The Achilles’ Heels of Somatic Therapy: 8 Shortcomings That Are Ripe for Progress

In the myth of Achilles, his mother Thetis dips baby Achilles into the River Styx to make him impervious to physical harm. As she submerges him, she grips his heel, which prevents it from being immersed in the water. This renders his heel vulnerable and unprotected. As Achilles grows up, he is initiated into the arts of war and healing by his tutor Chiron, the wounded healer whose own wound never mends. During the Trojan War, Achilles’ heel is pierced by a poisoned arrow, leading to his downfall.

This allegory serves as a reminder that vulnerability often coexists with fierce strength. It also highlights that part of what helps us evolve is addressing individual and systemic shortcomings. Because I value somatic therapy, I feel called to explore its vulnerabilities.

Along my journey as a somatic therapy student, observer, client, and practitioner, I’ve been literally moved by aspects of the field that are trailblazing, potently healing, and brilliant. I’ve also encountered axioms, practices, and perspectives that are, per the title of this piece, ripe for progress. In this article, I use the term “Achilles’ heels” to describe the shortcomings I’ve observed. Some of these concern the way somatic approaches are done and the stance of the therapist. Others pertain to assumptions the field makes about bodies and their relationship to mind, soul, history, trauma, other bodies, the earth, and joy.

It’s not my intent to portray these shortcomings as a harbinger of somatic therapy’s downfall. Rather, I strive to spark conversation, reflection, and critical thinking about how the field can continue to grow. In that sense, these Achilles’ heels are homeopathic in nature: when given conscious tending, my hope is that they can contribute to deeper awareness and effectiveness in the field.

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