Somatic
Somatic means relating to the body. In this context it points to the idea that stress, emotion, and old survival patterns live in the body as much as in the mind, and can be worked with through bodily awareness.
When people talk about a somatic approach, they mean paying attention to what the body is doing rather than only analyzing thoughts. The clenched jaw, the held breath, the stomach that drops when a certain name lights up your phone. These are signals, and they often arrive before you have a word for what you feel.
This matters for people-pleasing because the fawn reflex runs faster than thought. You can know, in your head, that you are allowed to say no, and still feel your body fold the moment someone frowns. Insight alone does not reach that layer. The body needs its own kind of attention.
A somatic practice can be small: notice where the tension sits, slow the breath, feel your feet on the floor before you answer. You are giving the older, faster part of your nervous system a signal it understands, that you are safe enough to pause. That pause is where a different choice can happen.