Somatic Therapy in Santa Monica
Somatic therapy with a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner (SEP) for adults navigating anxiety, trauma, or burnout. If you work in a high-pressure role or keep a full calendar, we’ll pace the work so it’s doable and effective. In person in Santa Monica and online across California.
What is Somatic Therapy? (Understanding the Approach)
A simple explanation
Somatic therapy supports change by working with how experience shows up in the nervous system. In session, we talk and also pay close attention to signals like breath, pacing, tension, restlessness, and moments of ease. With gentle guidance, you learn to recognize activation and settling so your system can shift toward more safety and choice.
Where it comes from and what it’s for
My work draws on Somatic Experiencing®, developed by Dr. Peter Levine, within a relational, attachment-informed frame. Somatic therapy is often helpful for:
Anxiety and worry that feel overwhelming
Stress and burnout from demanding schedules
Trauma and complex trauma
Depression and low motivation
Relationship difficulties or repeating patterns
The aim is not to “think away” symptoms but to help your system learn new, workable responses.
Somatic therapy recognizes that the nervous system holds memory. When experiences overwhelm us, the body can carry tension, constriction, or shutdown long after the event. By working gently with these patterns, we help the body complete unfinished responses, which allows greater ease and choice in the present.
How It Works and Who It Helps
How sessions help your system learn
We create consistent time to slow down and listen inward. I will guide you through practices that translate well to daily life: orienting to the room; small adjustments to breath and posture; simple micro-movements; pacing that respects capacity; and pauses that let the nervous system complete stress responses. We notice what brings a notch more ease and repeat it until it becomes more available under pressure.
What you can expect to gain
A steadier baseline with fewer spikes or shutdowns
Better sleep and a calmer mind
Clearer boundaries and communication
Less tension held in the body; more presence
Greater resilience in work, relationships, and transitions
Practical skills you can use between sessions
A growing ability to recognize early stress signals
More choice in how you respond, not just react
Who tends to benefit
I work with thoughtful adults and couples who carry full calendars and layered responsibilities. Somatic therapy can be especially supportive if talk-only approaches haven’t fully held or if stress lands strongly in your body.
This work often resonates with high-functioning professionals, caregivers, entrepreneurs, and creatives who find that while they can “push through,” it takes a toll on their health and relationships. Somatic therapy helps reconnect your strengths with sustainable rhythms.
My Background with Somatic Therapy
Training and approach
My work blends Somatic Experiencing with attachment-informed, relational psychotherapy. Sessions are calm, collaborative, and paced so your system can integrate change. We keep the work focused and usable between sessions while also building the steadiness that helps new patterns hold.
Why I use this modality
Clients often think more clearly, sleep more easily, and relate more openly when their nervous system has more room to “move.” Somatic work gives you concrete ways to shift state in the moment, not just insights after the fact.
Somatic therapy is not about eliminating emotions; it’s about creating space to feel them without being overwhelmed. Many clients discover they can stay present with both joy and difficulty, which deepens resilience and strengthens relationships.
FAQs
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No. Somatic therapy here does not involve physical touch. It is not massage, bodywork, or table work. We use awareness, breath and pacing, and simple movement you guide from a chair or standing.
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No. We start by building steadiness and choice. You decide what to share and when. We work in the present with skills that increase safety and capacity.
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Yes. Somatic work translates well to secure video. You set up a quiet, private space, and we practice grounding, orienting, breath and pacing, and small movements within your environment.
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That is common. We begin with simple noticing and build capacity gradually. There is no right or wrong way to experience this work.
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Somatic therapy is grounded in neuroscience, trauma research, and decades of clinical practice. Many clients experience meaningful improvements in regulation, sleep, mood, and relationships as they build capacity in their nervous systems.
Location & Access
In person in Santa Monica, and online for California residents. Private-pay practice. By appointment only.
Address
720 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 204
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Contact
Phone: (310) 377-8798
Ready to begin?
If you want steadier regulation and more choice in key moments, I’d be honored to help.
Somatic therapy can help you recover space in your body and clarity in your mind so you can show up fully in your work, relationships, and daily life.