The Workout Witch: Liz Tenuto Shares Somatic Exercises to Release Stress and Trauma
Liz Tenuto, known as “The Workout Witch,” has gained a massive following on TikTok with over 1 million followers. She has built her platform by sharing somatic exercises that are designed to release stress and trauma. Tenuto promotes 30-day online courses that she claims can transform anyone “from pain to power.”
In one of her TikTok posts, which has garnered 1.6 million views, Tenuto offered a simple yet profound explanation as to why many people feel stuck in life. She shared a video of herself dressed in black athletic gear, lying on her side and gently rocking back and forth.
The accompanying text on the post read, “When you realize the reason you sit in your towel for 20 minutes after you shower, you no longer enjoy going out, and you dissociate frequently is because you’re living in freeze response due to dealing with extreme amounts of stress… and it’s also the reason you have a hard time getting out of bed, have tense muscles, and you hold your breath all the time.”
Tenuto claims that people can break free from this freeze response and experience a full body release by practicing somatic exercises. On her website, she shares her personal story and integrates it into her methodology. As a somatic specialist and a survivor of narcissistic abuse, Tenuto believes that chronic pain, anxiety, and past trauma are deeply interconnected.
She shares that she experienced chronic, unexplained pain and muscle tension starting at the age of 10. Initially, it was manageable, but as time went on, the pain became unbearable and affected her daily life. It wasn’t until her mid-twenties that she found relief through somatic exercises, which connect the physical body to the emotional body.
Tenuto received a degree in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and holds somatic certifications in Feldenkrais and Pilates. With 15 years of clinical teaching experience, she aims to change the conversation around how trauma and anxiety affect the body.
Her online courses focus on exercises to release tension in specific areas such as the hips, lower back, and shoulders. She believes that these programs go beyond addressing physical manifestations of stress and pain. They also target the deep-rooted causes of the pain to provide long-lasting healing.
Tenuto’s work resonates with many as it acknowledges the connection between physical and emotional pain. She emphasizes that chronic pain is often a result of unresolved trauma, stress, and anxiety that individuals carry within their bodies. As awareness of generational trauma increases, more people are seeking healing modalities like Tenuto’s somatic exercises to address and heal these wounds.
In the midst of a global pandemic that has highlighted the prevalence of trauma, Tenuto’s online presence and offerings provide opportunities for healing for everyone. Her belief is that people can live without pain and be healed from their past experiences. Through her work, she aims to empower individuals to release stress, trauma, and chronic pain, ultimately leading them to a state of power and well-being.
It is clear that Liz Tenuto, “The Workout Witch,” has created a platform and methodology that resonates with many who are seeking relief from the burdens of stress and trauma. Her somatic exercises offer a holistic approach to healing, integrating the body and the mind in the journey towards well-being.