Somatic therapy incorporates a variety of techniques and approaches to help individuals access and process their emotions and experiences. Some common techniques include:

1 / Nervous System Regulation

Trauma creates an activation spike in our nervous system, meaning when we recall traumatic memories, our body experiences it as if it is happening right now. Our primary task together is building an attuned relationship, creating a sense of 'safe enough,' and complete these activation cycles in the nervous system. Polyvagal theory and vagus nerve toning is part of this process.

2 / Visualization

Our minds are powerful processors, and we have the capacity to re-imagine, re-pattern, and restore physiological, emotional, and mental health to our system using our ability to imagine and visualize. Did you know your brain largely doesn't know the difference between what you 'see' with your eyes, and what you 'see' with your mind's eye?

3 / Breathwork

Conscious breathing exercises are used to promote relaxation, reduce anxiety, and increase awareness of bodily sensations. For example, focusing on your exhale and extending it has the power to down-regulate your nervous system into a more calm and restful state when you are feeling activated. There are many different breathing techniques that you can use in your everyday life (and probably already do!)

4 / Movement

Incorporating movement and body awareness exercises can help release tension, access suppressed emotions, and foster greater embodiment. Even more interesting are our movement impulses - in sessions, we track how the body wants to make certain movements, and use those movements as doorways into deeper feelings, repressed memories, or implicit memories stored as sensation.

5 / Body Scanning

This mindfulness practice involves systematically scanning the body from head to toe, tuning into sensations and areas of tension or discomfort. Oftentimes we don't even notice how we are feeling until we give ourselves a pause to check inside and notice our physical sensations. That's my role in sessions - to help you move from mostly thinking about the problem into tracking your whole experience, including not only your thoughts, but your bodily sensations (or lack thereof), the images and memories that pop into your awareness, and the different parts of you that show up in session.

6 / Grounding Techniques

Grounding exercises helps you to connect with the present moment and establish a sense of stability and safety in the body. A grounding technique you can do yourself anytime is to focus on where your body meets your chair - what parts of you are touching your seat, can you notice the pressure as you let your body sink further into contact? Notice what happens when you put your awareness here - what is that experience like for you?

7 / Somatic Experiencing

Developed by Dr. Peter Levine, somatic experiencing is a therapeutic approach that focuses on releasing trauma stored in the body through gentle movement based on physiological symbolism and completion of developmental somatic impulses.