From Self to Group to Community: Integrating Developmental and Multi-Level Approaches in Somatic Therapy

This paper introduces a multi-level therapeutic framework for trauma healing, integrating Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory with principles from somatic psychology, developmental, evolutionary, and contemplative sciences. The framework emphasizes the often-overlooked role of interpersonal relationships in nervous system regulation, addressing these relational dimensions across individual, dyadic, group, and community levels. As a case study, we present the "Relational Embodiment" 2-weeks residency program, which illustrates how somatic and relational practices—such as meditation, mindfulness, and group processes—enhance self-regulation, co-regulation, and collective co-regulation. By focusing on attention regulation, social engagement, and perspective-taking, the residency program demonstrates the potential of relational embodiment in therapeutic settings. Finally, we discuss the limitations of this approach and propose future directions for refining and expanding this integrative framework, which aims to fill gaps in current therapeutic practices where relational dynamics are often overlooked.