Somatic Therapy & Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
Build nervous system resilience through evidence-based, body-centered therapy.
Many people understand why they feel anxious, overwhelmed, or stuck, yet their bodies continue to react as though the danger is still present. Somatic therapy works with both the mind and the nervous system to help process overwhelming experiences, increase emotional capacity, and develop greater resilience in everyday life.
What Is Somatic Therapy?
Trauma, chronic stress, and childhood or developmental trauma don’t just affect our thoughts—they also influence how our nervous system responds to the world around us. Whether you’ve experienced a single traumatic event, ongoing stress, or early childhood experiences that shaped your sense of safety, these experiences can leave your nervous system working overtime to protect you.
You may notice:
Constant tension or difficulty relaxing
Anxiety, panic, or feeling on edge
Emotional overwhelm or shutting down
Feeling disconnected from yourself or others
Difficulty feeling safe, even when you know you are
Becoming stuck in patterns of fight, flight, freeze, or collapse
Feeling reactive in relationships or during conflict
A sense that you understand your struggles intellectually, but your body continues to respond as though the danger is still present
By increasing awareness of the connection between your body, emotions, thoughts, and nervous system, therapy can help you process overwhelming experiences, build nervous system capacity, strengthen emotional resilience, and develop greater flexibility in how you respond to stress and relationships.
At Made to Thrive Wellness, somatic therapy and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy are offered in person in Gilbert, Arizona, and virtually throughout Arizona.
What Is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy?
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is an evidence-based form of somatic therapy that integrates neuroscience, attachment theory, parts work, and traditional psychotherapy to help individuals process trauma, childhood and developmental trauma, anxiety, and chronic stress. Rather than focusing only on thoughts or memories, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy recognizes that overwhelming experiences can also shape the body's automatic responses and the nervous system's patterns of protection.
Through increased awareness of body sensations, emotions, thoughts, and movement, this approach helps clients process overwhelming experiences, build nervous system capacity, strengthen emotional resilience, and develop greater flexibility in how they respond to stress, relationships, and everyday life.
As a Certified Sensorimotor Psychotherapist, I have integrated Sensorimotor Psychotherapy into my clinical practice since 2021. I combine this body-centered approach with evidence-based psychotherapy to help clients process trauma at a pace that supports the nervous system while fostering greater regulation, resilience, and lasting change.
How Somatic Therapy Can Help
Somatic therapy works with both the mind and the nervous system to help you process overwhelming experiences, build resilience, and develop greater capacity to navigate stress, emotions, and relationships.
Somatic therapy may help you:
Regulate your nervous system and develop greater capacity to manage stress and emotions
Process trauma, childhood trauma, and developmental trauma at a pace that supports your nervous system
Reduce anxiety and chronic stress by increasing awareness of your body's responses and patterns
Improve emotional regulation and respond to challenges with greater flexibility
Understand survival responses such as fight, flight, freeze, and shutdown
Decrease feelings of overwhelm and build resilience during difficult seasons of life
Increase connection with your body through greater awareness of sensations, emotions, and needs
Strengthen relationships by developing healthier patterns of connection and communication
Increase feelings of safety, presence, and confidence in daily life
Conditions Somatic Therapy May Help Address
Somatic therapy and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy may be helpful for individuals navigating:
Trauma and PTSD
Childhood trauma and developmental trauma
Relationship issues
Anxiety and panic
Chronic stress and overwhelm
Attachment wounds and relationship challenges
Grief and loss
Pregnancy, postpartum, and perinatal mental health concerns
Medical trauma and birth trauma
Life transitions and major changes
What to Expect in Somatic Therapy Sessions
Somatic therapy sessions are collaborative, paced, and focused on helping you build awareness of your body's responses, nervous system patterns, and emotional experiences.
Sessions may include:
Exploring the connection between physical sensations, emotions, thoughts, and memories
Learning how your nervous system responds to stress, trauma, and overwhelming experiences
Identifying protective patterns and different parts of yourself that developed to help you cope
Using body-based interventions to increase nervous system capacity and support emotional regulation
Practicing grounding and awareness skills to help you remain present during difficult emotions
Gently noticing and working with body sensations to allow your nervous system to complete responses that may have become stuck
Developing new experiences of strength, safety, and choice through movement, awareness, and therapeutic exercises
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy does not require you to relive every detail of your past. Instead, therapy focuses on helping you process experiences at a pace that supports your nervous system, build resilience, and develop greater flexibility in how you respond to stress and relationships.
Ready to experience therapy that addresses both the mind and the body?Somatic therapy and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy can help you better understand your nervous system, process difficult experiences, build nervous system capacity, strengthen resilience, and develop greater flexibility in how you respond to stress, relationships, and life’s challenges.
Schedule an in-person appointment in Gilbert, Arizona, or meet virtually anywhere in Arizona.
Frequently Asked Questions About Somatic Therapy & Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
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Somatic therapy may involve talking about and processing difficult experiences, including trauma, childhood trauma, and developmental trauma. However, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy approaches trauma processing differently than simply retelling the story.
Sessions focus on developing awareness of your thoughts, emotions, body sensations, and nervous system responses while staying connected to the present moment. Trauma processing occurs at a pace that supports your nervous system and within your window of tolerance, helping you build capacity, increase resilience, and develop greater flexibility in how you respond to difficult memories and experiences.
You remain an active participant in the process, and therapy is always paced according to your needs and readiness.
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Traditional talk therapy often focuses on thoughts, emotions, memories, and understanding how past experiences influence the present. Developing insight can be an important part of growth and change.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy incorporates these elements while also focusing on the connection between the body, nervous system, and emotional experiences. This approach recognizes that trauma and chronic stress can influence automatic responses in the body, including patterns of fight, flight, freeze, shutdown, or feeling disconnected.
Through mindfulness, body awareness, and specialized interventions, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy helps clients notice these patterns, process difficult experiences within their window of tolerance, build nervous system capacity, and develop greater flexibility and resilience.
Rather than focusing only on understanding what happened, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy supports clients in developing new ways of responding, relating, and navigating life's challenges.
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Every session is tailored to your individual needs and goals. In addition to traditional talk therapy, we may explore the connection between your thoughts, emotions, body sensations, and nervous system responses to better understand how past experiences continue to influence the present.
Depending on your needs, sessions may include mindfulness, body awareness, grounding techniques, exploring protective patterns or different parts of yourself, gentle movement, or other experiential exercises that support processing trauma, increasing nervous system capacity, and strengthening emotional resilience.
Therapy is collaborative, moves at a pace that supports your nervous system, and always respects your comfort and readiness.
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No. While somatic therapy is often used in trauma treatment, it can also support individuals experiencing anxiety, chronic stress, attachment challenges, grief, life transitions, relationship issues, and difficulties with emotional regulation.
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Both Somatic Therapy and EMDR are evidence-based approaches that can help individuals process trauma and other overwhelming experiences. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain reprocess distressing memories, while Sensorimotor Psychotherapy integrates body awareness, emotions, thoughts, beliefs, and the nervous system to support trauma processing and lasting change.
Rather than viewing EMDR and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy as separate approaches, I often thoughtfully integrate both therapies to create a personalized treatment plan. Together, they can support trauma processing, nervous system regulation, cognitive and belief integration, and meaningful, lasting change.
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Somatic therapy may be a good fit if you feel stuck despite understanding your experiences intellectually, notice that your body reacts to stress before you have time to think, or are experiencing trauma, childhood trauma, anxiety, chronic stress, or emotional overwhelm. This approach can help you better understand your nervous system, build nervous system capacity, strengthen emotional resilience, and develop greater flexibility in how you respond to life's challenges.
If you're unsure whether somatic therapy is the right fit, we can discuss your concerns and goals during your first appointment. Together, we'll determine whether Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, EMDR, or an integrated approach is the best fit for your unique needs.
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Yes. Many somatic therapy interventions can be adapted for virtual therapy. Through telehealth, clients can still develop body awareness, practice nervous system regulation skills, and work through therapeutic exercises from a comfortable environment.