Frequently asked questions

How can somatic therapy help me?

Somatic therapy can help you heal in a way that feels grounded and rooted in who you are. It teaches you to understand and process your emotions by connecting you to the physical sensations present in your body. This process allows you to become aware of unconscious patterns of protective and defensive behaviors that are held in the autonomic nervous system and that are caused by trauma. Once you become aware of them you can process and release them safely. This creates a sense of physical and emotional well being that supports you to make better decisions and to align your life with your values.

Is this like massage? 

No, it is not like massage. A somatic therapist’s touch is gentle and has a listening quality, it does not press or massage the muscles. Unlike massage, its primary focus is not the release of muscle tension in the body but to create mindfulness so you can listen to your body’s sensations and emotions and understand what it is trying to communicate. This process often causes a deep state of relaxation because physical tensions are frequently the manifestations of emotions that are held in our tissues. When we understand their message, we befriend our body and our muscles release naturally.

I’ve done talk therapy before- how it this different?   

Somatic therapy is different in several ways. Probably the most significant aspect is that somatic therapy has a holistic approach and considers body and mind as one system. It also considers the body a critical ally in the healing process. In practical terms, this means that you will be invited to develop mindfulness first to engage with bodily sensations and emotions and then integrate talk therapy to use language to identify and process what is going on. This allows you to understand your body and engage with information from all the different brain centers, such as the right and the left brain hemispheres, the heart brain and the gut brain. This process helps you generate healing strategies that are more naturally implemented because they contain physical, intuitive and rational information. Another difference is that somatic therapy as I practice it, happens lying down on a massage table and includes gentle touch from the therapist.  The intention is to help you connect with your body, invite slow physical movement and offer comfort.

I already see a therapist- is it ok to do this at the same time?

Yes, absolutely, somatic therapy can be a great compliment to talk therapy. It can help you integrate and process what you are working on with your therapist as well as discover new information that you can bring back to that work.

I have a physical injury/ health condition- can this help?

Yes, somatic therapy can help with injuries and health conditions. Using mindfulness to express the emotions and sensations present in the injury or health condition, somatic therapy can help reveal the deeper connections to current emotional realities and past trauma that might be affecting the healing process. One of the goals of somatic therapy is to befriend the body and support the body/mind system’s ability to move towards health the best way it can in the present moment.

I have a specific trauma / I am an abuse survivor/ have PTSD/ complex PTSD, are you qualified to deal with that?

Yes, I can help you. Whether you are healing from PTSD or overcoming a childhood trauma, I am qualified to help. In our free 30 minute consultation we can talk about what you are going through, what treatments you have tried and what sort of help you need. During that conversation, you will be able to ask any questions about my training and the safety sensitive techniques I use and I will be able to tell you if what I offer will benefit you. If we decide that somatic therapy is a good fit for you, we can schedule an appointment in person. At all times during your treatment you will have agency in your own healing and will be able to move at the speed and depth that feels right to you.

Is this physically accessible/disability friendly? 

My goal is to make this therapeutic work as accessible and disability friendly as possible but there could be challenges depending on what kind of disability you have. My current office does not have an elevator and I am on the third floor. We begin each session sitting down and then transition to lying down on a massage table. The table is quite high so transitioning onto and off the massage table, and in and out of the lying down position could be difficult depending on the disability. I’m happy to discuss strategies with you.

Will one session be enough or should I expect to see you multiple times?  

We will figure out together a frequency of treatment that is regular enough to support healing and transformation, while also being aligned with your professional and personal life, and your financial resources. The ideal treatment is once a week for as long as you need it. The autonomic nervous system which stores all of our core beliefs and traumas guides has been shaped through many years of experiences and for this reason it takes multiple sustained experiences of safety, love and openness to bring change.

What does the phone consultation entail?  

The phone consultation entails a brief introduction about myself and somatic therapy, a conversation about your experience with talk therapy and physical therapy as well as what is going on in your life and why you are considering somatic therapy, and an opportunity to ask any questions you might have.

Who comes to see you?  

My door is open to people in all walks of life who come to my practice with unique needs. I see clients of all races, ages, backgrounds, gender and professions: WOC in tech, Latinx activists and artists, fellow healers, young data scientists, experienced business men and women, young and old entrepreneurs, dancers, queer and trans academics, musicians, poets and writers, expats, men and women dealing with infertility, highly sensitive people, folks diagnosed with PTSD, complex PTSD, childhood trauma, sexual abuse, anxiety, depression, insomnia, chronic pain. If you need to be deeply understood, to receive nurturing guidance and to invite creative energy into your life, I will be a good somatic therapist for you. Reach out anytime.

Are you an LGBTQ friendly therapist?

Absolutely! I work with clients of all gender and sexual orientations. It is important to me to support the flourishing and joy of LGBTQ lives. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions or fears around this.