A somatic or body psychotherapist works with the body alongside talking, based on the understanding that experience, particularly difficult experience, is held physically and that insight alone often does not shift it. Someone can understand exactly why they react a certain way and still find their body responding as though the danger were happening right now, which is the gap this approach is built to address.
Where attention goes
Attention in sessions goes to breath, posture, muscular tension, physical sensation and the nervous system's responses as they happen in real time, rather than remaining at the level of narrative or explanation. Approaches within this field include sensorimotor psychotherapy and somatic experiencing, both of which work directly with the body's stress responses as they arise.
Who this tends to help
Somatic approaches are used for trauma, PTSD, dissociation, panic and chronic tension, and are often particularly helpful for people who understand their history clearly, sometimes in great detail, but feel no different for knowing it. Some practitioners in this field use touch as part of the work and many do not, so it is worth asking directly about a practitioner's approach beforehand.