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When You Want to Include the Body in Therapy
Online Somatic Experiencing and somatic therapy for adults in Florida and Illinois seeking support for trauma, anxiety, chronic stress, and the lasting effects of overwhelming experiences.
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For many people, Somatic Experiencing becomes the next step after years of therapy because they understand themselves well but still feel caught in the same patterns.
Somatic Experiencing is one approach within the broader field of somatic therapy. It includes the body as part of the therapeutic process because stress and trauma affect more than thoughts and emotions. They can also be experienced in your body in many ways, including tension, pain, restlessness, the urge to escape or hide, shutting down, or feeling disconnected.
During sessions, we pay attention to your body’s responses as they happen and gently work with them in real time. This allows us to work directly with patterns as they emerge during the session, instead of only describing them afterward.
Many people seek out Somatic Experiencing after years of therapy because they understand themselves well, yet they find many of their patterns aren’t changing. They may continue to feel anxious, overwhelmed, shut down, or disconnected even when they understand why.
You’re exhausted from always holding it all together.
You react or shut down in relationships faster than you want to.
You understand your patterns, but insight alone hasn’t changed them.
Anxiety or overwhelm feels out of proportion to what’s happening.
Stress shows up in your body as tension, digestive issues, headaches, or fatigue.
You rely on overworking, scrolling, or numbing out to get through the day.
You feel disconnected from your body or like you’re moving through life on autopilot.
Somatic Experiencing can support a wide range of concerns. Here are some of the areas I work with most often.
Trauma can affect how you respond to experiences in the present. You may become overwhelmed quickly, shut down, stay on guard, or feel disconnected from yourself. Somatic Experiencing gives us a way to work with these responses as they happen, using awareness, movement, and other gentle somatic practices to gradually build more capacity and flexibility in how you respond.
Learn more about Trauma therapyAnxiety can show up physically through a racing heart, tightness in your chest, restlessness, difficulty settling, or a sense that something is wrong. Somatic Experiencing gives us a way to work with these responses as they’re happening, using awareness and gentle somatic practices to help you gradually develop more capacity and flexibility when anxiety shows up.
Learn more about Anxiety therapyMidlife often brings more than one challenge at a time. Aging parents, changing relationships, career demands, health concerns, grief, or questions about who you are and what comes next can all place new demands on your nervous system. Somatic Experiencing offers a way to process those experiences while helping you feel more present, resilient, and connected to yourself.
Learn more about Midlife therapy
Hi, I’m Amy. I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner.
I’ve worked in the mind-body field for 15 years, first through yoga and massage therapy and now as a somatic psychotherapist. My background gives me a deep appreciation for the connection between our emotional experiences and what happens in the body, and Somatic Experiencing is now the foundation of my work as a therapist.
My own experiences have also influenced how I think about mental health, psychiatric medication, and informed choice. I write more about my approach to medication and informed choice here.
Today, I work with adults navigating trauma, anxiety, and midlife stress.
My hope is that our work helps you build more capacity for your emotions and experiences, have more choice in how you respond, and make more room for connection, growth, and living your life more fully.
I’m warm, attuned, and pay close attention to what you’re communicating through your words, your body, and your nervous system. When it feels helpful, I may invite you to notice what you’re experiencing or gently share something I’ve observed. I believe people grow best when they feel deeply understood, and I’ll also be honest, direct, and gently challenge you when I think it will help move the work forward.
Sessions usually begin with whatever feels most important that day, whether that’s work stress, a relationship, or something that’s happened recently.
As we talk, I’m also paying attention to how your body is responding. At times, I may gently invite you to notice what’s happening in your body or suggest something simple, such as noticing the support beneath you, pressing into a wall, gently squeezing your fists, or allowing your body to complete a movement that feels unfinished.
How much we talk and how much we slow down to work with what’s happening in your body can vary from session to session. We move naturally between them, following what feels most useful for the work that day.
Somatic Experiencing is the foundation of my work, and when appropriate, we may also integrate the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) or Rest and Restore Protocol (RRP).
If this sounds like the kind of therapy you’re looking for, you’re welcome to schedule a 10‑minute consultation.
A Closer Look at Somatic Experiencing
Watch this short introduction to Somatic Experiencing and learn who it’s for and how it differs from traditional talk therapy.
While everyone’s experience is different, many people begin to notice changes like these:
Pausing before reacting instead of feeling swept away.
Recovering more quickly after difficult conversations or stressful moments.
Having more capacity for difficult emotions and experiences without becoming as overwhelmed or shutting down.
Relating to themselves with more curiosity and less self-criticism.
Feeling more connected to themselves, the people they care about, and everyday life.
As familiar patterns begin to take up less space, there can also be more room for connection, enjoyment, growth, and the parts of life you want more of.
I offer online somatic therapy to adults throughout Florida, including West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and nearby areas. Somatic Experiencing can be done effectively in virtual sessions, allowing you to stay connected to your body and nervous system from the comfort of your own space.
I am also licensed in Illinois and work with clients throughout the state, including Chicago.
These are some of the questions people commonly ask before starting Somatic Experiencing therapy.
Somatic Experiencing is a body-based approach to therapy that pays attention to how stress, trauma, and overwhelming experiences can affect the nervous system. During therapy, we work with thoughts and emotions while also noticing sensations, movement, impulses, and other responses that arise in the body. This gives us a way to work with these patterns as they are happening, with close attention to pacing and what feels manageable.
For a more in-depth explanation, you can read my article, What Is Somatic Experiencing®? A Body-Based Approach to Trauma, Anxiety, and Chronic Stress
Somatic Experiencing helps us pay attention to how trauma and anxiety are showing up in both mind and body. You may notice tension, bracing, restlessness, an urge to get away, feeling overwhelmed, or shutting down. By noticing and working with these responses as they’re happening, you can gradually build more capacity and flexibility in how you respond.
Somatic Experiencing includes conversation while also paying close attention to what is happening in your body and nervous system as you speak. We may notice sensations, tension, movement, impulses, or signs of overwhelm or shutdown as they happen and work with them during the session.
Insight is still an important part of this work. We also pay attention to what is happening in your body as you talk, including sensations, movement, impulses, tension, bracing, or shutting down. Many people I work with have done meaningful therapy before and understand themselves well, but still find themselves caught in familiar patterns. Somatic therapy gives us another way to work with those patterns as they’re happening.
The timeline depends on what brings you to therapy. Some people notice shifts within the first few months of weekly therapy, while more complex or longstanding patterns often unfold over a year or more. Many of the people I work with are looking for deeper change and growth, and that kind of work takes time.
Somatic Experiencing therapy is offered online throughout Florida, including West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, and Fort Lauderdale. Online sessions are effective because we can track nervous system responses in real time from wherever you are. I am also licensed in Illinois and see clients across the state, including in Chicago.
The fee for a 55‑minute session is $200. Payment is due at the time of service, and a card is kept securely on file.
I am an out‑of‑network provider. If you have out‑of‑network benefits, I can provide a superbill that you may submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement.
If you’re looking for therapy that includes both mind and body and think my approach may be a good fit for you, I invite you to reach out.
Book a 10-Minute Consultation
