Embodied Healing for Developmental Trauma: Integrating Sensorimotor Psychotherapy into Couples Counselling
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Authors
Chung, Amanda
Issue Date
2025-10-31
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
developmental trauma , attachment theory , somatic therapy , sensorimotor psychotherapy , couples counselling
Alternative Title
Abstract
This capstone examines how developmental trauma shapes adult attachment and relationship patterns, and how somatic approaches may strengthen couples counselling. Developmental trauma emerges in childhood within attachment relationships, disrupting the brain and nervous system, socialization and attachment with others. These disruptions often persist into adulthood where they appear as insecure or disorganized attachment, emotional and neurobiological dysregulation, and relational struggles that can be difficult to resolve. Therefore, understanding developmental trauma is not only important within child populations but also among adults who continue to experience its impacts. Recent literature suggests that trauma is carried not only in memories and cognitions but also in the body, alluding to where traditional talk-based therapies may fall short. In the individual setting, somatic therapies such as Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP) and Somatic Experiencing (SE) have responded to this gap by focusing on posture, movement, and bodily awareness to restore balance and support connection. By reviewing the research on trauma, attachment, and nervous system functioning, this capstone builds on the somatic work done in individual trauma therapy by offering a framework for adapting SP to couples counselling. The framework emphasizes a phased model with safety, pacing, and co-regulation as key pathways to healing. Through this integration, body-based approaches are positioned as a more comprehensive way to help couples impacted by the legacy of developmental trauma.
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License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
openAccess
openAccess