How Long Does Somatic Therapy Take?

I get it - sometimes it feels like your healing never ends.

Let's first reframe what this type of therapy is for: It's not to fix you or get a specific result - it's to help you come into deeper relationship with yourself over time.

Trauma therapy involves re-integrating parts of your experience that have been fragmented. You know when these parts are asking for integration because you'll notice the triggers, recurring patterns, and symptoms telling you it's time to attend to your inner world.

We can't process everything at once, and life is still happening - for this reason, you can consider somatic work a skill and framework that you can return to over your lifetime.

But many people want to know: how long does it take to feel better?

The short answer: It depends on what you're working with, your life experience and your unique nervous system.

How Long Are Sessions?

At 75-90 minutes, somatic therapy sessions last longer than typical talk therapy sessions. This length gives us time to settle, set intentions, explore experientially, process & release, and integrate.

Somatic work happens on the level of subconscious rewiring and physiological patterning.

Most people benefit from at least 6-12 sessions to establish the work. Some people continue for months or years. Others work in shorter focused arcs.

What Happens in the First Month

In the first 4-6 sessions, we're building foundation:

• Learning to track sensations in your body

• Establishing trust and safety in the therapeutic relationship

• Beginning to notice patterns in how your nervous system responds
  

This isn't "just getting started" - people often notice shifts in this early phase. But the nervous system needs repetition to rewire patterns.

Short-Term Work (6-12 sessions)

Some people work with me for 2-3 months on a specific pattern or issue:

• Processing a recent traumatic event or life transition

• Working with a particular relationship dynamic

• Building capacity around a specific trigger
  

This can create meaningful change, especially if you've already done other therapeutic work and have some body awareness.

Longer-Term Work (6+ months)

Deep nervous system change takes time. You might approach therapy for a few months, then take a break until you want to continue.

If you're working with:

• Developmental or complex trauma

• Chronic anxiety, panic, or hypervigilance

• Long-held patterns of shutdown or dissociation

• Chronic pain held in the body
  

...you'll likely benefit from longer-term work. This allows time for your nervous system to rewire through repeated experiences of safety, tracking, and release.

Many of my clients work with me for 6-12 months or longer, often moving from weekly to bi-weekly sessions as the work progresses.

Why Somatic Therapy Takes Repetition

Your nervous system learned its protective patterns through repeated experiences. To update those patterns, we need repeated experiences of something different.

This isn't about "doing it right" or "getting better faster." It's about giving your body enough exposure to new responses that they become integrated at a nervous system level.

Think of it like learning a language or an instrument - you need consistent practice over time, not just understanding how it works.

How Often Should You Come?

New clients: Weekly for the first month. This consistency helps establish the work and gives your nervous system enough repetition to begin shifting patterns.

After the first month: We decide together. Some people continue weekly, others move to bi-weekly or monthly sessions depending on what they're working with and what feels sustainable.

What If You Can't Afford Weekly Sessions?

I get it - weekly therapy adds up.

If cost is a concern, let's talk about it in our consultation. Sometimes bi-weekly sessions can work, especially if you're able to practice on your own between sessions.

But know that nervous system work does require consistency. Meeting once a month or sporadically makes it harder to build momentum.

How Do You Know When You're 'Done'?

Your body has its own timeline, and we are working with what is available and ready to be processed.

Over time, you'll notice:

• Triggers that used to activate you... don't anymore

• You can feel difficult emotions without shutting down or spiraling

• Your body feels more settled, or you have more space inside

• Patterns that brought you to therapy have shifted
  

Some people reach a natural completion point and take a break. Others continue as ongoing maintenance or support. There's no "right" way to do this.

Bottom Line

Plan for at least 6-12 sessions to give the work a real chance.

If you're working with deeper patterns or complex trauma, expect 6+ months of weekly or bi-weekly sessions.

And remember: this isn't linear. Some weeks will feel like big shifts, others like nothing happened. Trust the process continues even when you're not thinking about it.

Ready to Start?

I offer a free 20-minute consultation to talk about what you're experiencing and whether somatic therapy is a good fit.

Book a free consultation →

Andree Patenaude, BA, RST, RTC #3270
Somatic Therapy in Surrey, BC & Online