Somatic Therapist in Fort Lauderdale

*Online Therapy in Florida and Illinois*

You’ve tried talk therapy, and while it was helpful, it didn’t quite go far enough. You know you’re ready for a significant shift in how you handle stress. You’re tired of avoiding the hard things, constantly worrying about what others think, and feeling like you can’t control your emotions. This avoidance and worry are keeping you from living the life you truly want.

I’m here to help with Somatic Therapy

Somatic Therapist in Fort Lauderdale

Hi, I’m Amy!

If you’re dealing with constant anxiety, trauma, or chronic pain, I understand how overwhelming it can be. These challenges often bring fear and uncertainty, making it hard to manage daily responsibilities, maintain relationships, or live the life you want. You might avoid difficult tasks, fear others' opinions, and struggle with a persistent fear of the future..

My goal is to help you feel more grounded and secure, so you can confidently face challenges like hard conversations, adult responsibilities, and conflicts, and find more joy in your relationships and activities.

If you’re ready to feel more confident and navigate life with greater ease, schedule a free 20-minute consultation today.

My Approach to Somatic Therapy

I offer a compassionate and effective approach that helps you navigate the challenges of trauma, anxiety, chronic pain, and other emotional and physical struggles. Through Somatic Experiencing (SE), Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), and other somatic techniques, we work together to help you:

  • Become familiar with your body’s signals: Learn to listen to what your body is telling you and gain more control over how you respond to life’s stressors and challenges.

  • Release Stuck Energy: Heal old wounds and reduce overwhelming stress that manifest as present-day fight, flight, or freeze responses, as well as chronic pain and unpleasant sensations.

  • Differentiate between safety and danger: Develop the ability to stay grounded instead of automatically reacting or going numb when faced with stress.

  • Trust your body and emotions: Make decisions from a grounded place rather than a fearful one.

  • Ease physical symptoms: Reduce the severity of your physical symptoms, allowing you to be more present and enjoy what life has to offer.

Somatic Experiencing (SE)

This body-centered therapy helps release trauma and chronic stress stored in the body. Unlike traditional talk therapy, SE addresses how your body and nervous system responded to trauma, focusing on tuning into your body's sensations to release stuck energy. This recalibrates your nervous system, reduces triggers, and fosters resilience, creating a greater sense of well-being and a deeper connection with your body. Typically, you'll be seated as we work together to tune into the sensations in your body. If you’re open to it, I may invite you to stand, engage in gentle movements, push against a wall or desk, or hold something comforting, like a pillow, when I notice that it may feel helpful for you.

Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)

SSP is a specialized music therapy designed to bring a sense of safety to your nervous system. By using filtered music that targets the vagus nerve, SSP helps you tune into signals of safety and ease hypervigilance, tension, and anxiety. This leads to a more balanced nervous system, better capacity for stress, and healthier coping mechanisms, enhancing your ability to feel secure and at ease even in challenging situations.

Polyvagal Theory

My approach is grounded in Polyvagal Theory, which recognizes that our nervous system is designed to protect us. Trauma, anxiety, and chronic pain can leave you stuck in a state of heightened alertness, causing significant physical and emotional distress. Together, we’ll become more attuned to your different nervous system states by observing your body’s signals as you experience various emotions and discuss different situations. We’ll identify what your mind and body need in each state and use somatic practices to address those needs effectively.

Attachment Theory

Trauma and early relational experiences can deeply affect how we connect with others and ourselves. The patterns we develop in response to these early connections can make it difficult to feel safe and secure in relationships. By understanding and addressing these dynamics, we can work together to build more secure and trusting connections that support your well-being.

My Role as a Somatic Therapist

Therapy is not about me telling you what to do. It’s about us working together to find what works best for you. You’re in the driver’s seat, and I’m here to guide and support you. You choose what to share, what to explore, and how far you want to go. My approach is to ease you in and out of comfort and discomfort, helping you build a stronger connection with your emotions and your body’s responses. We’re not aiming to eliminate anxiety or discomfort entirely—that’s part of being human. Instead, we’re working to help you feel better and become better at feeling.

What You Can Expect with Somatic Therapy

Compassionate Support:
I’m here to offer warmth and understanding as we explore how your challenges affect you. I believe that everyone’s thoughts, feelings, triggers, and behaviors make sense when viewed through the lens of their life experiences, biology, temperament, and relationships.

A Focus on the Body:

Through Somatic Experiencing and Safe and Sound Protocol, we’ll explore how your body holds trauma and stress. Together, we’ll tune into your body’s signals, build capacity to stay present with intense sensations, and understand what your body needs to feel safe. Strengthening this connection can reduce discomfort, enhance resilience, and empower you to face life’s challenges with confidence.

Safety First:

In somatic therapy, we focus on expanding your window of tolerance, and you never have to revisit old memories unless you choose to. If they do come up, we take care to ensure you feel resourced to avoid retraumatization. We take things slowly, tapping into distress briefly and then returning to a more resourced state—a process called pendulation. This gradual approach builds your capacity to handle unpleasant thoughts and feelings, increasing resiliency and capacity for the hard stuff in life.

Holistic Healing:

Holistic Healing: When anxiety, trauma, or chronic pain takes hold, it can impact every part of your life—making it hard to be fully present in your work, relationships, or time with loved ones. By focusing on both your mind and body through somatic therapy, we can create deep, lasting healing that helps you reconnect with yourself and the world around you. As we work together, you may find relief from the constant stress and discomfort, allowing you to rediscover joy in activities and relationships that once brought you happiness.

If you’re ready to ease the grip of trauma, anxiety, or chronic pain and reclaim a sense of peace and connection, schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation. I’m here to support you every step of the way.

Somatic Therapy FAQs

  • Clients can choose to engage in Somatic Experiencing (SE), Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), or a combination of both. SE is the foundation of my approach, so even when a client seeks SSP exclusively, my work with them is still deeply informed by the principles of Somatic Experiencing.

  • Yes! I also have an attachment lens, and I think holistically. We humans are mind & body, and it's important that we pay attention to both. They each affect the other.

    Traditionally, only the mind was looked at in psychotherapy, so there has been a missing link. Bringing the body into the therapeutic work helps tremendously, but it's also one part of who you are. We all have complex emotions and thoughts, and those are always welcome in therapy.

    I have a Master in Social Work that included a concentration in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. I find that my understanding of child development is extremely helpful regardless of the age of a client. And often somatic work naturally brings childhood and family-of-origin dynamics to the forefront of the work.

  • Individual sessions are $180.

    I don't accept insurance; however, I'm happy to offer a receipt that you can submit to insurance for potential reimbursement.

    There are additional costs for those who choose to do Safe and Sound Protocol. Those will vary depending on whether or not clients listen outside of sessions. See the SSP page for a breakdown of those costs.

  • Yes, as long as you have an interest in becoming more connected to your body.

    I’ll be there as a supportive presence to guide you through the process in a way that feels comfortable for you. Sometimes, it’s helpful to avoid tuning in at the beginning of the session or focus on noticing what feels nice or neutral. The most important thing is felt safety, and often that means taking things really slow. We’ll use plenty of tools to support you along the way.

Get help from a Fort Lauderdale Somatic Therapist

Living with trauma, anxiety, or chronic pain can be incredibly tough. The constant emotional overwhelm is draining your energy and making it hard to stay engaged with daily life, maintain close relationships, or concentrate on what truly matters. Avoiding difficult situations and constantly worrying about other people's opinions only leaves you feeling trapped in a cycle of fear and doubt.

Yet, there is hope. Through somatic therapy, you can start to experience meaningful change. You can reclaim a fulfilling life and discover the lasting relief you deserve, and I’m here to guide and support you every step of the way.