Pain is a universal experience, yet how it manifests and affects each person is deeply individual. Consider this: over 50 million adults in the U.S. live with chronic pain, yet many report feeling stuck in a cycle of temporary fixes that fail to address the real issue. If you’ve tried countless medications, physical therapies, or even surgeries and still feel that nagging ache, you’re not alone. The truth is that traditional pain relief methods often fall short because they don’t account for the full complexity of the human body and mind.
Let’s explore why traditional methods may not work for everyone and how somatic therapies can fill the gaps.
The Limitations of Traditional Pain Relief Methods
Traditional pain relief methods have long been the go-to for addressing discomfort. However, while these approaches can provide temporary relief, they often miss the bigger picture. Here’s why:
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Treating Symptoms Instead of Root Causes
Most conventional treatments focus on symptom management. Pain medications, cortisone shots, and even physical therapy exercises target the pain itself without always addressing why it’s happening. For example, if someone experiences lower back pain, they might receive muscle relaxants or be advised to strengthen their core. While these interventions can help, they may not resolve the underlying symptoms contributing to pain perception.
Tension Patterns:
- Stiffness in the thoracic spine, especially between the shoulder blades
- Stiffness in the back of the ankle joint, especially in the calf or Achilles tendon
- Barely breathing when you are engaged with your electronic device
Postural Imbalances:
- Habitually sitting on one side of the pelvis or sit bone
- Tucking one foot under the pelvis
- Tilting the head to one side when writing or typing
Emotional Stress:
- Habitually holding your breath or clenching your jaw to hold back emotion
- Stiffening your muscles in your face, hands, or chest
Without identifying and addressing the root cause, the pain often returns—sometimes even worse than before.
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Over-Reliance on Medication
How frequently do you find yourself reaching for two Advil or Tylenol? Really, have you tracked it? The reliance on medication for pain relief has skyrocketed in recent decades. While pharmaceuticals can offer quick relief, they rarely provide lasting solutions. Worse, they can lead to dependency or unwanted side effects like fatigue, digestive issues, brain fog, or damage to an already stressed liver or kidney.
For many, this over-reliance creates a frustrating cycle: take a pill, feel better briefly, and then face the pain all over again. It’s no wonder so many people are searching for alternative pain management solutions that don’t involve either over-the-counter or prescription drugs.
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Overlooking the Mind-Body Connection
Traditional pain relief often overlooks one of the most crucial aspects of healing: the connection between the mind and body. Stress, viruses, surgeries, trauma, and even everyday emotional patterns can influence how the body experiences pain. For instance, chronic tension in the neck or shoulders may arise from more than just poor posture—it could be linked to unresolved tension patterns tied to stress or trauma stored in the body. Trauma is held in the body as “trapped inflammation.” As part of our body’s immune healing strategy, the nervous system effectively manages fascia and muscles to protect a given area, causing these tissues to contract.
Unfortunately, trapped inflammatory chemicals activate the pain receptors in that region. Like a dog chasing its tail, the cycle of inflammation, pain receptor stimulation, and the nervous system’s intrinsic response to contract muscle and fascia leads to impaired drainage and poor blood supply to the protected area that requires healing. When this “trapped inflammation” connection is overlooked, treatments may only scratch the surface, leaving deeper issues unaddressed.
How Somatic Therapies Fill the Gap
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Integrating the Mind and Body
One of the most profound benefits of somatic therapy is its ability not only to address dysfunctional drainage and impaired blood flow but also to tackle “trapped thoughts and beliefs.” This reflects the integration of mind and body. ‘Somatic’ refers to the body. Somatic educational platforms like the Feldenkrais® Method and Integral Human Gait™ Theory emphasize mindful movement and body awareness, helping individuals identify tension patterns they might not even realize they hold. These strategies generate alternative solutions for them to explore movements interrupting their habitual strategies and, thus, their tension patterns.
Therapeutic inventions such as Fascial Counterstrain also target the root cause by assessing which area of the body and the system within that area is responsible for dysfunctional drainage and impaired blood flow. For instance, a client with chronic hip pain might discover through somatic movement that their walking pattern places undue stress and pain on the hips and lower back. They realize that through the incredible mechanism of our nervous system, using focused attention, they can reprogram their body’s movement habits by making small, intentional adjustments, enhancing the quality of how the bottom of the foot interacts with the ground. Additionally, relief from emotional and physical adhesions from an old appendectomy scar restores the pelvis’s ability to move side to side during walking, relieving the tension patterns and stress on the hip and lower back.
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Addressing the Root Cause
Somatic therapies focus on the “why” behind the pain. Instead of masking symptoms, practitioners work with clients to explore the underlying causes. Whether it’s poor posture, repetitive strain, or unprocessed emotional trauma, somatic approaches help uncover and address these issues.
For instance, someone working from home with chronic neck pain might realize through somatic practices that their breathing rate and depth have markedly shifted: they slow down, often hold their breath, or breathe very shallowly. This shift can cause latent muscular tender points and pain during stressful work. Learning to release tension and adopt healthier movement patterns can alleviate pain and prevent future flare-ups.
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Empowering Self-Management
Perhaps the most empowering aspect of somatic therapies is their emphasis on self-awareness and self-management. Unlike many traditional treatments that rely heavily on external interventions, somatic therapy teaches individuals to tune into their bodies. This awareness enables them to recognize early signs of discomfort, make adjustments, and take control of their healing journey.
Over time, clients build a toolkit of strategies to manage pain and enhance their overall well-being. This sense of empowerment can be transformative, turning a once-passive experience into an active partnership with their own healing process body.
Ready to Explore Pain-Free Movement?
Living with chronic pain can feel like an uphill battle, especially when traditional methods fail to provide the relief you need. However, there is hope. Somatic therapies present a holistic, science-based approach to pain management that prioritizes your unique body and experiences. At Montgomery Somatics, we specialize in helping individuals uncover the root causes of their discomfort and guide them toward a life of pain-free movement.
Here are some options for reading more about the Feldenkrais® Method, Integral Human Gait™ Theory, or Fascial Counterstrain.
If you want to learn more about how somatic therapy can work for you, here are some links to help you find a certified practitioner in your area:
Feldenkrais Method: https://feldenkrais.com/practitioner-search/
Fascial Counterstrain: https://jicounterstrain.configio.com/accountdirectory or https://academy.counterstrain.com/clinics