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Author(s): Nicole Seet Yen Tang.

Volume/Issue: Volume 9, Issue 4 (2026)

Page No: 79-95

Journal: African Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research (AJSSHR)

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Abstract:

Background: Many psychotherapy models emphasise symptom reduction, emotional regulation, or cognitive restructuring, yet less attention has been given to the somatic process through which unresolved physiological activation becomes tolerable, observable, and available for therapeutic change. This exploratory case series examined whether a brief autonomic charge-focused somatic intervention was associated with reductions in psychological symptoms and target-specific distress, alongside increased body awareness. Method: Five adult female clients aged 29–48 received three sessions of a somatic, regulation-based intervention targeting unresolved autonomic activation linked to relational, parental, occupational, or performance-related triggers. Outcomes were measured at each session using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS), and Body Awareness Questionnaire (BAQ). Data were analysed descriptively, with exploratory non-parametric repeated-measures tests used to examine within-subject change across sessions. Results: Across three sessions, participants showed consistent improvement across all measured domains. Mean DASS-21 depression scores decreased from 15.6 to 6.8, anxiety from 18.0 to 6.8, and stress from 26.8 to 11.6. Mean SUDS decreased from 78.2 to 21.6, representing a 72.4% reduction in target-specific distress. All participants ended Session 3 with SUDS scores below 30% of their initial distress scores. Mean BAQ increased from 50.0 to 70.8, suggesting improved body awareness and interoceptive engagement. Friedman tests indicated significant change across all measures, although inferential findings were interpreted cautiously due to the small sample size. Conclusion: Findings provide preliminary support for autonomic charge dissolution as a clinically observable process associated with reduced distress and increased body awareness. Rather than suggesting symptom suppression alone, the concurrent reduction in distress and increase in somatic awareness may indicate improved capacity to engage bodily activation within a regulated therapeutic context. These early findings warrant further investigation using larger samples, follow-up assessment, physiological measures, and controlled designs.

Keywords:

Autonomic charge, Interoception, Body awareness, Somatic psychotherapy, Emotional regulation, Trauma therapy, SUDS, DASS-21.

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