Somatic Therapy
Somatic Therapy in Nashville
Do you feel like you're "doing all the right things" but still stuck?
Maybe you've done years of talk therapy. You can articulate your patterns, your childhood, your triggers — and yet your body still reacts the same way. Your shoulders are always near your ears. You can't fully relax even on vacation. Or you snap into shutdown the moment things feel like "too much." That's not a failure of insight. It's your nervous system.
What is Somatic Therapy?
Your nervous system's job is to keep you safe — to activate when there's threat, and settle when there isn't. But after trauma, chronic stress, or growing up in an unpredictable environment, that system can get stuck "on." The result can show up as anxiety, panic, hypervigilance, burnout, trouble sleeping, difficulty trusting others, or a persistent sense of being "too much" or "not enough." Somatic therapy works with the nervous system directly — not just the story, but the felt experience in the body. It's a gentler, slower way of working that helps your system finish what it couldn't finish at the time, build tolerance for difficult sensations, and find its way back to a felt sense of safety.
What this can help with
Chronic anxiety, panic, or a body that's always "on alert" Trauma symptoms — hypervigilance, sleep disturbance, flashbacks, dissociation Burnout and a depleted, "running on empty" nervous system Difficulty relaxing, resting, or feeling safe even when things are okay Physical symptoms with no clear medical cause (tension, GI issues, fatigue) Feeling disconnected from your body or emotions
What a session looks like
I'm trained in Somatic Experiencing®, an approach that works with the nervous system at its own pace.
In session, we slow down. Rather than analyzing the story, we notice what's happening in your body as you talk about it — a tightness, a temperature change, an urge to move. We track these signals together, gently, in small increments, so your system can process and release what's been held without becoming overwhelmed.
This work can stand alone or pair well with other approaches I offer, including EMDR and Brainspotting or drama therapy. Many clients describe it as the missing piece after years of "understanding" their patterns intellectually without feeling different in their body.
If you're curious whether this approach fits your situation, read more about my background and approach or reach out to schedule a consultation.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be "in touch with my body" already? No. Most people start this work feeling disconnected from their body — that's often part of why it helps. We build that awareness together, gradually.
Is this like yoga or meditation? It can feel similar in moments — there may be stillness, attention to sensation — but it's psychotherapy, with a clinical structure aimed at processing specific patterns and experiences.
Will I have to talk about my trauma in detail? Not necessarily. One of the benefits of somatic work is that significant healing can happen without retelling the story in detail.
Is this available virtually? Yes — I offer somatic therapy both in-person in East Nashville and virtually for clients. I see clients in-person at my East Nashville office — convenient to Inglewood, Madison, downtown Nashville, West Nashville, and surrounding 37207 neighborhoods — and virtually throughout Tennessee and Ohio.
