Somatic Therapy (Body Centered)

I often incorporate somatic techniques to include your body in our therapy, as often words can only take us so far.

I use body-work to guide clients in releasing their trauma histories. When trauma occurs early in life before language skills are fully developed, the trauma automatically becomes stored in the body. Symptoms of pain, repeated injuries, and even susceptibility to illness can all be signs of unprocessed childhood trauma. When we work somatically, we release the emotions stored in the body to relieve the physical symptoms and postural habits.

I utilize somatic therapy to bring awareness back to the body and recondition it to release trauma stored deep within the nervous system. Often, our rational mind understands things clearly but another part of us doesn't. Somatic therapy works to put the mind and body in balance, creating a harmonious connection that facilitates healing. By addressing the physical sensations and responses associated with trauma and stress, we can foster a deeper sense of relief and well-being.

I believe your body is innately intelligent. It knows what it needs and communicates constantly. You might not have ever learned (or been allowed to learn) how to listen. Becoming curious about and aware of what it’s communicating - how and where it holds emotions, tension, trauma, memories - is foundational to healing. Through awareness and curiosity you can tap into your body’s wisdom and move toward wholeness.

Prior to my career as a counselor, I practiced as a Licensed Massage Therapist in the state of Florida for 7 years. Since beginning my career in counseling I have received training and supervision in a range of somatic-based therapies and have consistently brought awareness of the body into my work with clients.

With a certification in somatic trauma therapy from The Embody Lab, I understand how trauma and stress can manifest physically in the body. Through body-centered techniques, I will help you become more aware of your bodily sensations, emotions, and responses. This approach allows us to process experiences at a deeper level, fostering healing and resilience while empowering you to reclaim your body’s wisdom and integrate your emotional experiences.

Rita draws from her yoga teaching experiences to help clients become more attuned to their bodies.

You will learn to relate to your body in ways that activate emotional resilience and release. Maladaptive behavior, limiting beliefs, and emotional and physical pain arise in relation to experiences that are embedded in your nervous system.

Somatic therapy focuses on the connection between the body and mind to address emotional and psychological issues. It involves using body awareness, physical sensations, and movement to help individuals process and release stored trauma and stress. By tuning into bodily experiences, somatic therapy aims to promote healing and improve overall well-being, addressing both physical and emotional aspects of mental health.

I use body-work to guide clients in releasing their trauma histories. When trauma happens before clients have developed the language skills to speak of the complexity of traumatic situations, the trauma automatically becomes stored in their bodies. Symptoms of pain, repeated injuries, and even susceptibility to illness can all be signs of unprocessed childhood trauma. When we work somatically, we release the emotions stored in the body to relieve the physical symptoms and postural habits.

I don't think that talk therapy alone is enough. In my work we will integrate the mind with the body. What does this mean? We will focus on sensations in your body, exploring your feelings and where they live within the body. We will look at how the body communicates with the brain. You will learn how to manage emotions, allowing them to exist in your body, while not letting them run every moment of your life, and how to attend to them with grace.

Somatic Experiencing is a way of dealing with really tough experiences, like trauma, that can leave a mark on our bodies and minds. Instead of just talking about it, this approach pays attention to what's happening in your body, like the physical sensations and reactions. By gently working with those sensations, it helps release the stuck energy from the past and helps you move forward and feel better.

I have trained extensively in Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) and am a certified facilitator. I am also trained as a Yoga teacher. In addition, I have completed training in Dance Movement Therapy as well as Laban Movement Analysis.

Somatic therapy, also sometimes known as body-centered therapy, refers to approaches that integrate a client’s physical body into the therapeutic process. Somatic therapy focuses on the mind-body connection and is founded on the belief that viewing the mind and body as one entity is essential to the therapeutic process. Somatic therapy practitioners will typically integrate elements of talk therapy with therapeutic body techniques to provide holistic healing. Somatic therapy is particularly help

Somatic therapy is a form of body-centered therapy that looks at the connection of mind and body and uses both traditional talk therapy and physical therapies for holistic healing. In addition to talk therapy, I use mind-body exercises and other physical techniques to help release the pent-up tension and trauma that negatively affects a person’s physical and emotional wellbeing.

Somatic therapy brings attention to our body, including sensations, emotions, feelings, & thoughts, and how they interface to generate awareness and change. Many of us have had to survive by (or have been socialized to) diminish the connection to our body. While this was a great solution for us as children, as an adult, we can feel dissatisfied by this disconnection, noting that we feel stuck, anxious or depressed. Somatic therapy can help you feel safer in your body and the world.

We hold feelings and emotions in our body. When we learn to listen to our bodies, we begin to understand where these emotions start and this is key to management and self regulation.

In our sessions we will not just talk about what is happening inside you, but where in your body it is happening. Maybe you feel tension in your chest or stomach pain, and we take our shoes and socks off to be grounded to our surroundings. Maybe we practice quieting our brains while meditating and focusing on simple breathing. Learning to give yourself a massage or take a field trip to a see a massage therapist. Sometimes we just have to shake things up and dance like no one is watching!

Somatic therapy is a form of body-centered therapy that integrates the mind and body in the healing process, particularly for trauma and stress-related conditions. Unlike traditional talk therapies that primarily focus on thoughts and emotions, somatic therapy emphasizes the physical experiences and sensations in the body as a pathway to healing.

I have training in Somatic counseling from the SEI