Or the opposite. You’ve watched videos of people trembling and weeping their way through something, felt nothing at all yourself, and wondered whether you’re doing it wrong.
This looks at what somatic release actually is, why crying and shaking come up in body-based work, and whether any of it is necessary. A brief note before we continue: the next sections touch on trauma, so read at whatever pace suits you.
What People Mean by Somatic Release
The term gets used loosely, which is part of the confusion. Broadly, somatic release describes moments in body-based therapy when something held seems to shift and the body responds.
It isn’t a clinical diagnosis or a procedure someone performs on you. It’s a description of an experience people report, and the way it’s described varies a great deal between practitioners.
Worth separating from the start: this is different from the somatic exercises and shaking videos circulating on social media. Those are movement practices. What’s discussed here happens within therapy, with someone watching how you’re doing.
Also Read: Does Somatic Therapy Actually Work? What Research Says
What It Actually Feels Like
Most people expect something dramatic. For plenty of people, it’s quiet enough that they almost miss it.
On the Physical Side
Trembling in the legs or hands is the one people mention most. A sudden deep breath that arrives on its own. Yawning, repeatedly, without being tired. Warmth moving through the chest or face, or a wave of tingling.
Some people describe a muscle they’d been holding for years simply letting go, often somewhere they hadn’t noticed was tight. Tiredness afterwards is common, sometimes for the rest of the day.
On the Emotional Side
Crying without a clear story attached to it. Sometimes laughter, which surprises people and isn’t a sign anything has gone wrong. Occasionally a wave of sadness or anger that seems disproportionate to whatever was being discussed.
And sometimes nothing. That’s worth saying plainly, because a lot of people conclude they’re broken or too shut down when nothing visible happens. Nothing visible happening is a normal session.
Why People Cry During This Work
The usual explanation is that emotion held back for a long time surfaces once the body feels safe enough to let it. That’s a reasonable description of what many people experience, and it’s part of why it tends to happen in a session rather than at your desk.
The research on crying itself is more interesting than the popular version. A study examining when crying does and does not improve mood found that crying doesn’t reliably make people feel better, and that the effect depends considerably on circumstances. Laboratory findings often show crying increasing arousal rather than settling it.
What research in this area tends to point toward is that crying is experienced as relieving more often when someone supportive is there, and when it comes alongside some new understanding of what’s upsetting. Less so when it happens alone, or with shame attached to it.
That distinction matters. A good cry in a room with someone who takes it seriously is a different event from crying by yourself at two in the morning, even though the tears look identical.
Is Somatic Release Real, and Does It Mean It’s Working?
The experiences are real. People genuinely shake, cry, and feel something shift, and that isn’t imagination.
What’s less settled is the explanation. The popular version comes from the observation that animals tremble after escaping a threat, and the idea that humans hold what they don’t discharge. It’s a vivid image and a useful metaphor. It is not an established mechanism in humans, and describing it as proven overstates what’s known.
| Common belief | A more accurate picture |
| No release means it isn’t working | A great deal of useful work involves nothing dramatic at all |
| The bigger the release, the better | Intensity is not the same as benefit, and overwhelm can set things back |
| A release clears the trauma out | Feeling something surface is one part of the work, not the whole of it |
| You should try to trigger one | Careful practice paces to avoid overwhelm rather than chasing it |
That last row is the one clinicians care about most. Treating catharsis as the goal can tip someone into flooding, which tends to leave people feeling worse and more wary of the work.
If You’re Trying This On Your Own
Plenty of people first meet this through a video rather than a therapist, which is fine as a starting point and worth doing carefully.
You might begin by treating any strong reaction as a signal to slow down rather than to continue. Opening your eyes, looking around the room, and naming a few things you can see will usually settle things faster than pushing on.
Also Read: How Somatic Therapy Helps When Talking Is Not Enough
Some people find it helps to keep sessions short. Five minutes of gentle attention is plenty when you’re new to it.
It can help to notice whether you feel steadier afterwards or more scattered. That’s better information than how much happened.
And if you have a trauma history, or a tendency to go numb and floaty, this is work that benefits from company. Not because you can’t be trusted with it, but because pacing is genuinely hard to judge from inside. Where anxiety or low mood is also in the picture, that deserves support in its own right.
How Therapy Can Support You
Somatic Therapy works with sensation at a pace you set, treating your body’s signals as information rather than something to push through. Trauma-Informed Therapy shapes that pace around what your system can actually hold in a given week. Emotion-Focused Therapy helps make sense of feelings once they do surface, so a wave of grief or anger becomes something you understand rather than something that simply happened to you.
Hayat Embodied Therapy offers individual psychotherapy for adults online across Canada, in a calm, judgement-free space where you set the speed.
Breathe, feel what’s actually there, and let the healing take the time it takes. Nobody competent will be rushing you toward a dramatic moment.
FAQs
What does a somatic release feel like?
Commonly reported experiences include trembling in the limbs, a spontaneous deep breath, repeated yawning, warmth or tingling, crying, and tiredness afterwards. It varies widely between people and between sessions. Many people describe it as subtle rather than dramatic.
Why do somatic exercises make you cry?
The usual explanation is that emotion held back surfaces once your body settles enough to allow it. Crying can also happen simply because slowing down creates space you don’t normally get. It doesn’t require a clear reason attached to be meaningful.
Is somatic release real?
The physical and emotional experiences are real and widely reported. The explanations attached to them are debated, and popular descriptions often run ahead of the evidence. Both things can be true at once.
Is it bad if I don’t feel anything?
No. Plenty of people feel little or nothing, particularly at first, and that isn’t a sign of being broken or resistant. Some people notice things only hours later, and some benefit without a noticeable physical experience.
Can this kind of work be done online?
Yes. The work depends on your own noticing and description rather than physical touch, so video sessions suit it well. Your therapist watches how you’re doing and adjusts, the same as they would in a room.
A Gentle Note Before You Go
This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional mental health assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Every person’s experience is unique; what helps one person may not be right for another.
If these topics match what you are going through, talk with a qualified mental health professional. This is the safest next step.
If you or someone you know is in crisis or experiencing thoughts of self-harm, please reach out for immediate help. In Canada and the United States, you can call or text 988. International readers can contact a local emergency service or a trusted crisis line in their region.
Nothing Has to Happen Today
If you came here worried that you cried too much, or that you haven’t cried at all, both of those are ordinary places to be standing.
The work isn’t measured by how much visibly happens. It’s measured over time, by whether ordinary days get a little easier to be inside.
Feeling better is closer than you think. You can book a free 15-minute consultation when you are ready.
References
- Bylsma, L. M., Vingerhoets, A. J. J. M., & Rottenberg, J. (2008). When is crying cathartic? An international study. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 27(10), 1165–1187.
- Gračanin, A., Bylsma, L. M., & Vingerhoets, A. J. J. M. (2015). Why crying does and sometimes does not seem to alleviate mood: A quasi-experimental study. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26500382/
- 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. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1929023
- College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. (n.d.). Protected titles and scope of practice. https://www.crpo.ca/
Reviewed by Laiba Hayat
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), BA-HON, MACP
This article was written and reviewed for accuracy, clarity, and educational value by Laiba Hayat, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), founder of Hayat Embodied Therapy. Her work supports adults navigating trauma responses held in the body, nervous system dysregulation, emotional overwhelm and numbness, anxiety and low mood, and relational wellbeing through somatic and trauma-informed online psychotherapy across Canada.
