“Somatic. It’s a big word that means ‘body’—you have one—we can use it to promote your healing and well-being” ~Victoria Wallace Schlicht, LMFT, SEP
Trauma Healing Through the Body
Part of a long healing tradition—an aspect of being human
Somatic Experiencing® (SE) is a dynamic, body-based trauma modality developed by Dr. Peter Levine after more than 45 years of interdisciplinary research. It draws from psychology, stress physiology, neuroscience, ethology, and indigenous healing practices.
At its core, SE recognizes that trauma is stored in the body—and healing happens through the body as well. It tracks the subtle sensations of the nervous system to support the release of trauma, shock, and early developmental wounding.
Yes—It Works Online
More soothing than your last Zoom meeting
When I first transitioned my practice online in 2020, I wasn’t sure how well SE would translate to virtual sessions. But I’ve seen—over and over again—how deeply effective this work can be online. My clients are moved by their somatic sessions and often report the benefits they are receiving. This shouldn't come as a surprise, as many European and international SE practitioners have long provided remote Somatic sessions, even by phone.
Naturally, I do not employ touch work remotely, however I do guide clients in supportive self-touch and body-based tracking. These tools help release stored activation gently and effectively. Even through a screen.
A gentle path to healing
Anxiety and panic attacks • Depression and low mood • Relationship struggles or disconnection • Caregiver and parenting fatigue • Burnout and chronic stress in overextended professionals and executives • Grief, loss, or major life transitions • Childhood or developmental trauma • Self-worth, boundaries, and emotional regulation • Creativity blocks and perfectionism • COVID stress, Long-Haul COVID, recovery, and reintegration
Many of these concerns are also explored on my blog, where I share honest, body-centered reflections on anxiety, burnout, grief, and more.
How we work with somatics
In session, we work slowly and gently with your body’s cues. You might track subtle sensations like tightness, heat, tingling, a sense of expansiveness, or stillness—learning how to stay present with your experience rather than overwhelmed by it. Over time, this leads to experiencing:
Greater resilience and nervous system regulation
Reduction in panic and anxiety symptoms
A shift in chronic pain or idiopathic symptoms
Increased ability to feel joy, calm, and connection
Clients often tell me that SE brings them to places and levels of self-awareness that talk therapy alone hasn’t. The truth of the matter, in my opinion, we need both—good insight oriented work and gentle conversations with the body as it processes.
It’s not all about trauma
True, Somatic Experiencing is an very effective trauma treatment. It might be easy to overlook one of its most powerful and direct positive impacts on my clients.
I was fortunate to spend my third year of training with an instructor who taught the incredible value of noticing what is going well in the body, what is okay, or even merely neutral.
Our attention as the intervention
Noticing what is okay in the body, where you feel the best or most grounded in that moment, is a profound healing agent on its own. Once we notice that, we can track where it spreads in the nervous system and its impact on your busy mind, as it melts away the stress in the system. And it does spread.
Given enough time, you’ll notice your entire system moving into cycles of relaxation—that’s gold.
As a certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), I integrate SE across all my work. Whether you're exploring anxiety, trauma, grief, or relational challenges, this body-based awareness supports deeper self-connection, grounded emotional presence, and real change.
Ready for something new
SE can be a stand-alone therapy or complement work you’re doing with your current therapist. If you’re curious whether Somatic Experiencing is a good fit for you, I’d be happy to talk.
Contact me or call 714.914.5565 to learn more about my work.
"MAY YOU BE WELL.
MAY YOU BE HAPPY.
MAY YOU BE FREE OF SUFFERING."
~TIBETAN HEART MEDITATION