Somatic refers to the body and bodily processes, such as:

 

• breathing

• muscular tensions and posture

• patterns of movement

• facial expressions

• sweating

• blushing

• even changes in pupillary constriction and dilation

 

These bodily (somatic) features are linked to emotional experience and characteristic of each individual as well as common expressions of all humans. Thus, when we consider not only what an individual is saying, but also how the bodily expression matches (or sometimes mismatches) what we say, we get a more comprehensive window into how an individual organizes their experience of themselves--and their relationship to others and the world in general.

 

This is an important component to the Three Fold Way since we consider mind and body as unified – an integrated expression of the human experience, rather than viewing mind and body as separate. Body and mind do not exist or operate independently of one another.