Somatic Therapy for Trauma: Whole-Body Healing at Alta Mira

For many people, trauma and substance use disorders are deeply interconnected. Traumatic experiences can leave a person feeling flooded with intrusive memories or emotionally shut down. Substances often become a way to cope, providing temporary relief from overwhelming emotions, flashbacks, or physical distress. Yet, over time, addiction compounds the problem.  

This cycle highlights why it is so important to treat trauma and addiction simultaneously. Addressing only one condition while ignoring the other leaves recovery incomplete. At Alta Mira, we provide a comprehensive, trauma-informed treatment model designed to break this cycle, helping clients find safety, stability, and sustainable healing. 

While talk therapy is an essential part of treatment, trauma is not only stored in thoughts and memories—it is also held in the body. Survivors of trauma often experience physical symptoms such as gastrointestinal issues, insomnia, or headaches. These symptoms reflect the nervous system’s attempts to protect itself long after the traumatic event has passed. 

Somatic therapy works by addressing this physical imprint of trauma. Through practices like Somatic Experiencing (SE), trauma-informed yoga, breathwork, and mindful movement, clients learn to notice physical sensations, gradually discharge stored tension, and bring their nervous system back into balance. 

• Somatic Experiencing (SE): Helps clients gently track bodily sensations and slowly release survival energy connected to fight, flight, or freeze responses. 
• Yoga and Breathwork: Encourage grounding, body awareness, and relaxation, helping clients feel safer in their bodies. 
• Mindful Movement: Builds resilience by allowing clients to reconnect with their physical selves in a safe and supportive way. 

These therapies are powerful tools for reducing hyperarousal, improving emotional regulation, and fostering a sense of agency. For individuals who have relied on substances to manage distress, somatic therapies offer new ways of coping that are both healthy and sustainable. 

At Alta Mira, somatic therapies are part of a larger integrated care model. Our clinical team also draws from a wide range of evidence-based and experiential approaches, including: 

• Motivational Interviewing – helping clients connect with their own reasons for change, increasing commitment to recovery. 
• Internal Family Systems (IFS) – guiding clients to explore and harmonize the “parts” of themselves that carry pain or protect them from hurt. 
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) – enabling clients to reprocess and resolve traumatic memories in a safe, structured way. 
• 3-Day Family Program – recognizing that recovery is relational, this intensive program supports families in healing together and building stronger bonds. 

Each client also receives multiple individual therapy sessions per week, ensuring consistent support and therapeutic connection. Alongside these therapies, clients benefit from expressive arts, equine therapy, acupuncture, meditation, and adventure therapy, creating a holistic experience that addresses every dimension of healing. 

Research has shown that individuals with unresolved trauma are at significantly higher risk of developing substance use disorders. Likewise, people in recovery often find that untreated trauma is a trigger for relapse. This underscores the importance of treating both conditions within the same integrated program. 

At Alta Mira, we provide: 

• A whole-person perspective: Trauma often fuels addictive behaviors, and addiction can amplify trauma symptoms. By addressing both together, clients can break free of the cycle. 
• A unified care team: Psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians, and holistic practitioners collaborate closely to create individualized, trauma-informed treatment plans. 
• Holistic wellness: Our therapies don’t just focus on symptom reduction but aim to restore emotional resilience, relational connection, and physical well-being. 

What sets Alta Mira apart is not only the clinical sophistication of our program but also the deeply supportive environment we provide. Located in Sausalito, California, our campus offers a serene setting that fosters rest, reflection, and renewal. Clients are welcomed into a calming environment with chef-prepared meals, options for private accommodations, and even the ability to bring their pet. 

By blending advanced psychological testing, evidence-based therapies, and holistic modalities, Alta Mira creates a healing experience that is both comprehensive and compassionate.  

Somatic therapy helps individuals reconnect with their bodies, release stored trauma, and find new ways of regulating emotions—skills that are essential for lasting recovery. When combined with addiction treatment and a full spectrum of therapeutic approaches, it creates a foundation for healing. 

At Alta Mira, we walk alongside our clients as they move from surviving trauma and addiction to living a life rooted in balance, connection, and hope.