SoulWise Somatic Therapy

02/06/2026

I got to be on the receiving end of somatic work today, and it was INCREDIBLE.

When I woke up this morning I had no idea I’d be reliving such a traumatic place of my memories. One that threatened my life, that I was lucky to escape from. One that I didn’t realize was stuck causing a background of defensive patterns to continue playing out while leaving pieces of myself feeling trapped and frozen in those moments in time.

Yes, I do have PTSD (cPTSD). And while being guided to work through a current pattern I’ve noticed, I was facing my 24yr old self, fighting for her life to survive. It wasn’t retraumatizing to experience bc I knew I wasn’t there. Instead it was like being an out of body force in the moment to lend strength and be witnessed. It was profoundly moving. I gathered the pieces of me that were still there stuck in that house. The piece that was frozen in terror. The piece that was fighting to survive. The piece that was escaping with what she could. And those pieces all came back to me with such strength and grace. The words heart-fire rang out to me as I felt that strength and courage rise into my chest.
My posture shifted.
My upper back and chest felt open.
More of myself has been returned.

In shamanism, we call this soul retrieval. In somatics we call this reintegration, like a returning home to Self.

One thing many trauma survivors, especially of DV often say, is that they feel like they lost a part of themselves. The reality is, we do but we can reconnect. We can reintegrate. We can be forever changed by our trauma and yet still find the pieces of ourselves that make us feel more at home within.

This wasn’t my first soul retrieval, but I know it was my last pieces from this part of my past and I can’t put into words the depths of how that feels, except that I can tell you my smile is even bigger and my heart feels more alive, and that spicyness of my inner protector is fuel for my heart-fire.

I’m beyond thankful for this work and for the beautiful souls I’ve meant along the way that have become not just colleagues, but friends. 🙏🏼

This meme felt so appropriate for that spicy inner protector ❤️‍🔥

01/29/2026

This is why our Sunday Somatic Sangha centers on philosophy, not just asana practice. Taking these core principles and integrating on the mat, so you can better integrate them off the mat as a way of life. 🙏🏼
We will be taking this Sundays online if the weather doesn’t cooperate. 🥶

01/28/2026

Somatics is NOT a trendy term. It’s an actual part of our nervous system. When I see therapists saying somatics is just a marketing term I know:
1- they lack education around nervous system function and…
2- they definitely aren’t getting the results they are hoping for in their work.

A little science review 👉🏼 the Central Nervous System (CNS) connects to the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS). The PNS then connects to both the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and the SOMATIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (SNS). The SNS controls voluntary movement and sensory perception (think proprioception).

The SNS is how we interpret what we see, feel, and know from our environment which informs how the internal physiology begins to organize itself, including activation of the sympathetic nervous system or relaxing into the parasympathetic state.

🚨 This also includes the physical body structures that begin to tense in response! It begins with sensory perception of the SNS.

Somatics is not new. It’s not a marketing term. It’s an actual part of the nervous system and since the 70’s people like Dr. Stephen Porges (founder of Polyvagal Theory and understanding the function of the vagus nerve), Dr. Peter Levine (founder of Somatic Experiencing Internationally recognized trauma work), Dr. Bessel Von der Kolk (author of The Body Keeps the Score), plus somatic movement educators based in osteopathic medicine like Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais, Hanna Somatic Method…. They’ve all been speaking to the importance of this understanding and HOW it affects so much of the internal body.

Is it surprising to see that this work is helping people out of chronic pain, relieving inflammation, and improving overall quality of life, not at all when you understand how the body functions.

We’ve said for years massage helps with all these things, yet not many therapists couldn’t explain why… mainly because in massage therapy education, the nervous system is glossed over and reduced down to simply understanding the sympathetic and parasympathetic states. It doesn’t teach the impact of the somatic nervous system, which is evident by the amount of massage therapists that don’t even know what it is.

It’s not magic. It’s not woo woo (though I still love it). It’s the somatic nervous system, and that is why I teach Somatic Reset Bodywork to massage therapists.

01/26/2026

Loved this post from Sarga Bodywork…
Fascia unravels and melts with movement, not by forced pressure. This is why Somatic Reset Bodywork works wonders for relieving pain and addressing the nervous system pattern that’s creating the tension pattern. Combining neuroscience, applied Polyvagal Theory, and somatic movement within bodywork creates profound work that reaches levels traditional massage simply can’t.

February 9th is the 8CE Creating a Trauma-Informed Practice workshop to gain knowledge around the impact of trauma on the brain, nervous system, and body, and how to apply this within your scope as a bodyworker. This live webinar will be hosted on zoom. Sign up at www.SomaPsycheSoul.com/ce

01/24/2026

There’s been a lot of conversation lately about whether somatic work and trauma-informed practices belong in the massage field, or if they’re somehow “beyond our scope.”

As someone who teaches continuing education for massage therapists in somatic bodywork, I want to add some clarity and context to this conversation.

Somatic practices are not new. Methods like Feldenkrais, the Alexander Technique, and Hanna Somatics have been around for decades, well before I became an LMBT myself. What we’re seeing now isn’t a trend so much as a resurgence. A global movement toward nervous system awareness and trauma healing is emerging in response to what we’re collectively living through.

Trauma-informed and somatic-based work are specialized niches, no different than medical massage, sports massage, or spa work. Each of these niches uses language and approaches that speak to specific needs and populations. Somatic work simply speaks to the nervous system.

As massage therapists, we already work with the body-mind, and this is where misunderstandings often arise. “Mind” in a somatic context does not mean talk therapy or mental processing. It refers to the internal intelligence of the nervous system: how it senses, interprets, communicates, and responds within the structure of the body through the somatic nervous system.

We already touch this territory in neuromuscular therapy and myofascial work. Somatics simply goes deeper.

For example, understanding why slow, mindful movement engages the prefrontal cortex… how to recognize sensory-motor amnesia during active movement… and how that awareness allows the nervous system to re-establish proper resting length. This is a nuanced but important shift from the typical contract-relax model of NMT and what I teach in Somatic Reset Therapy.

Somatic work acknowledges that the body is complex and that lasting change happens when we work with the nervous system rather than overriding it or trying to force change.

This isn’t about stepping outside our scope.
It’s about refining our lens, deepening our education, and practicing with greater precision, safety, and awareness.

✨ If you’re a massage therapist curious about how to work more skillfully with the nervous system, without crossing ethical or professional boundaries, I’m teaching a live online Trauma-Informed Practice class on February 9. This workshop offers 8 CE’s and covers:
📍The neurobiology of trauma to understand how it impacts the body and changes the brain
📍A deep dive into Polyvagal Theory and working with the vagus nerve for nervous system regulation
📍What it means to co-regulate and how that applies to working with transference and counter-transference
📍A step-by-step guide on how to apply this knowledge to curate treatments plans from a trauma-informed lens

This class is designed to:
• Clarify what trauma-informed actually means in bodywork
• Ground somatic principles within massage scope of practice
• Help you work with regulation, not reactivity
• Offer practical tools you can integrate immediately

Education creates confidence. And informed practice protects both the client and the therapist.

Creating a Trauma-Informed Practice (8CE)

01/23/2026

✨ Let’s clear something up…

What many people are calling stretching is actually dynamic movement and that difference matters if you want less pain and more mobility.

Static stretching = holding a muscle at its end range
Dynamic movement = slow, intentional motion that engages fascia and the nervous system

Here’s why this matters 👇
When a muscle is already tight or protective, forcing it into a stretch can create rebound tension. You feel relief… then tightness returns.

Dynamic movement works differently:
• It signals safety to the nervous system
• It hydrates and softens fascia
• It restores mobility without force
• It creates lasting change, not temporary relief

This is why rocking, spiraling, swaying, rolling, and mindful movement often feel more effective than “stretching harder.”

Your body doesn’t need to be pulled into flexibility.
It needs to be invited into softness.

Less force.
More relationship.
That is how you create lasting change.

01/20/2026

💗

01/20/2026

Somatic soul work. Practice just BEing and know, that is enough.

01/19/2026

Free resources for training for anyone that’s interested. This is such an important and needed understanding.

01/17/2026

Practitioner presence offers co-regulation to clients. It increases the level of depth both in the capacity for relaxation AND pressure for the client. Knowing how to read the cues of the nervous system can tell you how to better approach the body, while offering a therapeutic experience for the client. What might bring relaxation for one, could trigger or worsen dysregulation in another.

If you’re ready to take your practice to the next level, join me for a LIVE CE webinar on Creating a Trauma-Informed Practice, using applied Polyvagal Theory through the lens of bodywork. DM for details.

01/13/2026

Have you ever experienced a freeze response, been stuck in that shutdown, or trapped in functional freeze? Check out my latest video to what to do and what not to do to help.

https://youtu.be/I1IsKsl0P9k?si=NUnDpCzv3RkqqjTM

I am one subscriber away from 300!!!! Woohoo! Help me get there! Hit like and subscribe on my youtube channel!

Stuck in a Freeze Response? See why relaxation practices can make it worse. Relaxation does not equal regulation and so many people get that wrong. In this v...