is a step toward processing past wounds.
What is a somatic marker?
A somatic marker is a physical sensation that reflects an emotional state, like a knot in your stomach when you are stressed or tension in your shoulders. The connection runs both ways: emotions create physical sensations, and physical sensations can stir emotions. In somatic therapy, noticing these markers helps you identify and connect with what you are feeling, which supports deeper self-understanding and healing.
Ever notice how your heart races when you’re anxious or how a hug can instantly make you feel better? That’s because our emotions and physical sensations are tightly connected. Understanding this relationship is invaluable in helping us discover what’s going on with ourselves underneath the surface.
Think of the connection between emotions and sensations as a two-way street. Emotions can cause physical sensations, and physical sensations can influence how we feel. For instance, when you're stressed, you might feel a knot in your stomach or tension in your shoulders. These are physical reactions to your emotional state, known as "somatic markers." They help you identify and connect with your emotions.
On the flip side, physical sensations can evoke emotions. A warm, cozy blanket might make you feel safe and relaxed, while a sudden cold breeze might make you feel uneasy. What this shows is that our bodies and minds are constantly communicating and influencing each other.
“Our bodies are access routes to our emotional experiences, and when we pay attention to our physical sensations, we can gain valuable insights into our emotional landscape.”
In somatic therapy, emotions are seen as vital experiences that are felt in the body. Downtown Somatic Therapy therapist David Charme explains, “Our bodies are access routes to our emotional experiences, and when we pay attention to our physical sensations, we can gain valuable insights into our emotional landscape.”
For example, if you’re feeling sad, you might notice a heavy feeling in your chest or a lump in your throat. These physical sensations are your body’s way of expressing and processing your emotions. David Charme adds, “By tuning into physical sensations, individuals can become more attuned to their emotional state, gaining a deeper understanding of their feelings and reactions.”
“By tuning into physical sensations, individuals can become more attuned to their emotional state, gaining a deeper understanding of their feelings and reactions.”
Being present is key to understanding our emotions and sensations. When we focus on the here and now, we can better notice the physical sensations that come with our emotions. This helps us experience our feelings more fully and lets us catch the subtle signs and cues our body gives us.
In practice, this might mean taking a moment to notice how your body feels when you're stressed. Are your shoulders tense? Is your jaw clenched? Identifying these physical signs can help you relax your body, which can, in turn, calm your mind. David Charme says, “slowing down allows us to begin to notice all these really important pieces of somatic information that can often be overlooked when we’re racing through our day,” something many living in New York City can relate to.
So why is understanding our emotions and sensations so crucial in somatic therapy? Because it ultimately allows you to discover a deeper understanding of yourself and is the launching pad to healing trauma and past wounds. David Charme emphasizes, “Our bodies are a repository of past experiences and unprocessed emotions and trauma. Paying attention to our physical sensations is what allows us to ultimately process and resolve our wounds.”
“Our bodies are a repository of past experiences and unprocessed emotions and trauma. Paying attention to our physical sensations is what allows us to ultimately process and resolve our wounds.”
The relationship between emotions and sensations is an essential part of understanding ourselves, and is a crucial step in the healing process.
Work with a Downtown Somatic therapist
If you want to understand what your body is telling you, the therapists at Downtown Somatic Therapy can help you tune into somatic markers and use them in your healing.
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A somatic marker is a physical sensation that reflects an emotional state. When you are stressed, you might feel a knot in your stomach or tension in your shoulders, and those reactions are somatic markers. They help you identify and connect with your emotions.
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The connection works in both directions. Emotions can cause physical sensations, like a racing heart when you are anxious, and physical sensations can evoke emotions, the way a warm blanket can feel comforting or a cold breeze unsettling. Body and mind are constantly communicating.
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In somatic therapy, emotions are treated as experiences felt in the body. Downtown Somatic Therapy therapist David Charme describes the body as an access route to emotional experience, so paying attention to physical sensations offers insight into what you are feeling. Noticing a heavy chest or a lump in the throat, for example, can reveal sadness you had not yet named.
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Being present helps. When you focus on the here and now, you can notice the physical sensations that come with emotions, such as tense shoulders or a clenched jaw. Slowing down, David Charme notes, lets you catch somatic information that is easy to miss when you are racing through the day.
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Paying attention to somatic markers leads to a deeper understanding of yourself and is a starting point for healing trauma and past wounds. The body holds past experiences and unprocessed emotions, and noticing physical sensations is what allows you to process and resolve them.