🌿 The Art of Slowing Down: How Pace Shapes Healing
In a culture that rewards speed, productivity, and constant movement, slowing down can feel almost rebellious. Yet in the world of somatic therapy, slowing down isn’t avoidance — it’s medicine.
When we move too quickly, we often override the body’s subtle cues: the flutter of anxiety before saying yes, the tightness in the chest that whispers “this feels too much,” the warmth that signals safety. Healing begins when we learn to notice these micro-signals — and that noticing requires time.
🫀 Why Pace Matters in Healing
Our nervous systems are wired for survival. When something feels unsafe — even unconsciously — the body speeds up. The heart races, breath shortens, thoughts scatter. We enter survival states (fight, flight, freeze, or fawn) designed to protect us.
In trauma healing, slowing the pace helps the nervous system shift from survival to presence. It creates space for awareness to emerge without flooding or collapse. Instead of pushing through pain or rushing toward insight, we stay with the body — one breath, one sensation, one gentle moment at a time.
🌬️ What Slowing Down Looks Like in Somatic Therapy
Slowing down doesn’t always mean doing less — it means doing with awareness.
In session, this might sound like:
“Let’s pause here and notice what’s happening in your body as you say that.”
“Can we stay with that tingling in your hands for just a few breaths?”
“What happens when you take a little more time before responding?”
These moments of mindful pacing allow the body to process what was previously too fast, too overwhelming, or too soon. With time, this re-teaches the nervous system that it’s safe to experience — and complete — what once had to be held back.
🌸 The Paradox of Slowness
Slowing down can be uncomfortable, even frustrating. Many clients initially feel restless or “stuck” when invited to pause. But this discomfort is part of the healing process — it reveals how deeply conditioned we are to move past, rather than through, our feelings.
The paradox is that healing accelerates when we slow down.
The body integrates more efficiently when it’s not forced.
Safety grows not from doing more, but from doing less — with presence.
🌙 A Gentle Invitation
You don’t have to overhaul your life to slow down. Start with moments:
Take one full breath before you respond to an email.
Notice your feet on the floor before you walk into a room.
Pause after finishing a task, instead of jumping to the next one.
Each pause is a signal to your body: You’re safe enough to be here.
Over time, these small acts of slowness become a foundation for deeper healing — one that unfolds at the pace of your nervous system, not your to-do list.
In somatic therapy, slowing down isn’t a delay — it’s the doorway.
Through stillness, the body finally gets to speak. Through presence, it learns to trust that it will be heard.
