Somatic & Nervous System Healing
Your body is built to protect you. And it’s been doing just that. But now, it’s screaming for help.
Feeling better in your body is possible.
Using a body-first approach, I can help you move through the feelings you’re stuck in so you can be more grounded, rewire your nervous system to let go, and finally feel okay again.
Tired of talking and still feeling stuck?
At first, talking about what’s going on was helpful.
You were finally able to put your emotions into words. You gained an understanding of yourself. And you even learned some therapeutic coping skills.
But after a while, all the talking left you feeling unsettled. Heightened. Agitated, even. It felt like the more you talked about it, the more power it held over you.
You began to feel annoyed with your inability to move past it, until eventually you just shut down.
And you’re left thinking things like:
“Why can’t I just let this go?”
“This feeling is WAY bigger than it should be.”
“I need to move on; I have things to do.”
“My anger just keeps coming out of nowhere.”
“Every time I think about it, I feel worse.”
“I should be able to handle this.”
You’re high-functioning, but right now you’re exhausted and burned out.
If you’re chronically anxious, angry, or sad, it’s time to take a different approach.
It’s time to rewire your nervous system and work with your body.
Why you need a body-first approach.
When you’re stuck in quicksand, you can’t think your way out. All the analyzing, intellectualizing, and explaining will do nothing to get you unstuck.
Your fight, flight, or freeze response automatically kicks in. But frantically panicking or raging doesn't work either; you just end up deeper in the sand.
To get out of the quicksand, it’s about finding a way to be calm. When you work with the quicksand, you will gently lift to the surface
Your experience of emotions is the same.
When you encounter an emotion, it shows up in your body. But when you’ve been taught to always push through, you inevitably suppress your emotions. And in doing so, you’ve lost touch with your body.
Life is a constant stream of go, go, go. Checking off tasks. Onto the next thing.
Whenever you do actually notice an emotion and try to process it by talking or analyzing, you suddenly get stuck.
What you need is a way to move through your emotions.
And that’s what somatic therapy is here to help you do.
Somatic Therapy can truly help.
Instead of only talking about what's happening in your mind, I work with what's happening in your body. Because I believe that’s where the emotions and trauma actually live, and that's exactly what I'm here to guide you through.
How Somatic Therapy Works
It’s probably best that I tell you up front that this work can be uncomfortable.
We’re addressing emotions and feelings in the body, not just analytically, so you will experience it in your body.
Discomfort here is normal.
It’s why, in the beginning, I’ll start and end your sessions with regulation skills, so you’re never left completely overwhelmed. As a bonus, practicing these skills in session helps your body learn them within a controlled, safe environment.
Here’s what a typical session might look like:
Check In
We’ll start by checking in to assess your current emotional state. This is where you’ll learn to notice sensations in your body.
Internal Resourcing
As you share, you may experience an increase of anxiety. I’ll pay attention to your body’s cues and teach you strategies for bringing yourself back to a place of calm, so you don’t continue sinking deeper.
Titration
After we’ve developed some safety, we’ll ease into stressful memories or experiences, bringing you back to a state of calm throughout.
Somatic Techniques
I may guide you through body-based practices that support nervous system regulation, emotional awareness, integration of various brain areas, and increase mind-body connection. This may include breathing techniques, gentle stretching, or even bigger movements when you’re comfortable.
Reflection
We’ll wrap up the session by returning to a state of calm and reflecting on the sensations you experienced. We’ll do a quick body scan to notice anything else that may have come up and release it before you go.
Together, we will work to build distress tolerance in your nervous system. Because the problem is not that your body is malfunctioning. It’s been supporting you the best way it knows how. The problem is that you’ve never been taught how to increase your nervous system’s tolerance for handling stress.
The goal is not to arrive at some magical place where you always feel calm. Rather, it’s to expand your capacity to move through your experiences without getting stuck. That’s how you become empowered to handle whatever life throws at you.
That’s the work we’ll do together.
Even though somatic work can be uncomfortable, it’s worth it because it’s effective.
And even if you may leave a session feeling tired, you’ll also feel lighter.
My clients report a variety of experiences, but all laced with a common theme of relief:
“I feel so much calmer.”
“I just feel cozy.”
“I finally feel happy, not just numb.”
“I don’t feel so consumed by my anger anymore.”
“I always felt like I should be able to handle things, but now I finally can.”
Eventually, you’ll be able to engage in somatic work outside the therapy office, moving through your emotions on your own and equipped to handle all the ups and downs.
No longer susceptible to the pull of quicksand. You won’t just know how to get calm, your nervous system will be reset, and your body will feel safe, so you can access calm whenever you need it.
How it feels when you’re no longer stuck.
When I first got certified in EMDR and Parts Work, I realized the crucial role of the nervous system in our bodies.
Our bodies are whole systems, and mental health is not just mental. It involves our brain, our body, and even our gut.
When I started using body-based somatic techniques, my clients moved beyond just understanding their experiences to actually moving through them.
As our understanding of mental health expands through evidence-based research, I am committed to providing a holistic approach to my clients. And right now, that means making sure to work on our nervous systems.
I’ve seen the impact it can have, and it can be truly transforming.
Why I incorporate Somatic Therapy
You are capable of healing your nervous system.
When you’re finally taught how to notice your feelings and engage your body, rather than ignore it, you’ll find that you are capable of handling whatever life throws at you.
If you can’t go another day stuck in the quicksand of your emotions, there is hope. Most of my clients feel relief even in the first few sessions.
Your body is crying out for help. And it starts here. In your body. In your nervous system. It’s time to stop ignoring your body and start healing your nervous system.
Hi, I’m Julia.
I got into this work because I've seen what real healing looks like. And I've seen what it looks like when it doesn't happen.
Across every setting I've worked in, jails, inpatient hospitals, clinics, group practices, I kept meeting people who were trying so hard. Showing up, doing the work, and still feeling stuck. That stayed with me.
It's part of why I'm so drawn to EMDR, parts work, and somatic therapy. Not just as a clinician, but as someone who has done this work myself. I know what it feels like to understand something about yourself and still not feel any different. I also know what it feels like when something finally shifts, when the body starts to release what it's been holding onto for years.
That's what I want for the people I work with.
Watching someone who has spent years just surviving start to actually live. Seeing them feel lighter, more like themselves. Knowing that one person's healing ripples out into everything around them.
That's why I show up every day.
HOW I WORK
Every person who comes to me has a different story. But the work follows the same foundation:
We begin by assessing what's fragmented in your mind and body, and we build from there.
Building internal safety first
As we begin addressing the current symptoms you’re experiencing, you’ll likely move through some uncomfortable feelings. That’s where my holistic approach to therapy comes in. When your body and mind feel disjointed, it can be very difficult to feel safe. Your mind is saying one thing, but your body is trying to communicate another. Through emotional and somatic processing, as well as bilateral stimulation, I help you build a sense of internal safety and cohesion.
This holistic approach to your body and mind lays the foundation for EMDR.
PARTS WORK - SOMATIC
Processing what's been stored.
From there, we bring in EMDR & Somatic therapy. Bilateral stimulation along with the EMDR protocol helps the brain and nervous system integrate what hasn’t been properly processed, often material that has never been fully reached through talking alone. The body begins to release what it's been holding. Slowly, the patterns that once felt impossible to shift start to move. The mind and body work together to process what has been stored.
EMDR - SOMATIC
At your pace, always
There's no fixed protocol here. Some people are ready to go deep from the very first session. Others need months to build the foundation before we get there. I follow your lead and work at the pace your system can handle.
ATTUNED CARE
The goal throughout is the same: not just understanding what happened, but actually feeling different because of the work.
Let’s Connect
You've been feeling stuck long enough. Reaching out is the first step, and it's a smaller one than it feels right now.
Let’s talk and see how somatic and nervous system therapy can help.