Stress & Burnout Therapy in Santa Monica
Somatic therapy for adults running on empty. In person in Santa Monica and online across California.
When Stress Doesn’t Let Up
You're not lazy. You're not weak. You're depleted.
The pace that used to feel manageable now feels relentless. You're still performing, still meeting obligations, but something has shifted. Sleep doesn't restore you. Patience runs thin. Anxiety surfaces at odd moments, even when nothing is wrong. The things that used to energize you feel like more weight on the pile.
Burnout often goes unrecognized when you're still getting things done. But productivity isn't the same as wellness. Underneath the output, you may feel flat, resentful, or quietly running on fumes.
What once felt motivating can start to feel like an endless treadmill. And the usual advice (rest more, take a vacation, practice self-care) doesn't touch what's actually wrong.
A Different Approach to Stress & Burnout Therapy
Burnout isn't just about doing too much. It's about a nervous system running in overdrive, often for years. Rest helps, but it can't resolve patterns that have been building since long before you hit the wall.
This work is somatic. We pay attention to what your body has been carrying: the chronic tension, the shallow breath, the baseline buzz of activation that never quite eases. We work with your nervous system directly, not just your thoughts about stress.
I completed the full three-year Somatic Experiencing certificate program and continue to study with Dr. Peter Levine. That training shapes how I approach burnout: with precision, helping your system learn that it's safe to come down from high alert. We're not adding more to your to-do list. We're rebuilding your capacity to rest, recover, and feel like yourself again.
Why Somatic Therapy for Burnout?
Burnout isn't a mindset problem. It's a nervous system problem.
When your system has been running on high alert for years, it forgets how to come down. The activation becomes the baseline. You may not even recognize how tense you are until something forces you to stop, and even then, rest feels restless.
This is why vacations don't fix burnout. The moment you return to your life, the old patterns kick back in. Somatic therapy works with the patterns themselves. We help your nervous system find its way back to rest, not just when everything is handled, but as a way of moving through your life. That's what makes the shift sustainable.
In session, we pay close attention to what your body has been holding: the shoulders that don't drop, the breath that stays shallow, the vigilance that's become invisible. With practice, you learn to recognize activation earlier and give your system permission to settle before it spirals.
The Window That Narrowed
Imagine a window as being the range in which you can function well, handle stress, stay present with the people you care about. When that window is wide, you have room for challenge without tipping into overwhelm or collapse.
Chronic stress narrows that window. Small things feel outsized. You spike into anxiety or shut down into flatness more easily. What you could once handle without thinking now takes everything you have.
Somatic therapy works to widen that window again. Not by adding more to your plate, but by helping your nervous system learn that it can come down. That you don't have to be "on" all the time. That there's room between productive pressure and complete collapse.
What Changes
Clients often describe it as finally being able to exhale. The constant drone of pressure quiets. Sleep improves. Small moments of ease return, not just on vacation, but in ordinary life.
Over time, there's more room for what actually matters: clearer thinking, steadier energy, more presence with the people you care about. The treadmill slows down, and you start to remember why you were running in the first place.
Who This Work Helps
This work tends to resonate with adults who have built demanding careers, businesses, or lives and are now paying the price in their bodies and relationships. Often they've pushed through for so long that exhaustion feels normal.
Most have tried the usual fixes: better sleep hygiene, more exercise, taking time off. They're looking for something that addresses the pattern underneath, not just the symptoms.
Sometimes it's a specific moment that brings them in: a health scare, a relationship under strain, a promotion that should have felt like a win. Some also notice that anxiety has become a constant companion, not crisis-level, but persistent enough to erode the quality of daily life. Sometimes it's just the quiet recognition that they've been running on fumes for longer than they can remember.
Questions You Might Have
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Burnout tends to linger and drain motivation, leaving you feeling flat or detached. Everyday stress usually resolves once a challenge passes. In therapy, we clarify what's happening for you and tailor support accordingly. I wrote more about this distinction here.
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Rest matters, but burnout is rarely solved by time off alone. We'll also address the deeper patterns (perfectionism, people-pleasing, difficulty setting limits) so changes are sustainable.
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Even small practices can make a difference without requiring big lifestyle changes. Therapy is about creating shifts that fit your real life.
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Yes. Therapy not only helps you recover but also strengthens your capacity to notice early warning signs and set boundaries before you hit the wall again. The goal is resilience, not just temporary relief.
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Some clients notice early relief, like better sleep or fewer stress spikes, within the first few weeks. As deeper patterns resolve, some people taper to less frequent sessions. The work is thorough, and it's designed to last.
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Yes. I see clients in person in Santa Monica and online across California, so care is accessible even with a busy schedule.
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Talk therapy often focuses on thoughts, patterns, and insight. That matters, but burnout lives in the body. Somatic therapy works directly with your nervous system, helping it shift out of overdrive in ways that insight alone can't reach.
Location & Access
In person in Santa Monica, and online for California residents.
Contact
Phone: (310) 377-8798
Ready to Begin?
If something here resonates, I'd be glad to hear from you.