Somatic Therapy: What It Is and Who It’s For
If you’ve been feeling anxious, overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck in your head, you might be curious about somatic therapy or wondering if it’s right for you.
Somatic therapy is a body-based approach to psychotherapy that recognizes something many of us already know intuitively: our bodies hold experience, not just our minds. Stress, trauma, grief, and long-term overwhelm don’t only live in our thoughts, they live in our nervous systems, our breath, our posture, and our patterns of tension.
What is somatic therapy?
Somatic therapy gently brings attention to physical sensations, breath, movement, and the body’s natural rhythms as part of the healing process. Rather than focusing only on analyzing thoughts or retelling stories, we slow things down and notice what’s happening right now in the body.
This doesn’t mean reliving trauma or forcing emotional release. In fact, somatic work is often quite subtle. It might look like noticing your feet on the floor, tracking your breath, or pausing to feel a sense of support in your body while talking about something difficult.
Who somatic therapy can be helpful for
Somatic therapy can be especially supportive if you:
Feel anxious, overwhelmed, or chronically stressed
Feel disconnected from your body or emotions
Are highly sensitive, empathic, or creative
Have done talk therapy but still feel “stuck”
Carry tension, fatigue, or stress that shows up physically
Want to feel more grounded, regulated, and at home in yourself
Many of my clients are professionals, creatives, therapists, teachers, service workers, and caregivers — people who give a lot and are ready to reconnect with their bodies as a source of support.
What makes somatic therapy different
Unlike talk-only therapy, somatic therapy works directly with the nervous system. We don’t push for insight or answers. Instead, we build safety, awareness, and capacity over time, so change can happen more organically and sustainably.
If you’re curious, I offer a free 20-minute consultation to explore whether somatic therapy might be a good fit. I work with adults and young adults across California via telehealth, and in person in Santa Cruz.