Meet Charge With Charge: A Somatic Approach to Trauma Healing

In somatic psychotherapy, you may hear the phrase “meet charge with charge.” While it can sound like advice, it’s more of a guiding principle—a way of understanding how the body moves toward healing when trauma has impacted the nervous system.

When we experience trauma, the system protects itself by covering the wound. This protective response is intelligent, but it also means healing can’t occur until enough safety is present. Somatically, we describe this as trapped emotional energy in the body. Neurobiologically, this is simply how humans work: electrical signals move through the brain and nervous system in milliseconds, far faster than our conscious thought.

Meeting charge with charge means working gently with the pain of old wounds. It is the process of building trust, access, and safety in the body so that healing can unfold. “Charge” refers to a surge of emotional energy; a felt sense that can show up as tension, activation, or a response that feels bigger than the moment calls for.

Through somatic work, we build regulation, expand the window of tolerance, and support safe release of stored energy. Research shows that somatic approaches increase resilience, improve immunity, and create lasting change by restoring flexibility to the nervous system.

Below are skills that help you meet charge with charge and support your body in processing activation:
• Gentle neck and head movements
• Orienting to your environment
• Micro movements or fidgeting
• Jumping in place
• Diaphragmatic breathing with strong exhales
• Stretching
• Dancing
• Walking
• Pacing
• Jogging
• Pressing into something solid
• Exhaling with sound
• Humming
• Singing
• Screaming

Take a moment to notice how many of these strategies your body already uses, consciously or automatically. The body is always working to protect, support, and sustain you, even outside your awareness. Somatic work simply helps you meet that intelligence with presence, compassion, and curiosity.