Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: what the term means

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is a body-based approach to trauma developed by psychologist Pat Ogden, formalized through the institute she founded in 1981 and detailed in her 2006 book Trauma and the Body. Rather than focusing mainly on talking through a memory, it tracks physical sensation, posture, and movement impulses, on the idea that trauma is held in the body.

Where does Sensorimotor Psychotherapy come from?

In the early 1970s, Pat Ogden was teaching yoga and dance at a psychiatric hospital. She noticed how disconnected patients seemed from their own bodies, and how closely posture and movement tracked their psychological struggles. She apprenticed with Ron Kurtz, becoming the first person certified in his body-centered Hakomi method, before founding her own institute in 1981. She laid out the full approach in Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy, co-written with Kekuni Minton and Clare Pain and published by W. W. Norton in 2006.

How does a Sensorimotor Psychotherapy session work?

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy follows a three-phase model, per the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute. Phase one builds safety and teaches you to regulate body arousal before touching anything difficult. Phase two works with a traumatic memory through bottom-up signals, a clenched jaw, a held breath, rather than the story itself. Phase three focuses on integration, rebuilding the movement and relational patterns trauma disrupted.

Is there research behind it?

Less than behind EMDR. A 2021 pilot randomized controlled trial in the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation tested a 20-session group adaptation of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy on 32 women with childhood trauma histories. Compared with a waitlist control, they showed significant gains in body awareness, anxiety, and capacity to receive soothing. That’s one small pilot, not a large evidence base. The APA’s PTSD treatment guideline evaluates named treatments, including EMDR, prolonged exposure, and cognitive processing therapy; Sensorimotor Psychotherapy isn’t among them.

How is it different from EMDR?

Both approaches put the body at the center of recovering from trauma, but the structure differs. EMDR follows a standardized eight-phase protocol built around bilateral stimulation: alternating left-right eye movements, taps, or tones. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy has no bilateral rhythm; it uses open-ended body tracking inside its own three-phase arc, closer in spirit to Somatic Experiencing than to EMDR. Our EMDR vs. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy comparison walks through the practical differences in full.

EmEase, a self-guided EMDR app, offers the guided version of bilateral stimulation for everyday stress at app.emease.com.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy in simple terms?

It's a body-based approach to trauma developed by psychologist Pat Ogden. Instead of working mainly through talking, it tracks physical sensation, posture, and movement impulses in the present moment, on the idea that trauma is held in the body and needs bottom-up attention, not just conversation, to resolve.

Who created Sensorimotor Psychotherapy?

Psychologist Pat Ogden, who noticed the mind-body disconnect in patients while teaching yoga and dance at a psychiatric hospital in the early 1970s. She apprenticed with Hakomi founder Ron Kurtz, then founded her own institute in 1981 and detailed the method in her 2006 book, Trauma and the Body.

What are the three phases of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy?

Phase one builds safety and teaches you to regulate body arousal. Phase two works directly with a traumatic memory through body sensation rather than narrative detail. Phase three focuses on integration, rebuilding the movement and relational patterns trauma disrupted.

Is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy backed by research?

Some, but far less than EMDR. A 2021 pilot randomized controlled trial found a 20-session group adaptation improved body awareness, anxiety, and soothing receptivity in 32 women with childhood trauma histories, compared with a waitlist. Major PTSD guidelines like the APA's don't currently name it as an evaluated treatment.

How is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy different from Somatic Experiencing?

They're close cousins in the same body-based lineage, but distinct methods. Somatic Experiencing, developed by Peter Levine, centers on tracking sensation to help discharge survival energy. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, developed by Pat Ogden, adds a structured three-phase model and draws more on attachment theory.

How is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy different from EMDR?

EMDR follows a standardized eight-phase protocol built around bilateral stimulation, alternating eye movements, taps, or tones. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy has no bilateral rhythm; it uses open-ended body tracking inside a three-phase arc instead. See our EMDR vs. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy comparison for the full picture.