Somatic
Literacy

Noun. The ability to read the unspoken stories the physical body tells through tension, breath, posture, and other felt senses. It is the capacity to translate “body-knowledge” into a path toward integration.

Two Ways to Know Safety

Head-Knowledge

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The Intellectual Map
You have read the books and studied theories, logically explaining why you are safe in the present.

State: Informed.

Body-Knowledge

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The Somatic Reality
The visceral, nervous-system-level realization that the threat is gone; the body finally “relaxes its brace.”

State: Integrated.

Original Citation: Linden, P. (1994). Somatic Literacy. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance.

The Archive of the Body

Your body is not just a vehicle for your brain; it is the archive of your life. It doesn’t use words; it uses tension, breath, and posture. Often, we think we are “overreacting” to the present, when in reality, we are accurately reacting to a past that our body doesn’t realize is over. Healing requires building Somatic Literacy.

Living in “Old Geometry”

Trauma often leaves us “braced” for events that have long since passed. This manifests as physical resistance—a neck that won’t turn or a habitual “corner” posture. Intellectual understanding isn’t enough to dissolve this; the nervous system needs to be shown that it is safe to uncurl.

Somatic Integrity

Integration happens when Somatic Integrity is achieved. This is the moment the “head-knowledge” of safety finally reaches the “body-knowledge” of peace. By listening to the body’s resistance and asking, “What is this tension trying to protect?” we begin the process of moving into the present.

Cameron explored the journey to Somatic Literacy through the lens of healing childhood trauma on the 3-Minute Reframe.

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