Grieving with the Body - A Somatic Approach to Loss and Letting Go
Grief doesn’t live in the mind. It lives in the body - in the breath that catches, the heart that aches, the shoulders that slump beneath invisible weight.
We often try to think our way through grief, to understand it, make sense of it, or move past it. But the body doesn’t need logic. It needs presence.
A somatic approach to grief invites us to let the body do what it already knows how to do: feel, release, and remember.
Grief as a Physical Process
Grief is movement - waves that rise and fall through the nervous system. When we suppress it, the energy becomes trapped. Over time, this can show up as tension, fatigue, anxiety, or disconnection from joy.
Somatic practices like breathwork, sound, and gentle movement help this energy complete its natural cycle.
Crying, shaking, yawning, or sighing are not breakdowns - they’re breakthroughs. They’re how the body metabolises sorrow.
The Wisdom of the Body in Loss
In trauma and psychedelic work, we often say that “the body remembers.” The same is true for grief. The body remembers love - and it mourns its absence.
During psilocybin or MDMA-assisted sessions, many people report feeling waves of warmth, emotion, or light as the heart begins to open again.
Rather than escaping pain, these experiences allow us to meet it consciously. To weep, tremble, and breathe until grief turns back into love.
Grief and the Nervous System
Grief is both tender and powerful. It activates the same physiological responses as trauma - the tightening of muscles, the shallow breath, the racing heart.
The key is to support the nervous system so it can move between these states safely. Grounding, gentle touch, or slow rocking can signal to the body that it’s safe to feel.
When the body feels safe, emotion can flow again.
How Psychedelics Can Support Grieving
Psilocybin and MDMA don’t take grief away. They help you meet it with compassion rather than resistance.
Psilocybin often brings a sense of connection to something larger - nature, spirit, or the memory of a loved one. MDMA helps soften the sharp edges, allowing the heart to feel without collapse.
Together, they remind us that grief is not something to fix but something to honour.
Integration - Living with What Remains
Grief never fully disappears. It becomes part of who we are.
Integration is about learning to live with what remains - to find small rituals of remembrance and gratitude that keep love alive.
This might mean lighting a candle, writing a letter, planting a tree, or simply allowing yourself to cry when the wave comes.
The goal isn’t closure. It’s coexistence - a life that makes space for both love and loss.
Making Room for Joy
To grieve with the body is to let life move through you again.
When we allow emotion to flow, we make room for joy to return.
Psychedelics, somatic work, and compassion all share the same lesson: the heart was never meant to stay closed.
🌿 If you’re moving through grief or loss and feel called to explore somatic or psychedelic healing, I offer trauma-informed facilitation and integration across the UK.
👉 Book your free discovery call and learn how to let your body lead the way through loss and back to love.
