How to Use Somatic Therapy Practices During the Full Moon
The full moon arrives like an invitation to feel everything all at once. If you've ever noticed yourself more emotional, more awake, more present under the full moon, you're not imagining it. Science confirms that the full moon's brightness disrupts sleep patterns and can shift mood and emotional intensity. But rather than fight this amplification, somatic practices offer a way to work with it—to use the full moon's magnifying energy as a tool for release, clarity, and nervous system reset.
What Somatic Practices Actually Are
Somatic practices are rooted in the understanding that your body holds emotions, trauma, and tension in very real, physical ways. A difficult conversation doesn't just affect your mind—it tightens your jaw, raises your shoulders, and shortens your breath. Over time, these patterns accumulate. Emotions get stuck in your muscles and nervous system, creating a kind of emotional backlog that your body carries.
Somatic work recognizes that you can't think your way out of this backlog. You have to move your way through it.
Unlike meditation, where you sit with an emotion, or talk therapy, where you analyze it, somatic practices use movement, breath, sound, and embodied awareness to help your nervous system process and release what it's been holding. Your body has its own intelligence. Somatic practices tap into that intelligence.
The full moon is an ideal time for this work because the amplified emotional energy creates momentum. What might take weeks to process during an ordinary week can shift in a single full moon night if you give your body the right tools.
Why the Full Moon Matters for Somatic Release
Under the full moon, everything becomes visible. Emotions surface. Sensitivity heightens. Buried feelings demand attention. For many people, this feels uncomfortable—too much, too raw, too exposing. But from a somatic perspective, this amplification is a gift.
The full moon creates a natural container for release. Your nervous system is already activated. Your emotional awareness is already heightened. Rather than trying to calm down or push the feelings away, somatic practices channel this heightened state into purposeful processing. You're riding the wave of lunar energy rather than fighting it.
Additionally, the full moon marks a natural cycle completion. The moon has grown from darkness to fullness over fourteen days. This is a moment of culmination—a natural time to let go of what's complete and prepare for the next cycle.
Preparing Your Body and Space
Before you begin any somatic practice, preparation matters. You're inviting your nervous system to process and release, so you want to create conditions of safety and intention.
Create physical space. You'll need room to move, shake, or dance without self-consciousness. If privacy feels essential to you, create it. Close doors, draw curtains, put your phone away. Your body needs to know it's safe to make sound and movement without judgment.
Ground yourself first. Before moving into somatic work, spend a few minutes connecting with the earth. If possible, stand barefoot outside under the full moon. If that's not possible, stand barefoot on carpet or tile and press your feet firmly into the ground. Feel your weight. Feel the ground beneath you. This grounds your nervous system and creates a felt sense of stability before you invite movement.
Set a gentle intention. You might say something like: "I'm here to release what no longer serves me," or "I invite my body to show me what wants to move through me." Keep it simple. You're not commanding your body to do anything—you're inviting it to participate.
Wear comfortable clothing. You want to be able to move freely. Tight clothes can restrict both your movement and your nervous system's ability to fully release. Soft, loose layers are ideal.
Have water nearby. Somatic work moves stagnant energy. You'll want water to drink afterward to help ground and integrate the experience.
Core Somatic Practices for the Full Moon
1. Shaking Practice (Trauma Release Exercises/TRE)
Shaking is perhaps the most powerful somatic practice for full moon release. It's simple, primal, and deeply effective. Animals in nature shake after stress to release stored tension. Your body has the same capacity.
How to do it:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent. Begin to gently bounce, allowing your legs to tremble. You might help this along by placing your hands on your thighs and gently shaking them. Within seconds, your whole body will begin to shake involuntarily. This is exactly what you want.
Let the shaking move through your entire body—legs, torso, arms, head. Don't try to control it or make it look a certain way. The shakier and messier, the better. Continue shaking for 10-20 minutes. Your body will tell you when it's done—the shaking will naturally slow and settle.
What to expect:
During and after shaking, you might experience deep sighing, crying, laughing, or spontaneous sounds. You might feel heat moving through your body. Your emotions might intensify before they begin to soften. All of this is your nervous system processing and releasing. Don't interrupt it. Let it complete.
Why it works:
Shaking activates your body's natural stress release mechanism. The full moon amplifies this capacity, making it easier for your body to access deep release. If you've been holding tension or suppressed emotion for weeks or months, shaking can shift it in a single session.
2. Vocal Release and Sound
Your voice is a powerful somatic tool. Sound moves energy through your body and out into the world. Many of us have been conditioned to be quiet, to not take up space, to suppress our authentic expression. The full moon invites you to reclaim your voice.
How to do it:
Stand with your feet grounded and your hands on your heart or belly. Begin to make sound. This could be humming, moaning, sighing, growling, or even screaming into a pillow. There's no wrong sound. The goal isn't to sound good—it's to let authentic sound emerge from your body.
You might start with simple "ahhh" sounds and let them deepen. You might make sounds of grief, frustration, joy, or release. Let your body guide what emerges. Continue for 5-15 minutes, or until you feel a natural completion.
What to expect:
Sound can unlock emotion quickly. You might find yourself crying or feeling waves of intensity move through you. Your throat might feel tight or sore—this is often years of suppressed expression being released. This is healing work.
Why it works:
Your voice is directly connected to your nervous system. When you've suppressed your authentic expression, your nervous system stays somewhat locked. Vocal release unlocks that pattern. The full moon's amplified energy makes this release even more accessible.
3. Grounding Movement and Walking
Not all somatic work needs to be intense or dramatic. Sometimes the most powerful practice is slow, intentional movement that helps your nervous system distinguish between what's yours and what belongs to the world around you.
How to do it:
Remove your shoes and stand on the earth, or stand barefoot inside if that's not possible. Begin to walk very slowly, paying complete attention to how your feet contact the ground. Feel each step. Feel your weight transferring from one foot to the other. Feel the earth (or floor) beneath you.
As you walk, you might imagine drawing other people's emotions, energy, or expectations from your body and returning them to the earth with each step. You're not bad for having absorbed them—you're simply reclaiming what isn't yours.
Walk for 10-20 minutes, maintaining this slow, deliberate pace and attention. You might find yourself naturally moving into gentle swaying, bouncing, or rocking.
What to expect:
This practice often brings a sense of calm clarity. Your nervous system settles as you feel the solidity beneath you. Emotions might release quietly, through tears or sighs rather than dramatic shaking. This is equally valid.
Why it works:
Grounding movement helps your nervous system feel safe and separate. For people who absorb others' emotions or energy, this practice is particularly valuable. It reminds your body that it is distinct, bounded, and safe.
4. Dance and Free Movement
Dance is a somatic practice that invites your whole being to participate. Unlike structured dance with steps to follow, free movement under the full moon is about letting your body express whatever wants to move through it.
How to do it:
Put on music that resonates with you—it could be upbeat, slow, rhythmic, or instrumental. Stand in your space and begin to move however your body wants to. There are no steps to learn, no right way to do it. Your hips might sway, your arms might reach, your body might bounce or undulate. Let it all happen.
Move for 15-30 minutes, or until you feel complete. You might find yourself expressing emotions through movement—grief might look like collapse and rising, anger might look like sharp, forceful movements, joy might look like expansive celebration.
What to expect:
Dance can shift your mood and emotional state quickly. You might move through several different emotional qualities in a single session. You might feel energized, exhausted, emotional, or deeply calm. All of these are normal.
Why it works:
Movement interrupts patterns. When you move in new ways, your nervous system has the opportunity to reorganize. The full moon's amplified energy makes this reorganization more accessible. Additionally, moving your body changes your biochemistry, shifting your emotional state in real time.
5. Breath-Based Release
Breath is the bridge between your conscious and unconscious nervous system. By deliberately shifting your breathing pattern, you can signal to your nervous system that it's safe to let go.
How to do it:
Sit comfortably with your spine relatively straight. Breathe in through your nose for a count of four. Hold the breath for a count of four. Then exhale through your mouth for a count of six or eight, making the exhale longer than the inhale.
The extended exhale is key. A longer exhale activates your parasympathetic nervous system—the "rest and digest" state where release becomes possible. Continue this pattern for 5-10 minutes.
You might pair this with visualization: as you exhale, imagine releasing tension, emotion, or anything you're holding. See it leaving your body and dissolving into the earth or sky.
What to expect:
Your body will gradually relax. You might feel emotions surface as your nervous system settles. Some people experience tingling, warmth, or a sense of spaciousness. Others feel deeply calm.
Why it works:
Most people hold their breath unconsciously, especially when stressed or protecting themselves. This pattern locks emotion in the body. Conscious breathing, particularly with an extended exhale, tells your nervous system it's safe to release. The full moon amplifies this capacity.
6. Cold Water Immersion
While less "active" than other practices, cold water is profoundly somatic. It shocks your nervous system into presence and helps reset your stress response.
How to do it:
Take a cool (not ice cold unless you're experienced with cold exposure) shower or bath. Stand under the water and feel the sensation completely. Let your breathing respond naturally. Don't fight the cold—surrender to it.
You might imagine the water washing away emotions you've absorbed, clearing your field, or resetting your nervous system. Spend 2-5 minutes under cold water.
What to expect:
Your breath will deepen initially. Your body might tense slightly before relaxing. You'll likely feel very awake and alive afterward. The effects can last for hours.
Why it works:
Cold water is a powerful reset button for your nervous system. It interrupts stress patterns and activates your body's natural resilience. After intense emotional release, cold water helps ground and integrate the experience.
A Complete Full Moon Somatic Release Session
If you want to move through several practices in one session, here's a suggested sequence:
Opening (5 minutes): Stand under the full moon (or facing the direction it's in) with your feet grounded. Place your hand on your heart. Set your intention: "I release what no longer serves me. I welcome clarity and ease into my body."
Grounding movement (10 minutes): Walk slowly and deliberately, feeling each step and the earth beneath you.
Shaking (15 minutes): Begin gentle bouncing and allow full-body shaking to emerge and continue naturally.
Vocal release (10 minutes): Make whatever sounds want to emerge from your body—sighing, humming, moaning, or deeper sounds.
Dance (10-15 minutes): Move freely to music that resonates with you.
Breath work (5 minutes): Sit and practice extended exhale breathing.
Integration (5 minutes): Sit quietly. Place your hands on the earth or your heart. Notice what you feel. Drink water.
This full sequence takes about an hour. You don't need to do all of these practices every full moon. Choose what calls to you.
After Your Practice: Integration
What happens after your somatic session matters. Your nervous system has shifted. You've moved stagnant energy. Now you need to integrate the experience.
Drink water and eat something grounding. Your body has done real work. Give it what it needs to settle.
Move slowly. Don't jump into activity. Spend at least 15-30 minutes doing gentle, slow things. This helps your nervous system anchor the shifts that occurred.
Notice without analyzing. Pay attention to how you feel, but resist the urge to figure it all out. Somatic work happens in the body first, understanding comes later.
Rest if you need to. Somatic release can be tiring. Your body might need sleep or quiet time. Honor that.
Return to the practice. Monthly full moon somatic sessions create cumulative effects. Over time, you'll notice your nervous system becomes more resilient, your ability to process emotion increases, and your baseline state of calm deepens.
Why Monthly Full Moon Practice Matters
The full moon arrives every 29.5 days—a perfect rhythm for regular somatic practice. This consistency matters. Your nervous system learns through repetition. Each month, as you practice somatic release at the full moon, your body becomes more skilled at processing and releasing what it's holding.
You'll likely notice that by the time the next full moon arrives, you're ready to release again. This natural rhythm prevents emotional accumulation. Rather than carrying stress, tension, and suppressed emotion for years, you're moving it through your body monthly.
Over time, this practice transforms your relationship with your emotions and your body. You move from feeling like emotions happen to you to understanding that your body is a capable processor of emotional energy. The full moon becomes not something to survive, but something to look forward to—a sacred time for clearing, resetting, and moving forward lighter.
Starting Your Practice
You don't need to be experienced with somatic work to begin. Your body already knows how to shake, move, sound, and breathe. You're simply giving yourself permission to do it consciously and intentionally under the amplifying energy of the full moon.
Choose one practice this month. Stand under the full moon. Let your body lead. Notice what happens. Then return next month and go deeper.
Your nervous system has its own wisdom. The full moon is simply the invitation—the rest is up to your body to discover.
