Somatic Therapy for Trauma, Anxiety, and Body Image in NYC
Find steadiness in your body and ease in your nervous system
Online therapy throughout New York using somatic techniques focuses on the connection between your mind and body. Instead of only talking about what’s happening, we also pay attention to your body and its sensations, because that’s where a lot of stress, trauma, and emotions are stored.
In simple terms, it helps you slow down and notice what’s happening inside your body.
Tightness in your chest
as if your body is bracing, even when there’s no clear reason why.Difficulty relaxing even when nothing is wrong
where your mind knows you’re okay, but your body hasn’t caught up.Chronic tension
that shows up in clenched muscles, shallow breathing, or a body that rarely feels at ease.Emotional numbness
feeling disconnected from your emotions, or like you’ve had to shut parts of yourself down to get through.Feeling disconnected from yourself
as though you’re going through the motions, but not fully present in your own life.Stomach issues
like stress, anxiety, or overwhelm settling in your gut and showing up physically.Difficulty slowing down
where stillness feels unfamiliar, uncomfortable, or even unsafe.Feeling constantly “on edge”
as though your nervous system is always waiting for the next thing.
Somatic online therapy in NYC can help you feel more grounded, emotionally present, connected to your body, and less trapped in cycles of overwhelm or shutdown. Over time, clients often describe feeling safer in their bodies, less reactive to stress, and more able to slow down without guilt or panic.
Anxiety and Trauma are not only cognitive experiences. They can also live in the body.
What Sessions Feel Like
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01
Slow Down. Tune In.
We begin by gently slowing things down.
Instead of jumping straight into problem-solving, we take a moment to notice what’s happening in your body, your breath, tension, or any sensations that are present.
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02
Notice & Understand Your Body’s Signals
You might begin to notice patterns like:
- Tightness when talking about certain experiences
- A sense of shutdown or overwhelm
- Subtle shifts as you feel safer
Your body holds important information, and this step helps you understand it without judgment or pressure
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03
Release, Regulate & Feel More Like Yourself
As we continue, your body naturally begins to settle. You may start to:
-Feel less overwhelmed
-Experience more calm and clarity
-Build a sense of safety in your body
Over time, this helps you move through trauma and anxiety in a way that feels steady and supportive
Frequently Asked Questions About Somatic Therapy
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You might notice tension, heaviness, or unease without a clear reason. Often, your body is holding onto stress or past experiences that haven’t been fully processed. Somatic therapy helps you understand and gently release what your body has been carrying.
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Talking can bring awareness, but it doesn’t always reach the parts of your experience that live in the body. If your nervous system still feels on edge, insight alone may not shift it. Somatic therapy works directly with those physical responses so change feels more complete.
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You might find your body responds quickly—tightening, freezing, or becoming anxious—before you have time to process what’s happening. These responses are automatic and learned. Somatic therapy helps slow things down so you have more choice in how you respond.
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When stress responses stay in the body, they can keep repeating in familiar ways, like tension, avoidance, or overwhelm. Somatic therapy helps complete these patterns so your system can move out of that stuck cycle.
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That’s completely okay. Many people feel disconnected from their bodies at first. Somatic therapy starts gently, helping you build awareness over time without pressure or expectation.
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It involves slowing down and paying attention to physical sensations, movements, and responses in a guided way. This might include noticing tension, breath, or subtle shifts, helping your nervous system process and regulate more effectively.
Need Something Else?
More Online Therapy Services in NYC to Support Healing
A space to gently process past experiences that still feel present, overwhelming, or unresolved.
We work at your pace to help you feel safer, more grounded, and less impacted by what’s happened
I help you build practical skills to manage anxiety in the moment while also addressing the deeper patterns driving it, using approaches like Attachment Theory, Internal Family Systems, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.
Support in untangling the thoughts, feelings, and pressures that shape how you see your body.
The focus is on building a more compassionate, stable relationship with yourself.
A structured, evidence-based therapy that helps the brain reprocess distressing memories.
Over time, experiences that once felt intense can lose their emotional charge and feel more manageable
Start Somatic Therapy in NYC!
Life can feel overwhelming, messy, and surprisingly lonely sometimes. Therapy with Olivia offers a space to pause, reflect, and reconnect with yourself in a more meaningful way.
If you’re looking for a therapist who brings warmth, curiosity, and authenticity into the room (along with the occasional gentle humor), I’d love to connect.