Somatic Experiencing

What it is

An interactive experience focused on uncovering the root of trauma, energetic imbalances or chronic pain to access deep healing. This neurobiological approach involves dialogue and deeply tuning into your body to process emotions, memories and physical sensations and their effect on your nervous system and psyche. 

Kelly is trained to attune to the physiology and emotional aspects of these patterns, gently facilitating interventions that allow you to unlock the patterns and surface stuck emotions to allow greater freedom and ease. She is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, having completed the 3 year training program and met all requirements to earn the certificate from Somatic Experiencing International.

How it works

  • This modality is co-created with your active participation, as Kelly facilitates you in exploring energetic patterns in the body, and conversation takes place to explore physical sensations, emotions and memories tied to your body’s organizing patterns.  A willingness to examine those connections can maximize the potential of this work.

  • Tuning in deeply to the patterns in place allows us to uncover the root of how they came to be, which is often tied to survival response and past memories. It is from this place we can renegotiate or dissolve the pattern to create a shift at the cellular level.

  • Rather than the “top-down” approach of psychotherapy, in which the mind alone is expected to drive change, this is a “bottom-up” approach that involves the body’s implicit wisdom and stored memories in creating change, which often proves to be more effective and fast-paced at creating results.

What is it best for?

  • Headaches and migraines; Chronic pain in the hips, shoulders, neck and lower back; Concussions & Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

  • Creating space for unprocessed or repressed emotions such as anger, grief, sadness, shame, anxiety, fear, shock and surprise to be felt and released. Works well for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD as well as Stress, Anxiety & Depression

  • Some categories of trauma that can be worked with effectively include Intergenerational trauma, Sexual trauma, Spiritual & religious trauma, Medical trauma, and working with injuries from car accidents and other high-impact situations

What to expect

Sessions can take place either virtually or in-person, seated across from each other. In-person sessions can easily be adapted to the massage table, given Kelly’s background in bodywork.

“I’ve recently been struggling with some intense anxiety and decided to try out a new treatment modality alongside my regular therapies. I have always heard ‘the body keeps the score,’ but I never realized how very real that is until now! Through Kelly’s gentleness and compassion I was able to process my challenging emotions and get to the root of the anxiety I was feeling. I’m forever grateful for this unique healing experience and I’ll absolutely be back for more sessions! If you’re looking for a loving and supportive practitioner, Kelly is the one!”

- Ambrose, Joshua Tree, CA

“Somatic Experiencing gives me access to this whole amazing inner landscape where I can play in the abstract and sort through spaces where I've put things that no longer serve me. I can't wait to see what I do with all this new found space! I am so glad I am discovering that with Kelly. She's a true guide. I have complex PTSD and when I walked into my first session, I had been feeling disconnected from my body with high anxiety for several months. She met me exactly where I was without judgement, and we got to work. Our bodies and minds are incredibly intelligent. They work together our whole lives to build constructs that protect us and that can also heal us. In our sessions I can go far and wide, see what arrives, work with it, let go, and reconnect with self.”

- Nicole, Joshua Tree, CA