Somatic Therapy
IN-Person in BREA, ca | online across ca + AZ
Is Your Body Holding The Weight Of Long-Term Stress, Trauma, Or Dissociation?
If you're like many of my clients, you've spent a lot of time in your head, trying to manage your anxiety, stress, or overwhelm with logic, productivity, or self-talk. Maybe you've done traditional talk therapy before and didn’t get the change you’d hoped for, or maybe you've been navigating it alone. Either way, something still feels stuck.
That’s where somatic therapy for trauma, stress, and nervous system dysregulation can help.
Acknowledging that stress, burnout, and over-functioning live in the body and not just the mind, my approach blends talk therapy with body-based approaches that help your nervous system build more steadiness and resilience. This way, you can begin to experience what it’s like to feel truly at ease—in your mind, body, and nervous system.
What Is Somatic Therapy?
When trauma happens, the body’s natural survival responses—like fight, flight, or freeze—don’t always get to complete themselves, leaving the nervous system stuck in a heightened or frozen state. Over time, these unresolved responses may show up as hypervigilance, difficulty relaxing, emotional disconnection, or even persistent physical symptoms. In the case of developmental and complex trauma, these patterns can also shape how we see ourselves and others, sometimes leading to identity distortions, self‑blame, or a feeling of being “stuck” in survival mode.
“Somatic therapy” describes a range of counseling approaches that work with the body and nervous system—not just the thinking parts of the brain—to release stored stress, gently shift long‑held patterns, and build regulation from the inside out. Trusting in the body’s innate wisdom and ability to guide the healing process when given the time, attunement, and safety to do so, somatic therapy methods offer healing that feels deep, lasting, and embodied.
By addressing the body’s role in stress and trauma, somatic therapy supports your nervous system in finding more regulation, self‑trust, and relief that goes beyond insight alone.
Reach Out Today!
In my practice, I primarily use two somatic modalities:
● Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a gentle, attuned approach that helps you gradually shift out of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn states. We begin by slowing down and paying attention to your body’s cues, tracking sensations, areas of ease or tension, and moments of aliveness or shutdown. Over time, you can begin to release stored survival energy and feel more grounded, present, and resourced. With Somatic Experiencing, you don’t have to revisit every detail from the past. The body leads, and we follow—with care, pacing, and trust in your system’s natural ability to heal.
● The NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) is a present-focused approach to healing developmental and complex trauma. With NARM, we look at how early experiences and unmet needs may have shaped your sense of self and the way you connect with others. Like in Somatic Experiencing, rather than revisiting the past in detail, we notice how those patterns show up now—emotionally, cognitively, physically, and in relationships. Over time, you can begin to relate to yourself and others in new ways, feeling less stuck and more connected.
With SE, you can release bodily tension, expand your tolerance for discomfort and uncertainty, and feel more grounded and present in your daily life. And with NARM, you can learn to recognize, shift, and respond differently to survival strategies that were once necessary but may no longer serve you.
Both approaches emphasize safety and pacing, always honoring your capacity and comfort level. We don’t rush the process. Instead, we will pause, notice, and respond in a way that feels supportive, ultimately making space for your stress response to unfold and get disentangled in its own time.
Therapy That Actually Yields
Long-Term Relief
Somatic therapy can be especially helpful when insight alone hasn’t created lasting change. Working with your nervous system directly allows healing to happen from the inside out, so the changes you experience aren’t just temporary, but felt in a deeper, lasting way. You don’t have to relive painful memories or push yourself past your limits. In that sense, somatic therapy is gentler on the nervous system than verbally processing traumatic experiences with a therapist; it focuses on the here and now, meeting you where you are and helping your system gradually restore balance without overwhelming or retraumatizing you.
Somatic Therapy With Adaptive Resolutions Counseling
I first turned to Somatic Experiencing (SE) when I realized I had reached a wall with purely cognitive approaches—both in my work with clients and in my own personal healing. I needed something that went beyond intellectualizing and talking, and SE offered that. It works with the body’s innate capacity to heal, opening doors that words alone couldn’t.
Later, I discovered the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), which added the psychobiological and relational dimensions that make my approach truly holistic. Together, Somatic Experiencing and NARM provide a framework for addressing not only symptoms but also the deeper survival patterns and identity struggles that often come with developmental and complex trauma.
What I love about being a somatic therapist is how accessible these approaches are. Our bodies are always with us and always communicating—even if we don’t notice it. I find it so powerful that healing can happen by learning to listen and responding to the body’s cues.
With the blend of somatic therapy I offer, clients often find themselves slowing down, connecting inward, and building a felt sense of safety from the inside out. These approaches are deeply human, intuitive, and within reach. Again and again, I’ve seen them lead to lasting change, and I believe they can support you, too.
It’s Time To Shift Out Of
Survival Mode
If you’re still unsure about how somatic therapy works and if it’s right for you, I’m happy to answer any questions you might have. As a somatic therapist, I want to help you feel prepared for what to expect throughout our work together.
Schedule a free consultation with me to find out more about how Somatic Experiencing, NARM, and other therapy approaches can help you restore a sense of safety, balance, and connection in your life.
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