Somatic Therapy
The Foundation
What is somatic therapy?
Somatic therapy is a body-based approach that recognizes the ways stress, overwhelm, trauma, masking, and chronic survival responses can live in the nervous system.
For many people, overwhelm is not only emotional or cognitive. It may also show up physically through:
- Chronic tension
- Shutdown or freeze
- Restlessness
- Sensory overwhelm
- Difficulty feeling grounded
- Emotional flooding
- Dissociation or numbness
- Exhaustion after social interaction or stress
Rather than pushing past these experiences, somatic work helps create more awareness, regulation, and connection over time.
Looking Closer
The body carries the cost
Long-term masking, stress, sensory overwhelm, and burnout affects more than mood. Many clients notice patterns such as tension, fatigue, sleep disruption, headaches, stomach discomfort, pain flares, or feeling wired and exhausted at the same time.
Somatic therapy does not replace medical care. It can, however, help you better understand how stress and nervous system overwhelm show up in your body, and support gentler ways of noticing, regulating, and responding to those signals.
Many adults already understand themselves intellectually. The harder part is often learning how to slow down enough to notice what your system actually needs.
Our Approach
A slower approach
This work is not about forcing change or “fixing” your reactions.
It is often slower, gentler, and more collaborative than traditional problem-solving approaches. Therapy may involve noticing patterns in the body, building tolerance for emotions and sensations, and learning to recognize what safety, overwhelm, or shutdown feel like in your system.
For many clients, this creates space for change that does not come from pressure or constant self-monitoring.
The Process
Over Time
Many clients begin to notice:
- More awareness of their limits and needs
- Less pressure to constantly push through
- Earlier recognition of overwhelm before shutdown or burnout
- A greater sense of steadiness and self-trust
more capacity to stay connected to themselves during stress - A gentler relationship with their body and nervous system
The goal is not perfection or constant regulation. It is building a way of moving through life that feels more sustainable and less driven by survival alone.
Understanding Patterns
Neurodivergence and the nervous system
- Staying hyper-alert
- Disconnecting from needs
- Overriding exhaustion
- Masking discomfort
- Struggling to recover after stress
Somatic therapy can help bring greater awareness and compassion to these patterns while supporting a more sustainable relationship with yourself.
What to Expect
What sessions may include
Depending on your needs and comfort level, therapy may include:
- Nervous system education
- Grounding and regulation practices
- Noticing body sensations and stress responses
- Identifying overwhelm before shutdown occurs
- Slowing down patterns of overfunctioning or masking
- Building emotional awareness and self-trust
- Creating more sustainable rhythms and boundaries
You do not need prior experience with somatic work to begin.
Getting Started
You can begin by submitting a brief inquiry form. If it seems like a potential fit, Maura will follow up to schedule a consultation. The consultation process is intended to help determine whether this approach aligns with your needs and goals.