Sometimes talking is not enough. Psychotherapy can help us explore your story, understand what has happened, and make sense of the meaning you have made from your experiences.
Somatic psychotherapy offers another way of listening, bringing attention to what is happening in your body alongside your thoughts and emotions.
Sometimes experiences happen before we have the words, understanding or sense of safety to make sense of them. You may find yourself responding in ways you don’t fully understand, or feel disconnected from aspects of your experience. Somatic psychotherapy invites us to become curious about these responses and what they may be communicating, helping you develop a deeper awareness of yourself and new possibilities for responding.
Together, we explore what you're noticing in the present moment, allowing your body, thoughts and emotions to become part of the conversation. Over time, this can support greater awareness, connection and integration.
What Happens in Somatic Psychotherapy?
In somatic psychotherapy, we talk about what is happening in your life while also paying attention to what you notice in your body as you speak. Sometimes a word, memory, relationship or situation can bring a physical response perhaps tension, a change in breathing, a feeling in your chest or stomach, an urge to move, or a sense of wanting to pull away or move closer.
These responses can offer valuable clues about experiences that may not yet have words. Rather than assuming what a sensation means, we stay curious, noticing what unfolds as you gently bring awareness to it.
Sometimes this involves slowing down and noticing what is happening in the present moment. Rather than forcing change or revisiting experiences before you're ready, we create enough safety for something new to emerge naturally.
How We Work Together
Our work is collaborative and guided by your experience. Alongside conversation, we notice how your body responds, remaining curious rather than assuming any sensation has a fixed meaning. Your own experience becomes our guide.
Sometimes this might involve simply sitting quietly, slowing your breathing and turning your attention inward to notice what you are experiencing in your body. You might notice tension, warmth, heaviness, movement, an impulse, an emotion, or something that is difficult to put into words.
Sometimes your body may have an impulse to move or express something. This might be a change in posture, a gesture or a simple movement. Where it feels safe and appropriate, we can explore what emerges and what it may be communicating.
Throughout the process, you remain in control. We move at a pace that feels right for you, with choice always remaining yours.
How Somatic Psychotherapy May Help
You may find that you understand what is happening in your life, yet still feel stuck in patterns you don’t seem able to change. Perhaps you notice yourself becoming overwhelmed, shutting down, disconnecting, or reacting in ways that don’t always make sense to you. You may feel that something is unresolved, even when you can talk about it and understand where it comes from.
By bringing awareness to your body alongside your thoughts and emotions, we can begin recognising patterns that may be difficult to reach through words alone. As these patterns become clearer, you may discover new ways of responding that feel more grounded, flexible and connected.
Over time, this work can strengthen the connection between your thoughts, emotions and body, giving you greater choice in how you respond. The aim isn't to change who you are, but to help you feel more connected to yourself.
Is Somatic Psychotherapy Right for Me?
Somatic psychotherapy may be helpful if you feel that you understand your experiences intellectually, but something still feels stuck, unresolved or difficult to shift. You may find yourself living mostly in your head, feeling disconnected from your body or emotions, or noticing patterns of response that you don’t fully understand.
You don't need to know how to do somatic psychotherapy or feel comfortable in your body before you begin. We simply start by noticing what's happening for you and work from there.
Somatic psychotherapy can also sit alongside talking therapy. Together, they offer different ways of understanding your experience and can often support change more fully than words alone.
Some people worry that body-centred therapy involves unusual exercises or intense emotional experiences. In reality, much of the work involves simply noticing what is happening within you while remaining grounded, safe and in control.
If you are curious about whether this way of working might be right for you, we can explore that together.