3 Somatic Tools I Teach Every Client to Rebuild Safety in the Body
- Lexa Tavernier
- May 5
- 3 min read
If your body has ever felt like a battlefield—tight chest, racing thoughts, dissociation—you’re not alone. When the nervous system is dysregulated from trauma or chronic stress, it can feel unsafe to be in the body. But the beautiful truth is: your body can become a place of refuge again.
In my work as a somatic practitioner, I guide clients through simple, gentle tools that help rebuild internal safety and create lasting nervous system shifts. Below, I’ll share three of the most transformative practices I use with almost every client—no yoga mat or perfect posture required.
Tool #1: Orienting – Using Your Senses to Come Back to the Now
What it is:
Orienting is a foundational somatic practice that helps your body recognize it’s no longer in danger. It involves gently using your eyes, ears, and body awareness to connect with your current environment.
How to do it:
Look around the room slowly—notice colors, light, textures.
Turn your head gently, letting your neck move freely.
Take a breath and ask: What feels neutral or pleasant right now?
Why it works:
Trauma often leaves the body stuck in the past. Orienting helps send a message to your nervous system: This moment is different. I am here. I am safe enough now.
Tool #2: Touch-Based Self-Soothing
What it is:
Our skin is packed with nerve endings that signal safety when touched gently and intentionally. Using your own hands to offer comforting touch can activate parasympathetic pathways that calm the system.
Examples of healing touch:
Place one hand on your heart and one on your belly
Wrap your arms around your shoulders and hold
Press your feet into the floor and feel grounded support
How it helps:
Safe touch can regulate heart rate, soften tension, and invite emotional presence. For many clients, it’s one of the first ways they reestablish trust with their own body.
Tool #3: Pendulation – Building Capacity with Gentle Back-and-Forth
What it is:
Pendulation is a trauma-informed practice of gently moving between activation and safety. Instead of diving into pain or overwhelm, we titrate—feel a little activation, then return to ease.
How to try it:
Notice a sensation of discomfort (tightness, heat, energy).
Then, shift attention to something neutral or pleasant (your breath, a warm mug, soft blanket).
Go back and forth slowly, noticing the difference.
Why it’s powerful:
Pendulation teaches the nervous system that intensity is tolerable when safety is nearby. Over time, it expands your window of tolerance and builds resilience without retraumatization.
Client Story (Composite, anonymized for privacy)
One client came in constantly dissociating in her daily life. Through orienting and pendulation, she began noticing subtle shifts—a softening jaw, an easier breath, the first sense of “here I am.” Within a few weeks, she was sleeping better and connecting more deeply with her partner. Not because the trauma vanished—but because her body was finally learning it didn’t have to live in defense mode.
Final Thoughts
Nervous system healing isn’t about fixing what’s broken—it’s about reintroducing the body to safety, one moment at a time. These somatic tools are simple but profound when practiced consistently. They invite your body to remember: I can be here. I am safe enough now.
You don’t need to heal overnight. Start with one of these practices today, and trust your body’s slow, wise unfolding. Click here to learn more about us.
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