Somatic Therapy in Vermont
available in-person in Montpelier, VT
and statewide via telehealth
Your body holds trauma.
You can release those burdens.
You can feel in your body the energy that hasn’t been able to be released. When it takes over you are frozen, or small, or you want to scream or rage. You can understand your past in your mind, but that hasn’t brought you the freedom you want to feel.
Your Body Knows The Way Home
Somatic therapy works directly with your nervous system to release traumatic energy from your body. This allows for healing at a level that talk therapy could never have accessed. With that energy unloaded, your internal alarm system finally feels like it has been turned off. You feel more ease, clarity, and connection.
I am ready to walk along side you as you release the burdens that have been holding you back.
FAQs
What is somatic therapy?
Somatic therapy is a body-based approach to healing that works directly with how the nervous system stores and responds to past threat, rather than relying only on talking through what happened.
How is somatic therapy different from talk therapy?
Talk therapy focuses primarily on understanding and discussing experiences, while somatic therapy works with the physical, nervous-system-level responses that talking alone often doesn't fully reach.
Why do I still react physically to things even though I understand my trauma?
This is common — the nervous system can store an incomplete defensive response that continues to activate on its own, separate from conscious understanding of what happened.
Will I have to relive my trauma during somatic therapy?
No. Somatic therapy isn't about retelling or reliving the traumatic story — it works with the body's stored responses directly, without requiring a detailed narrative account.
What does a somatic therapy session actually involve?
Sessions involve tracking physical sensations and guiding your body's own defensive responses to safely complete, using a technique called containment, rather than only discussing the experience verbally.
Is somatic therapy evidence-based?
Yes. Somatic therapy builds on established research into how the nervous system processes and stores traumatic threat, including the work of Peter Levine, a foundational figure in this field.
What specific method do you use for somatic therapy?
I'm trained in Trauma Integration Protocol (TIP), developed by Eric Wolterstorff building on Peter Levine's research into the autonomic nervous system.
How long does somatic therapy take to work?
This varies by person and history; somatic therapy is generally used within an ongoing therapeutic relationship rather than as a single, standalone treatment.
Is somatic therapy available via telehealth in Vermont?
Yes. Somatic therapy sessions are available via secure telehealth to adults anywhere in Vermont, as well as in-person in Montpelier.
Can somatic therapy be combined with Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy?
Yes. Somatic therapy's nervous-system-focused approach pairs well with IFS, addressing both the physiological and emotional/parts-based dimensions of trauma.
Can somatic therapy be combined with ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP)?
Yes. Somatic work can support integration by helping the body complete nervous-system responses that surface during or after KAP sessions.
Who is somatic therapy best suited for?
It tends to fit people who already understand their trauma intellectually but whose body continues to react in ways insight alone hasn't resolved.
Is somatic therapy safe for someone who has never done body-based therapy before?
Yes, though people entirely new to somatic work may benefit from an initial conversation about what to expect, which we can cover during your free consultation.