How talking therapies for trauma can be complemented by the inclusion of body-oriented approaches

Section A
Trauma can have lasting effects on both psychological and physiological wellbeing. However, evidence suggests that traditional talking therapies for trauma may not fully address the body-based impact of trauma. In response, body-oriented approaches, such as yoga, sensorimotor psychotherapy, and dance movement therapy have gained attention for their potential to support trauma treatment. While research shows promising outcomes for body-oriented approaches, their effectiveness in combination with talking therapies is less clear. This systematic literature review aimed to explore whether the combined approach supports treatment and how body-oriented techniques complement talking therapies.

A systematic literature search was undertaken, and nine papers were included and reviewed for their quality. Quantitative and qualitative findings from those papers were explored through a narrative review. The findings suggest that integrating body-oriented approaches with talking therapies may support treatment for trauma with improvements seen in
psychological and physical symptoms, however some participants showed adverse reactions. Findings further show that body-oriented approaches seem to complement talking therapies by increasing clients’ sense of safety and self-awareness. Implications and limitations are explored relating to clinical practice and future research.

Section B
Traditional talking therapies for trauma may fall short in addressing the body-based imprint of trauma. In response, body-oriented approaches are gaining recognition for their ability to support emotional regulation and access trauma from the body level. Emerging evidence suggests that the integration of body-oriented approaches with talking therapies may support trauma treatment and literature shows that the integrated approach is already being applied in practice. This study aims to contribute to this growing area by exploring practitioners’ beliefs about what body-oriented approaches bring to talking therapies, their experiences of using these approaches with talking therapies, and the aspects of trauma work where they draw on body-oriented approaches.

Eight participants from diverse professional backgrounds were interviewed and transcripts were analysed using Thematic Analysis. Five themes were identified: ‘contextual foundations’, ‘the role of the body in therapy’, ‘creating conditions for emotional depth and safety’, ‘practical considerations when integrating body-oriented approaches’ and ‘pathways to integrating body-oriented approaches’. Findings suggest that integrating body-oriented approaches with talking therapies can deepen emotional processing, support clients in accessing nonverbal material, and create conditions of safety and regulation. Participants also highlighted need for flexibility, impact on them as practitioners and concerns around scope of practice. The findings are discussed in relation to the study's limitations and its clinical and research implications.