The brain utilizes our past experiences to provide information on how to interpret our emotions in the present.
The brain is really good at relying on the past to make guesses about the future. As we develop throughout our lives, the brain can learn new things and develop a new lens, that’s why adults tend to be more emotionally- regulated than toddlers. But, trauma very easily disrupts this progression, and we can easily develop triggers associated with particular emotions that may not make sense or serve us in the present. This is why trauma recovery that engages the body is so vital. The logical mind may know one thing, but the limbic system may react to another.
Somatic therapy is using mindful awareness to notice old or stuck uncomfortable sensations, stories, emotions, movements, and/or beliefs as they show up and then making a conscious choice to focus our attention in different ways in order to create a new experience in the present.