An Introduction to Somatic Therapy
‘It’s important to recognise that the body has its own ways, logic and ways of telling us what’s going on. Much of our task is to learn to listen’ (Andrea Olsen)
The word somatic is appearing more and more often in conversations about health, wellbeing, and therapy. As an umbrella term, it includes a wide range of approaches, which can sometimes feel unclear or overwhelming at first. When I speak with people interested in my work, I often find it helpful to share how I situate my approach within this broader landscape.
At its core, all somatic therapy shares a commitment to embodied awareness, nervous system regulation, and the understanding that healing unfolds when we meet our inner experience through the body. Some practitioners take a “top-down” approach—combining somatic principles with psychotherapeutic training—while others, like Somatic Experiencing therapists, focus on resolving trauma held in the body, particularly shock trauma and PTSD.
As a “body-up” somatic therapist, my work is grounded in the science that the nervous system is itself a form of somatic intelligence. Because of this, sessions are experiential in nature and may include movement, breath, felt-sense tracking, and where appropriate, clothed touch—alongside reflective dialogue. These tools support the body’s capacity to re-pattern and integrate experience from the inside out.
We often speak of having a body as if it were separate. Somatic approaches remind us body is not something we have but where we experience our sensing-feeling-relating self. To me, the body, or soma, is more than a physical structure; it is a living field of intelligence and presence experienced from within that connects to everything outside ourselves. When we slow down and turn inward, the soma can reveal layers of emotion, memory, and innate wisdom that words and intellect alone can’t reach.
My approach, while rooted in science, honours the many layered complexity of being human. As somatic pioneer Andrea Olsen reminds us, “The body is both simple and complex; its study involves both fact and mystery.” I meet body, emotion, mind, and spirit as interconnected expressions of wholeness and in doing so, believe therapy has the potential to bring about meaningful and lasting change.
Polyvagal Theory offers a map of the nervous system that helps us understand how we respond to stress, connection, and safety. Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, it shows how our body’s automatic responses—such as fight, flight, freeze, or social engagement—are shaped by our perception of safety or danger. Rather than signs of dysfunction, these responses are intelligent adaptive strategies to the relationships and environmental conditions we meet throughout life. In somatic therapy, this understanding helps us gently track and support the nervous system, so we can shift from patterns of protection towards states of regulation, connection, and presence. It reminds us that healing happens not just through insight, but through felt safety in the body. Our work together includes exploring what may be blocking the nervous system’s sense of safety—and supporting the body in rediscovering its capacity for connection and regulation.
I also hold a deep interest in how our earliest experiences—including conception, life in the womb, and the birth process, shape the developing nervous system and our foundational sense of self. These pre- and perinatal imprints can live on in the body as subtle patterns of tension, disconnection, or longing. My training with Pre- and Perinatal Therapist Cherionna Menzam-Sills offered both professional depth and personal insight into this tender territory. If this area resonates with you, we can bring gentle attention to it within our somatic work, exploring how these earliest layers of experience may still be shaping your present-day life.
People are often curious about how movement is involved in somatic therapy. In this work, movement is not something we do in a performative way—it’s something we become more aware of. To be human is to move. Breath moves through us. Our hands gesture when we speak. Our body shifts in response to comfort or dis-ease. Movement is the body-mind’s natural language—and a primary way it seeks to restore balance.
When there is flexibility within the body-mind system, the nervous system naturally oscillates between movement and stillness, action and rest. However, this fluid rhythm can become disrupted by our lived experiences—especially if our system has needed to shut down, protect, or brace itself over time. Somatic therapy invites a gentle return to this innate rhythm.
Touch is another area people often have questions about. As mammals, we are wired to co-regulate through touch, it’s one of the earliest ways we experience safety and connection. In our work together, I may include non-doing, clothed touch, always discussed and agreed upon collaboratively. For many of us, safe and attuned touch may not have been consistently available during early life, especially during the foundational years when our nervous system was learning how to regulate through connection with caregivers. When appropriate, especially in early sessions, we may also use props like cushions, bolsters, or weighted bags as part of a contact /touch enquiry to support your body and enhance a sense of containment and safety .
While a somatic approach to therapy is anchored in the present moment body experience, dialogue remains an important part of each session. It serves as a bridge, connecting the familiar world of thoughts and language with the often less-explored realm of bodily sensation. Dialogue also supports the building of trust and relational safety, which are central to the therapeutic process as well as the ‘making meaning’ process which is an important aspect of being able to tell, to ourself, the story of our life.
Each person I work with brings a unique story and presence, and our sessions reflect that individuality. While certain themes may weave like threads through our work, each session can have its own texture, guided by what is present for you in the moment. In this way, our somatic enquiry becomes a co-creative process, held with curiosity, compassion, and often, a welcome dose of humour as we meet the complexity of being human.
To summarise, somatic therapy creates space for the body’s voice; what it holds, what it remembers, and how it expresses what words alone often cannot. It can be a powerful approach for many, bringing fresh insight to long-held patterns and life experiences. My role is to support you in listening to your body’s signals and learning how your body communicates to you - we are all so unique. In this work, we come into relationship with the body not as a problem to fix, but as an ally in your healing journey, even when it speaks through symptoms, tension, or dis-ease.
If you're feeling drawn to explore this kind of body-based therapy, you're welcome to get in touch. I offer a free, no-obligation phone call so we can see if this work feels like the right fit for you.
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To read about my personal journey into somatics, click HERE
‘Transformation is an ongoing process that tends to appear ordinary, when in fact something extraordinary is taking place’
(Suzy Ross)