Somatic Therapy (Body Centered)

As Bessel van der Kolk said, "The Body Keeps the Score"

Our bodies hold important information, when we're able to listen. I've done trainings with Peter Levine and Bessel van der Kolk , and integrate their valuable lessons into my therapeutic work. We will get "centered" at the beginning of every session, slowing down and noticing the important experiences that we have in our core, in that "place without words." By listening closely to our emotions, paired with our thoughts, we find greater clarity and the energy we need for change and growth.

We all experience emotions through our bodies. Body-centered allows a deeper level of clarity about your feelings, and a more direct way of engaging with them.

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.

We live in a society that does not support embodiment- true connection with the wisdom of the body. As a result we may live disconnected from our bodies, especially when we have experienced trauma or stress. Numbing out, avoiding, overriding the signals of stress, anxiety, trauma reactions from the body, are common best attempts to cope. Somatic therapy offers a bridge between body and mind so that we can heal and release stuck trauma physiology, and return to wholeness.

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

Our feelings and experiences can be held in our bodies - somatic therapy helps us explore this mind body connection and encourages a focus on the body to learn about ourselves and what we may be experiencing.

I began training in Somatic Experiencing in 2010, officially became a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner in 2014, and was an assistant trainer for years. It and the basis in understanding the nervous system from Polyvagal Theory is deeply integrated into how I approach treatment and in addition to providing individual therapy from this lens, I have been built a group therapy program called Resiliency and Regulation where individuals can learn the principles and practices.

I am trained in somatic experiential therapy (SomEx), a modality that was designed specifically to treat trauma, especially the developmental trauma that may lead to out-of-control behaviors. I have been fortunate to have experienced great benefits from somatic therapy myself. I believe that our body is our greatest tool for healing. Indeed, it wants to heal - we just need to slow down and listen to it.

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

I work somatically using the body, its cues and its wisdom to help clients process pain and grief and connect back to themselves and place of safety within. Working somatically additionally supports regulation of the nervous system, the system that is responsible for feelings of safety or fight/flight.

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.

Somatic Experiencing helps clients process trauma by addressing how it’s stored in the body and nervous system. As an intermediate-level Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) qualifier in the second year of a rigorous three-year training program, I bring extensive expertise to this approach. This training includes multi-day intensives, case consultations, and personal sessions. I use SE to help clients release stress, regulate their nervous systems, and foster resilience and healing

Somatic therapy, sometimes known as body psychotherapy, is a therapeutic approach that places importance on what we experience in the mind and the body as well as the connection between the two. “Somatic” itself means “of or relating to the body.” I work with clients to hone their skills of listening to their body, their gut, and intuitive guidance to improve their self knowledge. If we are talking about the body and sexuality or the body as guidance to making decisions, the body is your friend!

Feeling into the layers of our body-self is key to releasing old emotions and trauma while making room for more peace , confidence and faith in our lives. Because the process is vulnerable, having a guide who is supportive and understanding is valuable.

Trauma and stress are stored in the body. Effective healing will include exercises and routines that address areas of tension and support our bodies' natural ability to release and reset to a state of calm and safety.

Somatic therapy, sometimes known as body psychotherapy, is a therapeutic approach that places importance on what we experience in the mind and the body as well as the connection between the two. “Somatic” itself means “of or relating to the body.” I work with clients to hone their skills of listening to their body, their gut, and intuitive guidance to improve their self knowledge. The body is your teacher and your friend!