Somatic therapy has grown rapidly in popularity for the treatment of trauma and other mental health conditions. However many Christians are suspicious of this form of therapy. Is it Eastern spiritualism wrapped up in therapeutic language? On the other hand, many Christians see the powerful effects of this therapy are tempted to accept its underlying explanations without careful examination.

In this second of two episodes, I dive into modern theories of somatic psychology and affirm what they get right and what must be rejected through the lens of science submitted to theology. I then provide practical steps that clinicians and non-clinicians alike can take to evaluate somatic psychology on their own. Theories covered include: Peter Levine, Bessel van der Kolk and Polyvagal Theory.

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Summer Book Club: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1DDNAqji9y/

Speed shooting trained automaticity: https://www.forcescience.com/2022/02/firearms-training-for-real-world-assaults/

Critique of Polyvagal theory’s claims concerning the dorsal and ventral vagus nerves: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301051123001060

Scientific refutation of “The Body Keeps the Score”: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/systems-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnsys.2026.1812957/full

Join the conversation on Substack: https://substack.com/@ashleyhageman

My private practice (Michigan only): https://www.solaceprofessionalcounseling.com/home

Music by Douglas Hageman https://doughageman.bandcamp.com/